"Isn't it pretty to think so?"

The last line of the book stood out more than any other line. It surely gave me the chills when I read it. This was the response from Jake to Brett when she said: "Oh Jake, we could have had a damned good time together."

But would they really have had a "damned good time" together?

As readers, I think we can all admit that at some point in the book, we've all wanted Jake and Brett to be together in the end. This was the sort of "happy ending" that I honestly thought was the only way Hemingway could make the book have a happy ending, but I was wrong.

Throughout the book, Hemingway hints at Jake's injury; rather, Jake (the narrator) hints at his own injury. In the beginning, I never knew the extent in which the injury could impact his relationship with Brett. Sadly, this injury would ultimately keep him from being able to be with her. As a consequence, Jake was forced to be Brett's "friend": a friend that would kiss her, a friend that would go to her whenever she called, and a friend that was closer than many of the men whom she was engaged with.

Why Jake? Why? Why do you do such things for Brett? When this discussion comes up during class, I have the same thoughts every time: Jake just really loves Brett. When you love someone so much, the thing that makes you most happy is when that someone is also happy. For Jake, satisfying Brett's needs and desires and seeing that it could make her happy was one of the main things that could make him happy (and not lonely!).

And Jake stuck to it. He stayed loyal to Brett. Even through the numerous guys she was with, Jake kept his emotions and composure and didn't show anger towards Brett. But Brett, I believe, never realized how much of a blessing Jake was to her. Furthermore, even if Brett was with Jake (without Jake's injury), I feel like Brett would've done the same thing she did to all her other guys. It is Jake's injury that is actually somewhat pulling them together. It is Jake's injury that allows them to have a friendly relationship.

Finishing the book, I think the ending is the best possible situation for both Jake and Brett. Jake will never have been able to maintain an intimate relationship (engaged) with shifty Brett. Their relationship right now gives them space and support when they need it. Jake's "Isn't it pretty to think so?", shows his resignation and realization that Brett and him can never be together. But it's okay! It's also a realization (for the readers too) that for right now, in that taxi cab with his arm around Brett, is truly beautiful itself.

The Hours Extra-Credit Blogpost

While the whole movie took place in just a single day, it felt so much longer than that. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours, and hours felt like days. Throughout the whole movie, I was constantly trying to figure out how all the three stories were connected. The idea for the movie is amazing; using a similar concept to Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, the director expands on that by giving the audience three stories (all occurring in one day) in three different time periods. Insane.

Looking up the movie, you should first notice the cast. This cast is amazing: Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep. With such an overwhelming cast, the first thing I usually do is to try to match the face of that celebrity with the character in the movie. However, for Virginia Woolf, without knowing Nicole Kidman was in the movie, I don't think I would've never guessed that was actually her. Nonetheless, I feel like all three actresses did amazing.

After the movie, I was still thinking about that encounter between Richard's mom and Mrs. Dalloway. Like some others, I missed that bit about the little kid being Richard; so when his mom introduced herself to Dalloway, it gave me the chills.

At the end of the day, the three story lines are very similar. One thing that stands out from all the stories is the kissing scene. As awkward and sudden it might've been, I feel like those scenes have a deeper meaning. While the viewers might've had kind of negative interpretations, I feel like those scenes truly define Woolf's struggles: the struggles to hide that identity. And those struggles are expressed in her books.

Petty Peter?

Now that I've talked about Clarissa, I think it's only right for me to talk about Peter. You know that guy that always points out everything and has to judge everything you say: that's Peter; that guy who always comes in at the wrong time: that's also Peter. You could tell by the title of this blogpost that Peter is also petty, but does he a have a reason to be though? This guy still can't get over the rejection from Clarissa to his proposal 30 years ago; he still holds this grudge against her and even towards Richard a bit. 

When he comes back to see Clarissa, his main goal is to look like a different and successful person. In a way, he wants to prove that her decline was a mistake and that she should regret it. He even mentions his new love, Daisy. But, this is something I'm sure everyone does. If someone rejected you and went on to be with another person, you would want to prove to him/her that you're perfectly fine without him/her. Most importantly, you want to show him/her that you've also moved on. Peter Walsh is doing exactly that or is at least attempting to. 

To be honest, Peter kind of got slapped in the face two times. He had to go through a transition where Clarissa started to like Richard more than Peter, and he got hit with Clarissa's rejection. Damn. As much as Peter was critical of Clarissa, this is a hard blow to Peter. It's not easy coming back from such a defeat. 

So should Peter be given a pass and not be looked as petty? In my opinion, I think Peter is doing the best he can. Through all these years, the fact that Peter hasn't forgotten about Clarissa shows his true heart. Because of his critical and sometimes annoying moments, readers (and Clarissa!) have a tendency to forget Peter's inner characteristics. While Clarissa might think his comments insensitive and unnecessary, I believe his comments (although sometimes invading I'll admit) still show a sincere side of Peter; they hide a hidden passionate love for Clarissa. Peter is quick to judge Clarissa because he cares for her; if he didn't, why would he say such things? 

Hit me up in those comments.