Jake is wounded while being a soldier in World War I. Even though he does not say it so straight, there are moments in the novel when he implies that, as a result of his injury in World War I, he has lost the ability to have sex. Part of Jake's character represents the Lost Generation; the generation of men and women whose experiences in World War I damaged their belief in morality, justice and love, and its unfortunate position: he wanders through Paris, going from bar to bar and drinking a lot at each, his life filled with aimless dissolution. He demonstrates the capacity to be extremely cruel, especially toward Cohn. His insecurities about his masculinity are typical of the anxieties that many members of the Lost Generation felt. After being a soldier in whatever War is something that only those warriors can described and tell

Being a Jewish, Cohn has spent his entire life feeling like an outsider. Middleweight boxing champion of Princeton, took up boxing to combat his feelings of shyness and inferiority. The individuals with whom Cohn travels to Spain only compound his insecurities. Not only is he the only Jew among them, but he is also the only nonveteran. Jake and his friends grab on these differences and take out their own personal insecurities on Cohn. It is important to note that Cohn's behavior toward Brett is ultimately not very different from that of most of the men in the novel. They all want to possess her in ways that she resists. But Cohn's attempts to win Brett are so clumsy and foolish that they provide an easy target for mockery and ridicule. Throughout the novel, Cohn's acts as a foil for Jake and the other veterans; unlike them, he holds onto traditional values and beliefs, likely because he never experienced World War I firsthand.

One of my favorite parts on this novel was when Brett tells Jake she loves him, yet she won't let him touch her in the taxi. She says she "can't stand it," and she doesn't "want to go through that hell again" (page 34). Brett acts as if sex is the defining factor that makes true love work. Also when nobody seems to like Cohn because he hangs around when he's not wanted and spoils everyone's fun mood. When Cohn is faced with the fact that he is not liked by others he childishly retaliates by knocking people out, but then is sorry for it afterwards. For example, after Cohn knocks out Jake he tells him, "I'm sorry, Jake. Please forgive me" (page 198). Cohn has the maturity of a schoolboy, foolishly acting on his short temper and than feeling terr

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Approximate Word count = 1132
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)