At the beginning of the novel, referring to Cohn, Jake says:
“I mistrust all frank and simple people, especially when their stories hold
together” (12). This quote stands out to me for a few reasons.
First, this quote characterizes Jake. One would expect
frankness to be trusted. However, Jake’s mistrust of frankness and stories that
“hold together” leads to the conclusion that he doesn’t believe that people can
lead sincere lives at all. Thus, when they claim outwardly to do so, they must
be hiding something, even if there is no evidence to suggest this. Jake’s
cynicism is plainly established here and continues throughout the novel.
Secondly, I found this quote ironic because, though Jake mistrusts
frank and simple people, he himself narrates his story extremely frankly and
simply. The way that Jake interacts with other characters in the novel may not
necessarily be frank (though his interactions show him to be very direct and
matter-of-fact). But our relationship with Jake as a narrator is definitely
frank. Hemingway writes in a very specific style, using short, simply
structured sentences that seem to tell it how it is, devoid of ornate or
elaborate language. By Jake’s logic, then, should his own openness be
mistrusted? Is his forthrightness only serving as a mask for something that he
would rather keep hidden?
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