Truth

The author uses Jake Barnes's attempt to write an accurate account of his father's life in order to explore the relativity of truth. In the early pages of the novel, the narrative is saturated with Jake's narrative asides. The majority of these asides pertain to the narrative itself, and its authenticity. In one passage from "A Strictly Factual Account of the Day of His Diagnosis," for example, Jake breaks the fourth wall and addresses the reader directly saying: "But make no mistake, this is a true story" (8). Despite this assertion, Jake struggles to capture the factual elements of his father's story throughout the novel. Indeed, because Charlie Barnes is known for his constant deceptions and cons, the truth of his identity is difficult for Jake to relay. In another metafictional moment, Jake tells the reader, "Ordinarily, in a work of fiction, one is free to move...