# The Sun Also Rises explained — The Sun Also Rises

> Chapter companion for The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.

## What happens

The novel opens with an introduction to Robert Cohn, a wealthy Jewish man from New York who attended Princeton and became a mediocre boxer. After a failed marriage and a stint in California, he returns to Paris where he is involved with Frances Clyne and becomes part of the expatriate community. The narrator, Jake Barnes, describes Cohn's background and his restlessness, setting the stage for the group's eventual journey to Pamplona.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Lost Generation

Cohn's aimlessness and search for meaning after the war exemplify the Lost Generation's disillusionment.

### Expatriation and Alienation

Cohn and the other characters live as expatriates in Paris, feeling disconnected from their American roots.

## Character check-ins

### Robert Cohn

Introduced as a wealthy, insecure former boxer from New York, recently returned from America and involved with Frances Clyne.

### Jake Barnes

The narrator who provides background on Cohn and sets the tone for the expatriate life in Paris.

### Frances Clyne

Cohn's companion in Paris, described as controlling and part of the social circle.

## Key lines

> Robert Cohn was once middleweight boxing champion of Princeton.

Cohn had been a boxing champion at Princeton University.

_Establishes Cohn's athletic past and his outsider status at an elite school._

> He had a hard, Jewish, stubborn streak.

Cohn had a stubborn and unyielding personality, stereotyped as Jewish.

_Reflects the anti-Semitic attitudes of the time and Cohn's characterization._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_sun_also_rises_se/chapters/the-sun-also-rises
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_sun_also_rises_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_sun_also_rises_se/chapters