Cohny Cohny Cohn

By starting off the novel with Robert Cohn, Hemingway creates an intense sense of tension that increases throughout the novel. We get a sense that Cohn is different from the narrator. Almost immediately we learn that Cohn is used to feeling like an outsider. He received a Princeton education, which should have instilled in him a feeling of superiority, yet we figure out that Cohn has gotten used to feeling excluded from the group. His Jewish heritage immediately sets him apart from his schoolmates, and further in the story it sets him apart from his fellow travelers. We also learn that Cohn is the only one in the group of travelers who did not experience the devastation of World War 1, and because of this his values seem somewhat ancient and are easily contrasted with the personalities of his friends. He follows a code of honor that no other character follows. Due to these differences, the reader is able to place Cohn in “the outgroup” much like his fellow travellers do. His personality sticks out like a sore thumb among the drunks in his group, and this is noticed by the reader as well as the other characters who continuously poke fun at Cohn, and incessantly give him a hard time. This is a clever tactic used by Hemingway. He creates a character so different from the rest in order to allow the other characters a constant source of conflict.

I believe another reason that Hemingway starts the novel with Cohn, is to highlight, above all other characters, his relationship with Brett. This relationship was a huge source of tension for me as a reader, and it sparked my love of Robert Cohn and my hate of various characters.  In the beginning of the story, we see how Jake, the narrator, interacts with Brett. Their relationship immediately feels intimate, yet their is constant talk of Brett’s engagement. They kiss multiple times, and even speak of the love they have for one another, while intermittently bringing up her engagement. The source of tension comes later in the story when we see how the other characters respond to Cohn’s outward show of his desire for Brett. Sure, he does follow Brett around like a little puppy dog, but is this any different from the thoughts we hear firsthand from Jake? Cohn’s ancient values lead him to pursue Brett in hopes of rekindling the romantic intimacy they once shared, while Jake’s cynical attitude leads him to ignore the love he has for Brett that he himself admits. It seems that every male in this story has the hots for Brett, but Cohn is the only one whose actions obviously reflect this.  For this reason, the other characters constantly detest Cohn’s show of love and desire, while internally dealing with their own. The illusive Brett only enhances this tension by playfully toying with multiple character’s hearts. In my mind, the other characters constantly show their hate for Cohn’s wooing, because they have an internal hate for their own love for Brett, and their inability to obtain her. In a way, Hemingway has created a scapegoat out of Cohn, in which the other characters can externalize and project their own repugnance towards their hate for the desires they feel for Brett.