Sun Also Rises: Chapter 17 - 19

  1. Why is there so much ill-will between the “Biarritz swine” and Mike?
  2. Why does Jake decide to take a swing at Cohn? (See the next few pages for a complete answer.) Why did Jake react so violently to Cohn’s name-calling? Does Cohn knock Jake out? Support your answer.
  3. Why is Edna impressed by Cohn?
  4. Why does it anger Jake that Mike borrowed a hundred pesetas from Montoya? Why does Jake say that “it all seemed like some bad play”?
  5. When Jake gets back to his room after talking to Cohn, why can’t he find the bathroom?
  6. “Badly cogido,” he said. “All for sport. All for pleasure.”(201): In what way is the waiter’s opinion of bullfighting a commentary on Jake’s opinion? In answering, include the waiter’s opinion that bulls are “animals. Brute animals” and his repeating “all for fun.”
  7. Why does Mike think that Pedro never giving up in a fight against Cohn ruined him?

Chapter 18

  1. Does Mike create a scene with Brett and Jake? Does it matter whether this spectacle is good form or not?
  2. Considering events earlier in the novel and now in this chapter when Brett decides that she wants to pray for Romero, is it safe to say that Brett and Jake are both believers in God? Is there any contradictory dissonance to their behavior?
  3. Why is it significant that when Jake and Brett pass Montoya on the stairs, he bows but does not smile at either of them? What do you think the chances are that next year the Hotel Montoya will be full when Jake tries to book a room?
  4. In Jake’s description of Belmonte, we learn not only what great bullfighting looks like but also what effect it has on the spectators. What did spectators get from attending the bullfights early in Belmonte’s career, what do they get now, and why are they resentful?
  5. The description of Pedro Romero’s performance in the ring (220 - 224) is the antithesis of not only the average man but also of men like Jake. Describe how Romero’s potent performance contrasts with mere mortals like Jake. How do valor, art and love in the bullfight come together into a metaphysical experience for Jake that with each pass of the bull gives him “a sudden ache inside”?
  6. Explain the oxymoronic statement made by Bill to Jake in praise of the goings-on of the fiesta: “You wouldn’t believe it. It’s like a wonderful nightmare” (226). Under what circumstances can this be construed as a good experience in their lives? Why should everyone undertake a pilgrimage to San Fermin for the bullfights? What will they get out of it?

Chapter 19

  1. Why does Bill momentarily sour on Mike when they are rolling poker dice?
  2. What is revealing in Mike’s admission that the bankers Brett and he borrow from are really Scotsmen, not Jews—they just call them Jews?
  3. On page 237, the reader receives more sound advice from Jake, this time regarding “a sound basis” for friendship. Explain his philosophy and apply it to the goings-on in Jake’s life.
  4. Is Jake’s return trip to San Sebastian symbolic? Why is he there?
  5. Jake’s conversation with the team manager of one of the big bicycle manufacturers reveals that the manager thinks there is no better sport in the world than bicycle road racing. Why include this in the novel? What new perspective does this lend to Jake’s passion for bullfighting? Is the team manager doppelganger-like?
  6. Why does Brett send a telegram to Jake that is 10-words long, and why is Jake’s response 10-words long? (Both numbers exclude their names which can be added for free.)
  7. Why does Jake think he is somewhat of a fool for writing the response he does?
  8. What does Brett think we have instead of God?
  9. The last few paragraphs of the novel are famous for their subtlety. Notice that the taxi scene is similar to the earlier one in the novel when Brett and Jake first met in Paris after a long separation. But this time there is a major difference between these two scenes. Something has changed in the interim in Jake but not in Brett? What is the change and why will this change have such a monumentally important effect on Jake’s life?