The Sun Also Rises (Chapters 2 & 3)

Chapter 2 & 3 Summaries

In the beginning of chapter 2 Robert travels to New York to find a publisher for his novel. While being in New York Robert gains new confidence. The publishers that Robert find love his novel, and believe that it will be a great hit and maybe even a best seller. Also while being in New York several women are friendly with him. Upon returning to Paris, he went to Jake's office to persuade him to travel to South America with him. Jake responding no, Robert offers to pay for the entire trip for the both of them. Robert also tells Jake that he does not feel that he is living life to the fullest and this trip will be a step to help him live his life to the fullest. Jake responds that nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters. Robert then keeps on harassing Jake to go on the trip to South America with him. Jake, being tired of Robert begging him, he invites Robert to the downstairs of his office to have a drink. Jake realizes that once Robert finishes a drink it would be a lot easier to get rid of Robert and the crazy idea of the both of them going to South America. At the bar, Robert does not give up and continues to harass Jake about traveling outside of Paris. Robert then complains that he is tired of Paris and the Latin Quarter and wants to see other places. Jake realizes that Robert is just running away from his fears and is just jumping from place to place. Jack tells Robert that he has to face his problems and cannot runaway from them. After their drink, Jake tells Robert that he needs to return to the office to work. Robert then asks if he can sit outside in the waiting room. Jake tells Robert that he can sit outside in the waiting room while he finishes his work. When Jake finished the rest of his work he and Robert went and had another drink together. Chapter 3 begins with Jake staying in the cafe that he and Robert were at. He sits in his seat looking around at the many people in the cafe and outside of the cafe. Then all of a sudden Jake spots a lady that stands out. Her name is Georgette and she sells her body for money (Prostitution). Jake confronts her and offers her a drink. She excepts the drink and Jake then decides that it would be very nice to have company for dinner. The two of them get a cab and while in the cab Georgette offers herself at Jake,but Jake refuses her, telling her that he is sick. At dinner Jake explains that he received a wound in the war that makes such sexual dalliances impossible for him. Georgette socked, changes the subject by talking about how disgusting the war was and how dirty it was, but Jake does not respond. Jake, in no mood to talk or think about the war escapes from the conversation when a group of his friends come up to the table. He could pull out his best friend Robert and Frances among them. The group of friends all ate at a nearby table with Jake and Georgette joining them. After their dinner the group of people invite Jake and Georgette to go dancing with them. Jake not refusing applies yes. Once arriving at a crowded club, Georgette leaves Jake and dances with a group of guys. Then a lady named Brett Ashley arrives at the club, she strolled into the club with a very big crowd of young men with jerseys on. In Jake's eyes Brett had lit up the room. After getting the courage to go up to her, Robert asks Jake and Brett to join him for a drink. Robert also becomes immediately infatuated with her, and he tries unsuccessfully to persuade her to dance with him. Though to Jake's offer she replies yes to him. After only dancing half of the song with Jake, Brett asks him to leave the club with her. After seeing that Georgette did not care to be with him, Jake decides that he will leave the club with Brett. Before he goes, Jake leaves fifty francs with the club owner, telling him to give it to Georgette if she asks for him. Once she and Jake get into a taxi, Brett declares that she is miserable.

Chapter 2 & 3 Personal Comments

I think that the second and third chapters were not as good as the first chapter. I believe that it was a lot slower and dragged on. To be perfectly honest I did not like these two chapters. I feel that in chapter 2 talked about the way Robert felt more then the way Jake felt towards the South America trip. I think that Hemingway should have made this chapter show that Jake is a lot more independent then Robert and I do not think that that came across. In chapter 3 I did not like that Jake went out with a prostitute, I think that he is a better person and to me this chapter showed that Jake was wanting something that he could not have. Though one part that I did like is when Brett walks into the club and Jake admires her beauty. I think that it shows that Jake really does care about women. Overall the chapters to me felt dry and slow, but they did apply me with some more ideas of what the characters are really like.