A Friend's Sacrifice - A Friend's Gain.
Jake is the lover of Lady Brett Ashley in the novel "The Sun Also Rises". Brett is not in love with Jake, but she is willing to settle with Jake as a friend. As the novel progresses, Brett falls terribly in love with a man named Romero, a young bullfighter in Spain, and she asks Jake to assist her in her while she feels this newfound love. Jake is a big fan for bullfighting, but he puts away his desires and helps out Brett, because of his friendship. Because Jake submits to Brett's desires, even though he must deny his own, and is willing to live vicariously through Romero so that Brett may be happy, his decision to assist Lady Brett and her involvement with Romero is a conscious decision to put his friendship with her above bullfighting.
Jake's friendship with Brett is grounded in his belief that he must place Brett's desires above his, rather than cave in to his own romantic desires to keep Brett around.
A matador in full dress in Plaza de Toros Las Vent...
La Tauromaquia: Pedro Romero Killing the Halted Bu...
Pedro Romero, by Francisco GoyaBrett is asking Jake to help her in her time of tumult, because she has fallen in love with Romero, and her emotions cannot be controlled. The situation seems simple, at first, but to fully understand the complexity behind it, the roots of Jake's love for Brett need to be recognized. Jake has known and loved Brett for many years now, but due to his impotence from the war, Brett can only handle his love as a comfortable friendship. Jake understands this and moves on with carrying out a friendship with Brett, but their friendship is not shown clearly, until Brett asks Jake to help her with Romero: "Oh, darling, please stay by me. Please stay by me and see me through...