Tip of the Iceberg

On the surface Jake seems like a normal person for his time. He's living life in Paris working for a local paper, partying in the evenings, and just enjoying the whole vibe. His life isn't all fine champagne and baguettes however, much like your everyday Joe there is a lot of drama in his life. Whether it is his friends being annoying or the love of his life being with other men. He's had to sacrifice a lot in his life in order to get nothing. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense but emotionally Jake is stretched, rolled, and full of holes. He doesn't come off as this when you he tells you about his life or the stories that are going on at the given moment, but who would want to admit that to a crowd of strangers?

The reason I say this is because Jake is obviously in a lot of pain. He doesn't show it on the surface but more subtly. The way he reacts to things, the backhanded compliments, snide comments, passive aggressive motivations. It is easy to see how Brett makes him feel when they talk. Personally I feel like I'm thrusted into Jake's mindset. I can feel the way his heart beat picks up when he talks to her. The way his cheeks flush when they touch. He doesn't narrate these feelings because he feels them and needs not repeat them. Every time he hears or talks to Brett about her escapades his heart drops a little. But the reason why i doesn't break over and over and over............and over again is because he knows that the other men have no chance of winning her "love" and she is just looking for a good time. However with Cohn it is a little different. Jake doesn't explain his situation with friends, but from what I can tell it sort of seemed like Cohn was on of his few friends. One of the few he trusted that was. He never told Cohn how he felt about Brett so he wasn't all too mad at him they went off to San Santiago but Brett knew their friendship, yet still went with him.

Sorry I started rambling into nothingness, but the point is that Jake loves Brett with all his heart and that's why he helps her with other men. He wants her to be happy because he knows he can't be that happiness she needs. Although he's sacrificing so much more then he is giving it gives him a reason to get up in the morning. Ignoring whether this is healthy or him, or if Brett is "using" him, it's at least a little sweet. And in the end he is happy for the most part.