External Conflicts

Robert Cohn seems to be the focal point of all external conflicts in the novel. I mentioned in a previous post that he had conflicts with Jake and Pedro Romero, but he also has conflicts with Mike and Brett. Cohn's conflicts with Jake and Romero differ from those with Mike and Brett. Jake and Romero had physical conflicts with Cohn. On page 195, Jake says "He [Cohn] hit me and I sat down on the pavement. As I started to get on my feet he hit me twice. I went down backward under a table...," and Cohn beat Romero to a pulp in Romero's hotel room. Cohn's conflicts with Mike and Brett were more emotional. Mike resents Cohn because Cohn pursues Brett relentlessly. Being Brett's fiance, Mike has a tough time dealing with the annoying attitude which Cohn shows him in regard to Brett. Brett's conflict with Cohn focuses on his pursuit of her just like his conflict with Mike. At first, Brett seems flattered by Cohn's interest, but he quickly becomes possessive of her, and she has a difficult time getting him to understand that she's had enough and that their "fling" in San Sebastian meant nothing.