The Sun Also Rises Book 1, Chapter 4 Summary

  • In the cab, Jake and Brett kiss passionately, but Brett pulls away. She says she loves Jake but they agree they can’t be together. Love’s too hard and they have a history with one another. Brett alludes to Jake’s mysterious war wound, which is presumably the cause of their separation; he doesn’t want to talk about it.
  • Jake’s entranced by Brett’s eyes and all that typical stuff.
  • They agree to go to Café Select for more drinks. Brett asks Jake to kiss her again.
  • At the café, a Greek duke/artist with the improbable name of Zizi introduces Brett, whose formal title is Lady Ashley, to a man called Count Mippipopolous (bet you can’t say that ten times fast.) Brett and the count have the apparently requisite conversation about whether Paris rocks or sucks. We learn that Lady Ashley is British.
  • Braddock’s gang is also at the Select. We learn that Georgette was thrown out of the restaurant rather spectacularly after Jake and Brett left.
  • Jake, tired and frustrated, decides to head home. He says his goodbyes to everyone, and agrees to meet Brett the following evening.
  • Jake picks up his mail and curses people with titles like Lady Ashley, Count Mippipopolous, and Zizi the Greek Duke. He reads a bull-fighting newspaper and gets in bed.
  • Jake can’t sleep. He’s all worked up about WWI, the injury he sustained in the War and about Brett. We have already guessed that his injury is sexual in nature—he never says the word, but we gather that he’s impotent.
  • Thinking of his troubles—mostly caused by Brett—Jake begins to cry.
  • Jake wakes to the noise of a fight outside between Brett and his building’s concierge. Jake lets Brett upstairs. She’s totally wasted. Nonetheless, he pours her yet another drink. It’s after 4 a.m. They chat about the count. Lots of witty banter. After a few minutes Brett leaves and Jake, his guard down, gets a little mopey again.