The Sun Also Rises: Book III
By: Grace Scowden

During the final pages of The Sun Also Rises, the desolate reality of Jake's life is made evident. At the beginning of chapter XIX, I noticed a few examples of imagery that symbolizes Jake's process of cleansing and purifying his past experiences with his friends and Brett during the fiesta. Jake travels alone to San Sebastian after saying goodbye to Mike and Bill, and he swims out into the ocean and spends hours wading and riding the waves. It is interesting that Jake decides to visit San Sebastian because it is the pivotal location that was the source of the cataclysmic drama in regards to Brett and Cohn. At the beginning of the chapter, there is an evident theme of loneliness and emptiness that manifests within Jake. Upon returning home from the fiesta, Jake goes out for dinner and remarks that he "drank a bottle of wine for company". Later in the chapter, Jake decides to swim out in the ocean and float on his back to look up at the sky. This image encapsulates the barren and empty internal emotions Jake grapples with, represented through this image of isolation. It is also made clear that Jake leads his life prioritizing and catering to Brett whenever she is in need, and he is entirely at her beck-and-call. Jake receives a telegram from her, urging him to promptly meet her at her hotel in Madrid. Without question, Jake travels to her and learns that she has sent Pedro Romero away and has decided to return to Mike. In the last couple of lines, Brett suggests that they would have had a happy life as a couple. This statement further insinuates the fact that they will never be together, even though Jake's obvious love for Brett is unceasing.