The Sun Also Rises

The Sun Also Rises Summary | Book 1, Chapter 1 Summary

Jake Barnes, the first-person narrator, is an American expatriate in his mid-30's. He lives in Paris and he works as a reporter. However, instead of telling the reader much about himself, he begins by introducing Robert Cohn another expatriate living in Paris. Cohn is a writer who has just sold a book and, as the story begins, Jake moves through Cohn's history.

After encountering severe anti-Semitism upon arriving at Princeton, Cohn, who is Jewish, decides to take up boxing in order to prove his worth to his fellow students. Though Cohn does not like boxing, he is very good in the ring and he wins Princeton's middleweight boxing title. Unfortunately, he is so good at boxing that he is overmatched against a much larger man and Cohn gets a severely broken, squashed nose as a result.

Following graduation, Cohn gets married to a girl who is actually nice to him, which is a first for Cohn, and she immediately begins telling him what to do. Though Cohn puts up with her demanding ways for a while, he eventually tires of her and plans to leave her. However, he is robbed of the chance to leave her when she actually leaves him first. Thus, he finds himself alone and, with nothing better to do, he goes out to California with some money left over from his inheritance and he starts backing an arts review. However, the magazine folds and Cohn is alone and aimless again.

Cohn finds himself by taking up with a woman named Frances who finds Cohn nothing special, but enjoys telling him what to do, much like his ex-wife. Therefore, since she was educated in Europe, they travel there and she soaks up Cohn's money while he writes. However, as Frances realizes her looks are going she becomes determined to marry Cohn and Cohn agrees. In fact, he is happy enough with Frances, he is happy enough to be in Europe -- though he would rather be in America -- and he has a nice allowance from his mother. Then, when Cohn sells his completed novel to a publishing house in New York, Frances becomes extremely jealous and prohibits Cohn from meeting any woman ever again.