"You're Dead, That's All."

This book is full of reluctant lovers and pitiful alcoholics. I mean, let's be honest, every chapter seems to revolve around drinking wine and forbidden romanticisim. Actually, the two seem to inter-connect; the alcohol is used to subside all awkward and heated encounters between two members of the opposite sex, or in chapter seven's case...three. In chapter seven we see Jake Barnes trying his very hardest to deflect all feelings for Brett when the two of them and the count are drinking champagne. In the scene, the audience can distinguish the difference between Jake and the rest of the men in the book. Jake is in love with one woman; the other men, such as the count, fall in love with several women. The count shows no difficulty in expressing his desire for multiple women, which shows the amount of moral value he holds in respect to love. "You haven't any values. You're dead, that's all," (page 67). In my opinion, this quote is a perfect example of the motif for the novel. The characters jump around from place to place every night, sulking in alcohol and women, whether they be married or engaged. They're cynical and bored with the routine of their lives and find no credit in holding values or morals. The only exception to this recurring situation that I can find is Jake Barnes and his heavy heart.