The Sun Also Rises: Chapter XVII~Friends Fighting

Throughout this chapter, it is apparent that Cohn was once the middleweight boxing champion of Princeton. He starts many "bar fights" with people that he considers his friends. First, he beats up Jacob because Jake, Mike and Cohn got into a little scuffle (over Brett, of course). Next, Cohn goes for the young bullfighter. Both of these men have had close relationships with Brett. Cohn's jealousy is the motivation behind these outbursts of physical anger. Cohn's physical attacks are not enough to break the fighting spirit of the young bullfighter, though. Cohn's outbreaks signify that jealousy can sometimes overtake our lives and break the relationships with the ones we are closest to.