Hey, if The Black Prince shows us anything, it's that Nick Jonas isn't the only person who gets jealous. Throughout the novel, Bradley Pearson struggles with a number of unpleasant feelings, and jealousy is right at the top.
Still, it's hard to know exactly how jealous Bradley ever feels about any one thing, since Bradley's own version of events differs so radically from those of other characters. Is The Black Prince really a novel about a failed artist who was desperately, murderously envious of his bestselling best friend, or have people got Bradley all wrong?
Questions About Jealousy
- Throughout The Black Prince, does Bradley ever admit to being jealous of Arnold Baffin, in any way, shape, or form? If so, exactly how and why does he claim to be jealous of his friend?
- Although Bradley Pearson often denies feeling any artistic jealousy throughout The Black Prince, he does admit to certain feelings of romantic jealousy. What kinds of romantic jealousy does he experience?
- According to Bradley Pearson, any jealousy that he might have felt for Arnold Baffin pales in comparison to the jealousy that other characters feel throughout his narrative. Which of the novel's other characters does Bradley depict as being the most troubled by jealousy?
Chew on This
Throughout the early pages of The Black Prince, Bradley Pearson denies that he ever felt artistic jealousy towards Arnold Baffin. However, in his postscript, Bradley admits that he was actually jealous of Arnold. This late-in-the-game admission suggests that Bradley hasn't been telling us the whole truth throughout the rest of the novel.
Although Bradley Pearson became notorious in the public eye for having murdered Arnold Baffin out of jealousy, on the whole, The Black Prince suggests that romantic jealousy—not artistic jealousy—is far more likely to provoke people into committing acts of violence.