Chapter 8

1. Characterize Bill Gorton. He is Jake’s best friend. (Remember that Cohn told Jake, “You’re about the best friend I’ve got” after which Jake thinks, “God help you” (47). What is his profession? What do he and Jake have in common? Why does he help the boxer in Austria? “What is his feeling about values? (page 78). What does he mean when he says, “Secret of my success. Never been daunted. Never been daunted in public”? (Hint: he and Jake follow the same code.)

2. When they meet Brett, she comments that she must bathe. Her preoccupation with bathing continues throughout the book. What does this symbolize? (Consider Lady MacBeth’s compulsive hand washing.)

3. On page 84, Mike Campbell, Brett’s fiance’, is introduced. What is his state of health at the time and why? Note how his health declines over the rest of the novel as he binges more and more.

4. What does he say to treat Brett as a sexual object? Why does he do so?