I'ma search "chat to yo friend."

INTERNAL and EXTERNAL CONFLICT


"As we came out the door I saw Cohn walk out from under the arcade." "'He was there,' Brett said." "He can't be away from you." "Poor devil!" "I'm not sorry for him. I hate him, myself." "'I hate him, too,' she shivered. 'I hate his damned suffering.'"

So, at this point in the novel, I'm kinda just like, "So, uh, what's conflict here? Well, I guess it could be that whole Robert Cohn being creepy around Brett thing." If I have this straight, so far Jake likes Brett and Brett likes Jake a little, but they can't be together because "it's complicated." Robert likes Brett because of a dream getaway vacation, but now he's being really creepy about it and apparently "Jewish" as well. Mike is engaged to Brett and they plan to get married after divorce papers come through, but now Brett likes the barely legal Spanish boy and wants to corrupt him in a closet. Well, that's some external conflict for yous. It seems each character has major internal conflict happening, but Hemingway focuses mostly on the star-crossed relationship of Jake and Brett and has never really explained or even hinted very well as to why they can't be together except that it's kind of in Brett's nature to be afraid of commitment. I thought that was a guy thing. Oh, wait, Brett is a guy (or at least is supposed to dress like one, that flapper).

What a man.