Where Do They Go from Here?

“The three of us sat at the table, and it seemed as though about six people were missing.”

-The Sun Also Rises, p 228

This sentence sums up the general mood of the denouement. Cohn has left Spain, his spirit shattered. Brett has also left the city with Pedro Romero, though considering her past, it is anyone’s guess as to how long the relationship will actually last. Now only the three comrades remain: Mike, saddened and lonely now that his fiancée has left him; Bill, always happy and cheerful, now sobered slightly by the events of the past few days; and Jake, the man who has stood by and helped allow these events to happen.

The fiesta’s closing reflects the end of the conflict concerning Cohn and Brett. Just as the people of the city must now try and revert back to the way things were before the fiesta, so must these three try and return to the lives that they lived before the fiesta. This sentence is rather melancholy and bitter in nature, yet it accurately reflects the problem that these three men will now have to face. How will they move on after such an explosive fallout? Unfortunately, considering only twenty-three pages remain, I am not sure the reader will find out.

Breaking Point ("I Do Not Like Robert Cohn," La Quinta Parte) (External Conflict)

“‘I’ll make you tell me’—he stepped forward—‘you damned pimp.’

I swung at him and he ducked. I saw his face duck sideways in the light. He hit me and I sat down on the pavement. As I started to get on my feet he hit me twice. I went down backward under a table. I tried to get up and felt I did not have any legs. I felt I must get on my feet and try and hit him. Mike helped me up. Some one [sic] poured a carafe of water on my head. Mike had an arm around me, and I found I was sitting on a chair. Mike was pulling at my ears.

‘I say, you were cold.’”

-The Sun Also Rises, p 194-195

Finally, we see some action! This fight between Cohn, Jake, and Mike is at last tangible proof of the external conflict of The Sun Also Rises. Cohn’s struggle with his obsession with Brett has caused him to conflict with Brett and, by extension, Mike, Bill, and Jake as well. Throughout the novel, Cohn’s “Jewish stubbornness” has isolated him from the other friends. Instead of enjoying the company of his friends, he follows Brett to the point of stalking. He refuses to accept the fact that Brett does not love him; he is blinded by his own foolish and naïve belief that he is truly in love with her. This belief, coupled with his short-temperedness, constantly drives Cohn to be at odds with the rest of the party. In this passage, it is clear that Cohn has finally snapped. What worries me is what he will do next.

I Do Not Particularly Like Mike Campbell, Either ("I Do Not Like Robert Cohn," La Cuarta Parte) (Protagonist/Antagonist)

“‘Oh, don’t stand up and act as though you were going to hit me. That won’t make any difference to me. Tell me, Robert. Why do you follow Brett around like a poor bloody steer? Don’t you know you’re not wanted? I know when I’m not wanted. Why don’t you know when you’re not wanted? You came down to San Sebastian where you weren’t wanted, and followed Brett around like a bloody steer. Do you think that’s right?’”

-The Sun Also Rises, p 146

Another reason that I do not like Robert Cohn (though this isn’t really his fault) is that it is unclear whether or not he is the protagonist. In this passage, it appears that Cohn is in fact the protagonist, and Mike is the antagonist. In truth, however, I could see either Brett or Cohn dubbed the protagonist in The Sun Also Rises. On one hand, one could say that since Cohn’s obsession with Brett has thus far caused any action or plot progression that has taken. On the other hand, however, one could also say that if Brett had not gone on vacation with Cohn, and if she did not flirt with men other than her fiancé as much, then the plot would never have progressed.

The dynamic between Brett and Cohn clearly is an interesting one. If Cohn is viewed as the protagonist, then it appears that Mike—and, truthfully, all of the friends, considering no one wishes to stop Mike’s belittling of Cohn—is the antagonist. If Brett is viewed as the protagonist, however, the tables are turned; Cohn is seen as the likely antagonist. Brett repeatedly attempts to find love and peace of mind within her life, but Cohn’s obsession with her causes him to constantly get in the way of Brett’s pursuits. So…is Brett or Cohn the protagonist? You decide!