The Sun Also Rises

Alrighty, I have been definitely taking my time with this book. I only read it during class and the book takes a bit more thought to comprehend. I have read the first “book” (chapters 1-7) Here are my summaries of what I've read thus far.

Chapter 1: Jake (narrator and protagonist) starts off the novel describing a man, and acquaintance, named Robert Cohn. Basically Robert was a middle-weight champion boxer, who came from a wealthy family. He married and divorced, lost his inheritance, then started dating a lady named Frances. She convinced him to move to France, where he is an author, and is always trying to get him to marry her. She is protective of him and doesn’t really like him going out without her.

Chapter 2: Cohn goes to New York to find a publisher for his novel. The publishers love his book, and women notice him for it. When he goes back to Paris, he tries to convince Jake to travel to South America with him, offering to pay for the entire trip. He worries that Jake isn’t living life to the fullest. Jake disagrees, but Cohn continues to hassle Jake about traveling outside of Paris. Jake says he needs to return to the office to work, and Cohn asks if he can sit in the waiting room. After work, him and Jake have a drink and watch Paris.

Chapter 3: Cohn leaves, and catches the eye of a prostitute named Georgette. (She has bad teeth.)They have a drink together Jake decides to go hang out with her. He tells her he received a wound in the war that makes sex impossible for him. He sees some friends, and together they invite him and Georgette to go dancing. Lady Brett Ashley comes to the bar, a woman Jake is infatuated with, and Jakes gets mad that she’s with guys. Jake and Brett leave the club together. Before he goes, Jake leaves money to the bar owner, telling him to give it to Georgette if she asks for him. Once Brett and Jake get into a taxi, Brett says she's miserable.

Chapter 4: Jake kisses Brett in the taxi— she tells him to stop. They love one another, but Brett refuses to have to date Jake because he cannot have sex. At the café, Jake and Brett again run into their friends. They meet Count Mippipopolous, a Greek man who is interested in Brett. Jake goes home and gets into bed, and he begins to think about his wound. He knows he feels bad about it because of Brett. He cries then falls asleep. After four in the morning, Brett wakes him up by trying to get to his room. The count is waiting outside in his car. Jake lets her up to his room, and Brett says the count offered her ten thousand dollars to go to away with him, but she turned him down. She wants Jake to go out with them, but he declines. He tries to persuade her to stay, kissing her, but she refuses.

Chapter 5: Cohn meets Jake at his office to have lunch. Cohn asks about Brett, and Jake says that she is a drunk and that she is going to marry Mike Campbell (rich Scottish guy). Jake also says that Brett’s true love died of dysentery during the war. Jake says he met Brett while she worked in the hospital where he was taken for his injury. Cohn gets annoyed that Jake doesn’t describe Brett in positive ways. Cohn gets mad at Jake and threatens to leave lunch. Jake smoothes things over and persuades Cohn to stay. Afterward, Jake knows Cohn wants to talk about Brett but avoids bringing up the subject again.

Chapter 6: Jake goes to meet Brett, but she stands him up. After looking for her in a few places, Jake walks around Paris and sees his friend Harvey Stone, a compulsive gambler. Harvey is broke and claims he has not eaten in days. Jake gives him money. Cohn and Frances arrive, and she asks to speak to Jake privately. She tells him that Cohn has refused to marry her and that she fears that no man will marry her now. She claims that Cohn won’t marry her because he wants to tell people that he had a mistress. Cohn sits through her barrage. Jake excuses himself and leaves them alone.

Chapter 7: Jake goes home, and Brett and Count Mippipopolous show up. Jake asks why she missed their date and doesn’t believe she forgot because she was drunk. Jake asks why they can’t live together, and she tells him that she would cheat on him. She says she’s leaving Paris for San Sebastian, Spain, and it will be better for both of them. Then, the count talks about his life. He has been in seven wars and four revolutions. He is always in love because his values include love. The three of them have a great dinner before going out to a club. The count asks why Brett and Jake do not get married, and they give short answers. Brett begins to feel miserable and wants to leave. (Brett is always feeling miserable.)Jake takes Brett to her hotel, but she doesn’t want him to come to her room. They kiss and she pushes him away.

Standards: (reading) Indicator 2: Students can comprehend and fluently read text.

(writing) Indicator 1: Students can apply the writing process to compose text.

Evaluation: This book has gotten off to an extremely slow start, and if 20% percent time makes it another quarter or two I will definitely speed the process along somehow. I wish I would have made a reading schedule at the beginning of the book, so again I will evaluate after a decision is made. I enjoy the writing style of Hemingway so far, and the amount of culture he infuses into his writing. He also makes the stories of nearly all his characters fantastical. So far, so good.

Adieu.