What happens in Book II, Chapter 10 of The Sun Also Rises?
Book II begins with Jake Barnes and Bill Gorton taking a train from Paris to Pamplona, making a stop in Bayonne before venturing into the Spanish countryside. In Chapter 10, they leave the city behind and hop on a bus to Burguete, nestled high in the Pyrenees, where they intend to fish the Irati River before the fiesta kicks off. Much of the chapter focuses on their journey: the two men share wine from a leather bota bag with a group of Basque peasants on the bus, creating an impromptu bond that starkly contrasts with the fragile social dynamics of the Paris crowd. Upon arriving in Burguete, they check into a modest inn, enjoy a simple but satisfying meal, and embrace the tranquil pace of rural life. The chapter wraps up with the anticipation of early-morning fishing, surrounded by a crisp and pristine landscape. Robert Cohn is notably missing, while Brett and Mike Campbell linger as distant, somewhat unwelcome figures waiting in Pamplona. For a brief moment, Jake finds himself in a world free from romantic entanglements.
Analysis
Hemingway uses Chapter 10 as a kind of pause between the chaotic social scene of Paris and the intense drama of the fiesta. The bus ride serves as the chapter's central focus: when Jake and Bill share the bota bag with Basque farmers who don’t speak their language, Hemingway illustrates his recurring theme that true connection transcends words. The peasants express themselves through gestures, kindness, and wine — the most dependable symbol in the novel. Bill's humorous comments and serious-sounding remarks ("Irony and Pity") appear here too, but they feel different in the mountain atmosphere; the jokes seem less about defense and more about genuine fun, hinting that the landscape can help his characters shed their usual guard. Hemingway's writing reflects the setting: sentences become shorter, descriptions turn vivid and tactile, and the well-known iceberg principle is fully at play — Jake's relief at Cohn's absence isn't directly mentioned, but it's felt in the lightness of the narration. The inn’s simple food and rough wine are described with the same respect Hemingway usually reserves for bullfighting, subtly suggesting that simplicity has its own beauty. The Pyrenees act as a moral contrast to Paris — lofty, cold, and indifferent to social rank — and the chapter’s quiet ending represents the closest the novel comes to peace before the fiesta disrupts it.
Key quotes from Book II, Chapter 10
“It was a fine morning. The horses were up and the day was already warm. We had coffee and then walked up to the road to wait for the bus.”
Jake narrates the departure from Bayonne with characteristic understatement, the plain syntax enacting the uncomplicated pleasure he takes in purposeful, physical movement.
“The Basques were very good people. They were the best people I had ever known.”
Jake's unguarded assessment of the peasants on the bus — rare praise delivered without irony — marks the moment as one of the novel's few instances of straightforward emotional candour.
“We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warmly and I felt quite friendly toward Bill.”
The anaphoric rhythm of this closing reflection on the first night in Burguete quietly parodies the novel's usual economy of feeling, turning Hemingway's own spare style into a gentle joke about contentment.