Jake and Brett: Should we cut Brett some slack? (or not...)

Its definitely easy to see how toxic Brett and Jake's relationship in The Sun Also Rises can be. They're both in love with each other (apparently, although sometimes its hard to tell how much Brett actually loves Jake), but as in so many stories, they can't "be together" in a full on relationship. I'll be honest; when I finished the book, I was so done with Brett's behavior. She manipulates Jake's love for her to get what she wants. She deliberately goes off with Cohn even though she knows it'll hurt Jake, guilt trips Jake into getting her with Romero by asking if he still loves her and talking about how horrible its been for her with Mike and Cohn fighting over her (oh, what a problem you got there Brett, must be terrible for you), and plays the damsel in distress by doing such a noble thing when she sends off Romero and calls for Jake's undying support. She keeps Jake feeding on the relationship by telling him she still loves him and kissing him but saying like it won't work out, just so that she can have him at the tip of her fingers. She is the reason he can't sleep at night, and then she barges in on him at 4 AM to tell him she loves him and just wanted to see him, leaving him to think what he wants of it and then runs away with the count. At the end, she's all, "Oh, Jake, we could have had such a damned good time together (p. 251)." She wants Brett to know that she still loves him and appreciates him, but can we really believe her or is she just saying that so Jake doesn't get mad at her and leave her? I feel like she's just trying to make sure he's still in love with her so if everyone turns their back on her, she still has him. Pretty selfish.

But through our discussions in class (and with Mr.Mitchell playing devils advocate), maybe we can cut Brett some slack. For starters, her life wasn't easy, and we can see the war has changed her in some way. Its kind of hard to see Brett as a volunteer nurse, but it shows that she did care for others and isn't just a cruel human. She was kind to Jake, and nursed him back to health and they have a deep relationship in that. She was in an abusive relationship, where Lord Ashley would threaten to kill her every night and force her to sleep on the floor before they had a divorce. It isn't totally fair to say she doesns't love Jake, because we see her constantly coming back to him for emotional support and love, not like the others. She and Jake go way back, and I think she's a lot more laid back and comfortable, enough to open up to Jake crying and showing her vulnerability that she wouldn't show with the other men in her life. She is honest about the relationship in that she admits it won't work out and she straight up talks to him about Romero and Mike and Cohn and her feelings (although she was a bit sneaky about Cohn). She still cares for Jake and I respect that.

Another big thing I would point out for sympathy for Brett is that she has no one other than Jake for an emotional connection. She knows that Jake is honest in his feelings for her, not influenced by the physical aspect so much than his emotional connection and understanding with her. She could truly be hurting like Jake (maybe not as much), but she drowns out her feelings by plowing through another man and another. He goes to Madrid on her call, and hugs her and comforts her and allows her to show her true vulnerability that she wouldn't show to anyone else. She has that image to keep of the energetic and flamboyant party girl with all the men, but with Jake she doesn't have to keep it up all the time and can just talk to him about her problems. Sometimes its hard to read her, and I seriously doubt at moments how much she truly loves Jake, but I think if we read between the lines we can see that she really does connect with him and maybe she would be faithful if they could be together.

In the end though, this relationship cannot be a romantic one. It will never work out, so why should Jake and Brett (especially Jake though) keep hurting with their moments of confessions? I understand that getting over someone, especially when you've had such a deep connection with them is very toughg, but honestly its better for them to be best friends without that romantic aspect. They're already half way there without the physical intimacy being a thing, and if it was a friendship Jake wouldn't be so hurt when Brett goes off with a man, and he could actually go to sleep at night (who would stay up thinking about their friends?). Its obvious that Jake is more at peace when Brett isn't popping up randomly everywhere he goes, so this would work out a lot more for his state of mind. Getting over the friend zone can be tough, but I would argue that it would be a lot healthier for them to just be very close friends.