The Sun Also Rises: Karma

"I had been getting something for nothing. That only delayed the presentation of the bill. The bill always came. That was one of the swell things you could count on." -pg. 152

Karma is either comforting or unnerving, depending on how you act. Hemingway does a good job in comparing it to a bill at a restaurant. You pay only after you have already taken part. There is no getting out of it, however. In this case, Jake is talking about his relationship with Brett. He knew that for all of the pleasure, there would have to be pain. The time had come for him to cash in. I found the last sentence, that it was something you could count on the come, to ring very true. I find comfort in thinking that cuts you off on the freeway will themselves be cut off. Karma is a force which goes beyond what we can imagine, but Jake only wants to pay his bill so that he can be at peace.