The Sun Also Rises

" 'All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full...'"
-Part of the epitaph to The Sun Also Rises (from Ecclesiastes)
     Several of the characters in this novel are empty. The allusion in the epitaph is an accurate metaphor for the lives of some of the characters. They fill themselves, yet never are full. Robert Cohn feebly attempts to satisfy the inner emptiness he feels. Robert, self-conscious of his ethnicity and anti-semitic sentiments against him, seeks exterior experiences to bring him fulfillment. Whether it be boxing victories or potential South American travels, he does not want to settle, yet lacks the fortitude to overcome obstacles to his goals.
     The love triangles seem right out of Canterbury Tales. Everybody loves Brett. She loves Jake, but I doubt she will marry him. I think that not many men see Brett at anything less than her physical beauty, with the exception of Jake. Cohn sees her merely as the next thing. She infatuates him, there is not any real love or anything like it.
     It is fitting that the story is told from Jake's point of view. He is a good man, not cocky or overbearing, yet confident and secure. His knowledge of people and human nature enables him to be so. Jake knows Cohn better than Cohn knows himself. People are Jake's expertise, however, he does not use this gift to manipulate or control others. He brings Georgette with him to the club, but gives her free rein for the evening. Privacy motivates him to do so, he does not want to make his feelings for Brett too obvious, nor hers for him.
     Conflict over Brett may be the main issue as the novel progresses. How exactly the characters will change or stay the same, I am not sure, although I will soon find out.