Strife at San Fermin: Bullfighting Symbolism in The Sun Also Rises Josie Reynolds 11th Grade

“Everything centers around the bull and the bullfighter. The bull can represent anything we choose: the unknown, the “other”, fear, money, sex, work, romantic relationships, etc. It is something that you have to see to understand. The most important thing isn’t in just killing the bull, but in how one kills it. And it’s the same with human experience. The most profound thing is how we live out our conflicts and problems.”

-Paco Pereda

The portrayal of the ever-present conflicts for the characters in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises comes in an unexpected form: bullfighting. The group of American expatriates in Paris is forced to face their demons during a pivotal trip to Spain during the San Fermin festival with a strong bullfighting culture. The facets of bullfighting serve as symbols of the struggles the characters faced in post-World War I society. Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises uses bullfighting as a symbol of sex, masculinity, and violence to illustrate the way sexuality and gender contribute to the tumultuous nature of the characters’ relationships.

Bullfighting, an historic symbol of sexuality, masculinity, and violence, is examined in detail during chapters XIII-XVIII when Hemingway and his group of friends...