III explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Expatriation and Alienation

  Jake and his circle are American expatriates adrift in Paris, seeking distraction but feeling disconnected.

• Alcohol and Hedonism

  The characters drink heavily at the bal, using alcohol as a means of escape and social lubrication.

• Love and Sexual Frustration

  Jake and Brett's intimate but impossible relationship is highlighted by their taxi ride and Brett's confession of misery.

Characters to notice

• Jake Barnes

  Narrator; dances with Brett, leaves with her, feels angry at Brett's companions.

• Lady Brett Ashley

  Arrives with a group of gay men; dances with Jake; leaves with him; confesses she has been miserable.

• Robert Cohn

  Present at the bal; watches Brett with eager expectation; asks her to dance.

• Georgette Leblanc

  Jake's dinner companion; introduced as his fiancée as a joke; dances with the gay men.

• Braddocks

  Hosts the party at the bal musette; invites Jake and Georgette.

• Frances Clyne

  At the dinner table and the bal; engages Georgette in conversation.

Key passages

• “Oh, darling, I've been so miserable”

  Brett confesses her unhappiness to Jake in the taxi.

  Reveals the emotional turmoil beneath Brett's carefree exterior.

• “She was built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht, and you missed none of it with that wool jersey.”

  Jake describes Brett's athletic, attractive figure, emphasized by her tight sweater.

  Highlights Brett's physical allure and Jake's admiring gaze.

• “He looked a great deal as his compatriot must have looked when he saw the promised land.”

  Cohn gazes at Brett with the same longing as a pioneer seeing the Promised Land.

  Emphasizes Cohn's infatuation and idealization of Brett.