Arena del Toros
When an event that incorporates life, death and serious emotions occurs, it is bound to
parallel several other facets of life. One of the few events in life that can thoroughly present life
and death in a graphic and public manner is the bullfight. Ernest Hemingway seems rather
attached to the bullfight as it becomes a central symbol in "The Sun Also Rises". Hemingway's
rugged individualism is shown throughout the novel and can be seen represented in the bullfight.
The economy of motion in a good bullfight is a parallel to monetary economy. While betrayal is
not directly related to a bullfight, the fight allows for the characters in "The Sun Also Rises" to
betray love. A bullfight may be the best example to prove the futility of life. In "The Sun Also
Rises", Hemingway relies heavily on the bullfight to represent and enhance major aspects of life.
The individualistic life that most characters lead in Hemingway's novels is represented in
many ways. In "The Sun Also Rises" Individualism is represented by sports; boxing, tennis,
fishing, and more importantly, by the bullfight. The element of the bullfight serves to show the
ultimate of individual triumphs. There is only one man in a bullfight, it is a battle between that
one man and the bull. While tennis and boxing could stand alone as metaphors for
independence, the bullfight acts as a foil to enhance the concept of solitude.
Throughout the book allusions to economy abound. The number of words used in
telegrams is a prominent example of ones efficiency. Jake is an economical person and thus he is
a great admirer of the bullfight. When Jake speaks of being economical with his money "he is
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talking more abstractly about other kinds of economy - the...