Why Cohn is an Outcast
From the very start of the novel to the end it's clear that Cohn is not well liked. Common reasons the characters of The Sun Also Rises give for their dislike of Cohn are his seriousness, his religion, and his outdated ways.
Cohn's seriousness is particularly problematic in a book which represents a "modern" Paris. Jake, Brett, etc. are immediately set apart from Cohn. They are constantly drunk while Cohn doesn't drink at all. The prevalence of alcohol is almost comical for example in Chapter 7 Brett, the Count, and Jake each drink an entire bottle of champagne just to go out for dinner and drink some more. Cohn's soberness makes him more serious than the other characters who are extremely ironic in everything they say.
Bill's hate for Cohn is demonstrated in Chapter 10. Cohn makes the bet knowing that Brett will not arrive on time. He believes that he and Brett have some sort of special relationship. In reality Brett has had many affairs before and Jake, his best friend and confidant, has a more complicated relationship than he could ever know. Many of people's issues with Cohn come from his aristocratic nature than his religion or any other excuse they come up with. He believes in true love when Brett's true love died in the war. Cohn believes in honor and fighting those who disrespect him. Other characters fought before, and instead of gaining honor they became "lost" in World War 1. Cohn is not "one of us", because he is different than everyone else in the group. He doesn't belong in a group of "modern" people, but as Mike put it Cohn doesn't know when he is not wanted. Just like many customs that the characters reject.
I agree that Cohn definitely isn't part of their group, and it is obvious while reading. While the others were always amusing to read about, I always found myself annoyed by Cohn's blunt seriousness. He always seemed to bring down the mood in scenes. In addition, I think part of the reason people dislike him so much is because he MAKES them dislike him. He tends to push people over the edge, as we see multiple times in the book, which doesn't help his case.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your reasoning on why everyone hates Cohn. He just doesn't fit in with the group, and it's clear he exists in the novel as a target for everyone's malice. Why he stuck around that long, I have no idea. I guess that's why Mike hates him.
ReplyDeleteBut let's not forget the most important part: He's Jewish.
(joke)
DeleteI totally agree with your points. Cohn is not wanted or accepted really by this group. His religion is the first thing we see, then his seriousness, then how he behaves, and how he wasn't in the war like they were. He isn't one of them and so they just complain about him and he takes offense because he is sober which is how he ends up fighting Mike and Romero. He also sticks around after the affair with Brett and thinks Brett still loves him which isn't true and he doesn't get the vibes that she doesn't which annoys Mike (the fiancé of Brett). All in all your post is really good and gets into picture why everyone dislikes Cohn and doesn't want him around.
ReplyDeleteYour point about Cohn's believes in fighting for honor is really interesting when you look at it in comparison to the experiences of the characters who served during WWI. The consequences of violence were experienced firsthand by many of the characters in the novel and Cohn's believe in the use of violence as a way to prove himself is seen as old-fashioned and wrong.
ReplyDelete