the whole brett and jake situation
I wanted to share my bit on the discussion we had in class today about Brett and Jake. Is Brett at fault for messing with Jake? In my opinion Jake is more of the issue in their "relationship" rather than Brett. First of all, I think even though Brett is most likely aware that she is somewhat toying with Jake, she doesn't have bad intentions. She lives her life by doing whatever makes herself feel good and in this way her thoughts and feelings could get complex and confusing since she's so inconsistent and just a mess. I feel like she's shallow on the outside, only concerned with drinking and whatnot, but on the inside she has her feelings but can't really sort it out just like how she can't really sort out her life in general. Thus her behavior and actions could be misunderstood or just straight up confusing to others, including the reader. She also was honest with Jake and made it clear that she doesn't want a relationship with him, yet he still feels the need to pursue her and stay emotionally attached. He's also the one instigating all the time they spend together so I'd assume he'd be able to catch those red flags. What doesn't make sense is that if he is aware he's being messed with, why does he continue to attach himself to Brett? His feelings are also confusing and I don't think he knows exactly what he wants. He thinks a lot of the men around Brett are horrible but then Mike, the man she's going to marry is okay with him?? And the fact that Brett made it clear that she doesn't want a relationship with Jake should be enough for him to conclude that its not going to work out and stop getting led on by her affectionate actions. I think Jake has the full capability to break it off with her and stop becoming so attracted because its basically just up to him, yet he doesn't do that. I don't think Brett is right for playing him but I also think it isn't completely her fault and its mostly Jake's fault for getting hurt and repeatedly confused with her.
Interesting take -- However, from another perspective, I would argue that there is no one at fault between Jake and Brett. They are both results of circumstance and war, each of whom deals with their own tragedies in their own ways. In Jake's situation, his injury represents a physical manifestation of "Loss of masculinity" and he embodies the broken-soldier-back-from-the-war idea. With his scars also came a lifetime of lust and unattainable love. Though he never explicitly states it, he must be in unimaginable pain, unable to be with the woman he cares for due to a factor he couldn't control. Similarly Brett, who has also dealt with loss, fantasizes about the relationship she could have had with Jake. For her, the perfect romance is the one she cannot have. I feel as though she is trying to move on, but because of her idealization of a "healthy" Jake, she isn't able to fully forget him or leave him be, hence what we see as "manipulating" or toying with him.
ReplyDeleteJake's thoughts are really confusing. It seems like he just keeps throwing himself towards Brett's general direction without a plan, even though he knows they don't have a chance together and they have both made that clear to each other. To me, by continuing to pursue Brett under these circumstances, it looks like he's just dealing with lingering affection by hoping that a solution presents itself. But I also don't really pin this as one's fault or the other, since Jake isn't hurting anybody but himself, and it isn't really Brett's fault because she isn't forcing anything on him. He could just stop pursuing her at any time.
ReplyDeleteI think the issue here is that while Brett keeps going off and having relationships with others, she keeps coming back to Jake whenever she needs him for emotional support. She leans on him as if they are lovers. Even if she is not intentionally leading him on, the fact that she keeps coming back to Jake gives him false hope that they can be together and prevents Jake from being able to move on. As long as Jake still feels like he might have a chance with Brett, he won't be able to have any healthier romantic relationships. It's not necessarily entirely Brett's fault, as neither she nor Jake are able to move on from each other, which, it seems, would be best for both of them.
ReplyDeleteI agree in that I don't think it's either of their faults entirely for the mess that is their relationship. I'm not mad at Brett for living by what makes her happy, that's sort of how I live my life as well, minus like the leading people on and using them part. I feel like both Brett and Jake should realize that the prolongation of their shitty relationship is hurting Jake, and should then make an effort to distance themselves from each other. I do think that Jake has an unhealthy attachment to Brett he can't seem to shake, and because of that I think Brett shoulders a bit more of the weight than Jake does, seeing as he's obviously sustained some mental damage.
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