The Sun Also Rises Chapter 18
Robert leaves Pamplona, presumably to return to Frances, after being defeated by his actions.
The rest of the group meets at a cafe, where Brett reports that Pedro took a very severe beating from Robert. However, he still plans to fight, regardless of his injuries and appearance. Mike is angry and mutters words about her now having a bullfighter after the affair with the “Jew” turned out badly. Mike then overturns the table, creating a scene as drinks and food go flying.
Jake and Brett go to church to pray for Pedro, but since Brett feels very uncomfortable in a house of worship, they leave. She goes to visit Pedro, while Jake checks on Mike. Mike is in his room, very drunk.
Later, Jake, Brett, and Bill attend the bullfight together. A legendary bullfighter, Belmonte, has come to fight. The crowd mocks him, as his advancing age has made him more cautious in his bullfighting style. The new crowd favorite is Pedro. Pedro is visibly bruised and battered from his fight with Robert, but successfully vanquishes the bull. This bull is the same one that had killed the man the previous day. Pedro presents the trophy of the bull’s ear to Brett.
Jake and Bill eat together, but since Jake is feeling down, Bill convinces Jake to drink more. Later, Jake finds Mike still drinking in his room. Mike tells Jake that Brett has left Pamplona with Pedro.
Analysis
While the fights and confrontations of the previous chapter were climactic, this chapter resolves many of the issues. We see Robert’s exit, to the sorrow of none. Pedro, despite his injuries, is victorious in the bullfighting arena. Brett “wins” Pedro, although the reader will suspect that he will become little more than a passing fancy for Brett. Bill, who has little emotional investment in the drama, has enjoyed his time, staying perpetually intoxicated, and possibly even finding entertainment in the behavior of his group mates.
Mike is an exception, as he still pines for Brett, with no resolution in sight. Brett has betrayed Mike again, having run off with Pedro.
Notable in a mechanical sense is Hemingway’s use of what appear to be typos, in Mike’s drunken dialogue. Instead, these are generally understood to be intentional attempts by the author to amplify his drunken speech of Mike.
