Jake Finds the Light

It all started in Paris, late one night… In chapter 4, Jake first mentions Catholicism when he recounts the tale of his “rotten” injury In chapter 4, Jake first mentions Catholicism when he recounts the tale of his “rotten” injury Catholics, he says, have “an awfully good way of handling” such problems because they do not believe in self-pity Catholics, he says, have “an awfully good way of handling” such problems because they do not believe in self-pity Jake thinks this advice is “swell” and attempts to convince himself to “Try and take it sometime” Jake thinks this advice is “swell” and attempts to convince himself to “Try and take it sometime” Jake starts to realize that embracing these Catholic ideals will help him cope with his impotence and deal with his Brett issues Jake starts to realize that embracing these Catholic ideals will help him cope with his impotence and deal with his Brett issues

And now we’re on a train In chapter 9, Bill and Jake want to eat lunch on the train to Spain but cannot because the Catholics are being waited on first Bill, thoroughly annoyed, rants about the Catholics, going so far as to say it would make him want to join the KKK Jake may be upset, but he refuses to join Bill in his anti-Catholic tirade, showing he has enough respect for his fellow Catholics to keep his mouth shut

Finally, a scene in a church After arriving in Spain, (chapter 10) Jake visits a local church. While he starts off considerably well by praying for others (his friends and the bullfighters), his thoughts eventually drift to himself and—even worse—to money After his prayer gets out of control, Jake feels ashamed not only for being so selfish, but also because he feels like he has abandoned the guidance of the Catholic faith, “a grand religion” Jake has a difficult time praying primarily because he has just arrived from Paris, a place celebrated for its blatant immorality, to the Spanish countryside, where traditional piety is expected by most of the population Although not a strictly practicing Catholic, Jake knows the ways of his fellow expatriates are more than sinful, even worthy of damnation In short, Jake may fear Paris has put his very soul in danger

What? Now we’re in the forest? In Chapter 12, after he and Jake have finished fishing, Bill decides to give a sermon. He calls for Jake to join him as they “rejoice and believe and give thanks” Given Bill’s character, this is instantly recognizable as a joke, another mockery of the Christian tradition How does Jake respond? He doesn’t, yet again. He refuses to join in with Bill’s antics, attempting to change the subject by repeatedly offering Bill wine Jake may not go out of his way to tell Bill his insensitivity is rude and ignorant, but he certainly doesn’t want to have a part in it! Kudos to anyone who knows what movie this is from!

What’s Brett got to do with it? In chapter 18, Brett asks Jake to go to church with her so that she may pray for Romero. She leaves almost immediately because being in church makes her “nervy,” and she claims she has “the wrong type of face” for it While Jake fears for himself, Brett cares more about Romero than herself. She has already learned to accept the way religious people will view her, but she does not want her lifestyle to threaten Romero (both morally and as a matador) It is not clear if Brett believes in the almighty abilities of God, but it appears that she thinks her immoral choices will somehow cause God to punish Romero for her wrongdoings if she prays for him Brett also realizes she is utterly selfish for trying to trick God into thinking better of her for caring about Romero’s wellbeing. She can’t pray for him because she isn’t praying for him at all; she is praying to make herself look good. (Wrong face? She may just have the wrong hat!)