(http://thoughtsfrommaddie.blogspot.com/2015/09/rlarissa-clichard-nevermind.html#comment-form for title reference).
In class, we’ve discussed the different aspects of Bill’s irony and whether or not it crosses the line between just joking to completely offensive/ wrong. Earlier in The Sun Also Rises, we read how Jake reacts when a few gay men walk into a bar with Brett. “Somehow they always made me angry. I know they are supposed to be amusing, and you should be tolerant, but I wanted to swing on one, any one, anything to shatter that superior, simpering composure” (Hemingway 28). Jake is aware that homosexuality is acceptable in Paris society, but he just can’t get over that they aren’t like him. It bothers him that they act differently, even though they are the same gender as Jake. It’s almost as if he is angry that, assumably that they have not been injured from the war, such as Jake, they are sexually attracted to other men, instead of women, seemingly using their sexual reproductive organs for the wrong reason. (As Jacob might put it...Jake may have a little case of “penis envy”). In any case, for what it’s worth, Jake is aware that he should be tolerant, so he walks out to another bar to calm down.
In this scene, we see how, even though Jake may not be the most accepting of people who “aren’t like him”, he doesn’t feel the need to voice his discriminatory opinions...unlike his friend, Bill, who seemingly uses humor to express his true feelings about race, sexuality, and other borderline topics. When he and Jake were on the way into Spain, he complained to a priest, asking why the Catholics were getting a chance to eat, but he and Jake weren’t. “‘When do us Protestants get a chance to eat, father?’ / ‘I don’t know anything about it. Haven’t you got tickets?’ / It’s enough to make a man join the Klan,’ Bill said. The priest looked back at him” (Hemingway 93). Saying this kind of stuff is very racy, especially in the presence of a priest. Bill’s filter, or lack thereof, could get him into trouble with those who aren’t aware that Bill is just kidding. (Is that enough? To be just kidding?)
But Bill’s humor doesn’t seem to bother Jake. In fact, even when Bill seemingly goes too far and says: “You don’t work. Some group claims women support you. And other groups claims you’re impotent” (Hemingway 120). At this moment, Hemingway doesn’t write it, but we can feel the presence of an awkward pause. Bill has obviously gone too far, for Jake has spent every day that he’s gotten home from the war, moping over his injury (and for valid reasons too). Bill, an obvious good friend, has joined the pack of people who nonchalantly laugh at Jake’s injury, not thinking about how it emotionally affects Jake daily.
Surprisingly, Jake isn’t fazed by Bill’s comment. (Or so he says). “He had been going splendidly, but he stopped. I was afraid he thought he had hurt me with that crack about being impotent. I wanted to start him again” (Hemingway 120). Apparently Jake is fine with people making fun of his injury...as long as they are ironic and humorous about it. (By Jake’s standards). While in Spain, Jake doesn’t seem to mention his injury as much as he does in Paris. Which implies that he is happier and content in Spain, and doesn’t need to dwell on the war. Spain helps him temporarily move on. So, even though Bill brings up the accident, (or mystery as he would like Jake to portray it as) Jake is so set on not thinking about it, that he just wants Bill to press on with his riffing of jokes.
After this awkward break, Bill feels it necessary to say: “You’re a hell of a good guy, and I’m fonder of you than anybody on earth” (Hemingway 121). It’s almost as if Bill is reassuring Jake that his injury doesn’t matter; it doesn’t define his masculinity. Even though his masculinity is questioned, laughed at, and seemingly gone, he is still a “good guy” and more of a man than others. (Cohn?). This bromance between Jake and Bill is honestly very good for Jake, for it allows him to both come out of shell, and be comfortable in his own shoes. For the first time in his narrative, Jake is actively participating in conversations, instead of just sitting and listening. It will be interesting to see Jake when he heads back to Paris. Will he take Bill’s pointers and exercise his irony? Or will he crawl back into his shell?
I thought it was interesting how you said that Jake is ok with people joking about his injury. I always thought during that point in the novel then Bill thinks he's gone too far, that Jake just didn't want to ruin their mood of the trip and was so caught up in listening to Bill joke around that he didn't want to spoil anything. However, we've not actually seen other people talk about it (probably because they don't know it), and when he does talk about it with Brett, he's mostly talking about how they can't be together. I also think that Jake's way of showing how masculine he is, is by not taking anything seriously, which is also evident there.
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