I am not ready to hate Robert Cohn. I was surprised by
the lack of support Cohn received in class on Wednesday as we pondered the idea
that he may be both foolish and an outcast. However, I’m not so sure Cohn
really is a fool or an outcast. The problem that I have with calling Cohn a
fool or an outcast is the fact that our narrator is Jake, and I don’t believe
Jake is a reliable character. Jake is condescending when he states that Cohn is
a good man in one passage and then in the other he states how rotten of a guy
he is. Hemingway writes, “I like him. But he’s just so awful” (107). Jake’s comment
that Cohn is “nice” and “awful” is a discredited contradiction. Jake’s
inability to decide if he truly likes Cohn leads me to believe that he is
unreliable. Furthermore, as Mike verbally attacks Cohn, Jake decides to leave
himself out of the situation and instead of sticking up for Cohn who he “likes,”
he watches the escapade unfold because he finds it enjoyable. I believe that,
so far, Bill is the only reliable main character in The Sun Also Rises. Although Bill often becomes intoxicated, he seems to
keep his bearing. Bill is the only one to help Cohn escape from Mike’s scolding,
even though he admits that he doesn’t like him. Because Bill helps Cohn when he
is in need, instead of turning his back on him like Jake, I believe that Bill
is the most reliable character.
After reading further I would definitely agree with you. I marked some lines from a passage that read, "I wished Mike would not behave so terribly to Cohn" and a few lines later, "I liked to see him hurt Cohn". This was odd to me. Jake and Cohn seemed to be close friends at the start, but since being in Spain it has not looked that way. I think that morally, Cohn is above all of them. He drinks the least, is the most polite, and tries to make an honest woman of Brett. Perhaps that is why they hate him. I have also noticed that Cohn seems to be a sort of scapegoat for the group, reminding me of how the Jews were scapegoats to the Germans.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Jake may not be the most reliable of narrators. I think that you make a good point by drawing attention to the times that Jake seems to contradict himself concerning his opinion of Cohn. I hope that later in the novel we can see what exactly is Jake's "deal" with Cohn and whether or not his view of him is reliable or not.
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