Chapter 14
Jake, drunk, goes up to bed and reads some Turgenieff. He hears everyone else go to bed, and he tries to fall asleep himself. But he has had a lot to drink and the room spins when he closes his eyes. He lays awake and thinks. He thinks about how he used to sleep with the light on. He thinks about Brett Ashley, and their friendship. He figures he was really getting something for nothing, since he can't have sex with her, and so he shouldn't be surprised to be finally given the "bill":
"I thought I had paid for everything. Not like the woman pays and pays and pays. No idea of retribution or punishment. Just exchange of values. You gave something up and got something else. Or you worked for something. You paid some way for everything that was any good." Chapter 14, pg. 148
Topic Tracking: Gender 10
Topic Tracking: Values 13
Jake thinks about how mean Mike was to Cohn, and how much he enjoyed watching Cohn get hurt. But this feeling makes him disgusted afterwards. He thinks about the way the English talk, so spare with their words. Jake tries to read. He knows that reading now, so sleepy, drunk, and upset, will make it seem as though the events of the book have happened to him. He likes that idea.
Topic Tracking: Religion 8
Two quiet days pass. The town prepares for the fiesta. At night there is a small parade. Jake spends the mornings reading and walking around town. Brett and Mike sleep late. There is no trouble, and no one is drunk. Even when Cohn follows Brett and Jake around, there is no trouble. Everyone is at ease. On the last day before the fiesta the weather is fine and everyone is happy,.
View More Summaries on The Sun Also Rises
