Protagonist

By Chapter IX, I think it is more then safe to say that Jake Barnes is the protagonist in the novel. Undoubtedly, the biggest clue to this is the fact that he is the narrator. As the central character actually telling the story, the novel revolves around where he is and what he is doing; all of the goings-ons in the book are a direct result of his actions. For instance, the reader can tell the story revolves around Jake by the introduction of each character to the story. Only characters who interact with Jake have any importance placed on them, such as when Brett is first brought into the novel. Jake reveals to the reader how important Brett will be by lines such as "with them was Brett. She looked very lovely," "it was hot and I felt happy [dancing with her]," and when the two left the dancing club alone. An additional sign that Jake is the main character is the novel following him to different locations, depending on if he is traveling or simply going to work. For example, returning to Chapter IX, Cohn's invite to Jake to the fishing trip in Spain causes Jake to write he and Bill would "leave Paris on the 25th"(pg 87). Not too much later in the chapter, Mike asks Jake if he "would mind if we came down to Spain with you?" Mike is of course referring to himself and Brett. Hemingway manages to allow his protagonist to travel to an entirely different country in the story but have the pertinent characters follow him. These were three signs that verified Jake Barnes is the protagonist.