Hero

                In The Sun Also Rises, Pedro Romero is the new and promising bull fighter in Pamplona.   He shows off his finesse and tenacity in the arena, and throughout the week long celebration.  He is the archetypical hero at the end of the story and differs from the other men in Brett’s life.  He shows these heroic qualities literally in the arena where he is steadfast and faces the dangers of the bull head on.  The crowd loves him because he is entertaining and steals the show from the old, legendary Belmonte.  But Hemingway added Romero to reflect on World War I and how the male characters in society during this time period are different.  Romero shows his control over obstacles not only in the arena, but when around a pretty girl.  Brett, like many women probably would have done in real life, wanted to be with him for his handsomeness and heroics.  But Romero represents a quality that his generation has not lost - self control.  Although fond of Brett, Romero does not succumb to Brett's will like her other suitors do.  Jake will do anything to please Brett even if it conflicts with his love for her, and in some cases, like with that of Romero, really conflicts with his love for her.  Mike will let Brett go and be “flirtatious” with other men, while she completely disregards him and his feelings.  Cohn is like an unwanted puppy when it comes to Brett – he follows her around everywhere and continues to bother the group after he overstays his welcome.  Cohn, I think, is the antithesis of a hero as he does not display the characteristics that Romero does.  Cohn is spineless and does not give people any reason to treat him with respect.  He complains throughout the story, like when talking to Jake about Brett, and he is also very negative, like when he talks to Jake about death coming to them soon.  Romero, on the other hand, shows how he is positive and strong-willed throughout the story.  What I think defines Romero as a hero is not his talents in the bull ring or his ability to acquire the love of beautiful women, but how he is defeated.  The scene where Cohn attacks everybody and gets into a fight with Romero, Romero doesn’t give up and shows a dignified defiance to Cohn each time he gets up.   Romero endures the punishment that he is given, and shows how a hero’s will is not broken when he is beaten.  Cohn is verbally brutalized by the people he surrounds himself with.  He deals with punishment without honor and just takes it, not endure, but takes the verbal abuse like he was the one wounded in the war, not Jake.  Romero then wins the love of Brett and they go off, but then they split up.  Romero keeps his dignity and is left untainted by Brett when the go their separate ways.  Romero shows how he and his generation are heroes in society, a quality that Hemingway portrays as being absent in the lost generation.

                I see our modern heroes as people who are generally closer to perfect than most people.  A hero can be someone who has done great things for society like Mandela, King or Gandhi.  A hero can also be someone who is remembered for doing a single great action, like a football player who makes a spectacular 30-yard catch with no time on the clock and scores the winning touchdown after being down five points in the Super Bowl.  A hero who does something that inspires people because what they have done is amazing.  Romero today would be seen as great but I would not look at him as a hero because I wouldn’t be reading his life in a novel and seeing how he contrasts with the other characters, nor would I imagine him doing something that would truly be seen as great.