The Sun Also Rises is a story more about heartbreak than it is about love. Throughout the novel, Brett tries to form relationships with multiple men but they all end up failing one way or another. Jake can only watch from the sidelines, knowing that he will always be second in line due to his injury. Despite Jake’s love for Brett, he doesn’t seem to be too disheartened. In fact, he actively sets up Brett with Romero. But Jake does really care. He simply detaches himself from reality in order to deal with the emotional damage that he has been dealt.
Mike, Jake, and Brett are a part of the Lost Generation, the group of people that were reaching maturity near the time of WW1. This generation is characterized by a “disoriented, wandering, directionless spirit” and lots of drinking. Mike, Jake, and Brett have all been greatly affected by the war and drink their sorrows away. Jake also does not really open up during his time in his home city. He tries to keep his mind off the reality of his situation and acts unfazed by everything.
But sometimes, he does end up thinking about his injury. In Chapter 4, when Jake returns home to look at himself in the mirror, he first tries to downplay his feelings by calling it funny multiple times. He acts like he does when he is around other people: by acting like his injury doesn’t faze him. But suddenly, he starts to cry after realizing that the injury does in fact cause him a great deal of emotional pain. When he finally understands his situation, he becomes miserable, which is why he prefers to keep his mind off reality.
When Jake arrives at Burguete, he becomes happier overall. He drinks less alcohol and opens up to other people like Bill. Normally, he would not have done so because coming to terms with the reality of his situation would make him depressed. But the change of scenery that Burgete provides gives Jake some much needed healing.
I like to think that the very last line is Jake telling Brett to dream on. I consider the 250 pages of the novel to show Jake slowly coming to terms with his situation. Jake’s experiences throughout the novel provides him happiness and allows him to realize that his imaginary relationship with Brett isn’t all that matters.
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