Enigmatic Details

Why does Jake Barnes give us the bar tabs and money quantities? 

Jake narrates the novel with a distinctive precision. Yet it is a precision that also functions rhetorically as a double-edged sword, often creating more questions than it answers. Jake includes certain selective details about the world around him that, while depicting the scene with the exactitude of a photograph, do not ostensibly capture the depth of emotion or legacy that animates a painting––they are pieces of a puzzle. We may know that his bank statement is precisely $1832.60 at the beginning of the novel, but we do not know the mystery behind what that number represents. By keeping in mind that the entire setting of the novel is constructed by these seemingly arbitrary bits of information, the meticulous details of bar tabs and monetary accounts take on a greater significance and, in a way, bring some clarity to the puzzle.

Money in the novel is most often mentioned in the purchasing of alcohol and the background stories of why the motley set of characters ended up first in Paris, and then eventually traveling to Spain. Cohen is described as having a 'rich mother' but little practice actually generating money himself as he rather aimlessly attempts to write another book. Brett, or the former Lady Ashley, perpetually transitions from one wealthy suitor or husband to the next. It is not until the end of the novel that Brett is ever without sufficient funds to support herself and it is at that moment she calls to Jake to rescue her. Jake's attention the exact monetary value of things, down to the cent, accentuates the lack of intrinsic value in both money and the transitory pleasures that it purchases. Roving from drink to drink, from cafe to cafe, the characters find little meaning in their purchases. Jake's casual generosity stems less from a sincere desire to help others and more from a devaluing of his life, livelihood and bank statement.

From the specificity of Jake's account of money in the novel, it appears to the audience that the book is propelled by the spark of each new number and the absence of any meaning associated with that number. Jake consistently spends but is never satisfied. This constant flood of immediate gratification without any ultimate or truly fulfilling gratification gives the book a rhythm of wanting. The beat of this rhythm is articulated by the bar tabs and explicit money references. It is a way that Jake seeks traction in his life––however unsuccessfully. Jake's narrative awareness of money simultaneously points to Jake's hollowness, and keeps the reader engaged in the enigma that is Jake's life after the trauma of war.