Pedro Romero

Although Romero appears only briefly in the novel, his presence is crucial, as he is the only man who seems capable of manipulating Brett. His appeal to her, beyond his beautiful appearance, is clear through the parallels Hemingway draws between bull-fighting and sexuality. Like Brett with her submissive men, Romero is highly skilled at a somewhat "feminine" manipulation of the bulls; moreover, he penetrates them in a "masculine" way at the end of fights with his sword. These tactics carry through to his relationship with the audience, as well. Jake admires him because he is a great bull-fighter and because he fulfills the code of the hero, as Hemingway defined it: a man of action who exhibits "grace under pressure." While Jake fought in the war, he never controls his destiny in the face of death as Romero does, and with such command.