If you have ever read an Ernest Hemingway novel, you already know that the “Hemingway Code” is an important factor in all of his works, including The Sun Also Rises. Its tenets regulate and dictate the lives and traits of the characters in his books, especially the so-called “Hemingway hero.”

Despite the fact that some literary critics have labeled Jake Barnes as a wounded code hero in the story, the work provides substantial evidence that it is actually the young bullfighter Pedro Romero that best fits the role of a Hemingway hero. Analysis of the book supports this view, when one writer comments “In terms of The Sun Also Rises, however, Romero is as close as any character comes to a hero. In comparison, all the other characters…are failures.” Although other characters such as Jake embody a few of the principles of the Code, no character personifies as many aspects of the heroic character as does Pedro Romero.

An important part of the Hemingway Code and its criteria for heroes is for the character is that “work is valid and meaningful.” This point is expanded to require that the hero have a professional field that he or she excels in, or more simply, that it is essential to “know how to do something.” In the novel, Pedro Romero clearly demonstrates that he is an outstanding bullfighter, easily the best of the matadors in Pamplona. The aficionado Montoya recognizes his extraordinary talent and labels him as “a real one,” the first in a long time. In contrast, none of the other main characters have a job except for Jake, the on again off again writer, an important requirement for potential heroes.

Young Pedro Romero also exemplifies another code characteristic; he is humble of himself and respectful of his craft. Not only is Pedro not egotistical about his success, he “plays by the rules of the game” and performs his job with more integrity than all of the other matadors. He treats the bulls with respect not wasting their strength unfairly, and he respects the fans by not falsely exaggerating the danger and drama of his maneuvers, as do some of the other bullfighters. Instead of insisting on weaker bulls with small horns like the fighter Belmonte, Pedro Romero also had a true appreciation for the dangers and seriousness of his profession. When asked why he kills the bulls he honors and considers to be his friends, he simply replies “so they don’t kill me.”

The virtues of being able to ignore pain and “keep on trying beyond bodily endurance” are also important aspects of the Hemingway hero’s character. Pedro Romero’s ability to do this is clearly shown by his fight with Robert Cohn and the events that followed. His ability to absorb an onslaught of punches from the Princeton boxing champion and then calmly KO Cohn shows his strength, even in a weaken physical condition. Then, his determination is shown when, bruised and battered, he fights the next day in his usual dominating form, insisting on giving the people the performance they had come to see.

Finally, Pedro Romero is a true hero because he may have been destroyed physically by the fight with Robert Cohn, but he certainly was not defeated in living his life and attempting his relationship with Lady Brett. However, despite all of his virtues, good looks, a successful profession, and money, he does not get what he truly wanted in the end- the love of Lady Brett Ashley. His character traits such as strength, humility, and respect combine with his bullfighting success and romantic shortfalls to meld the character of Pedro Romero into a Hemingway Hero.

Maybe my rambling with help you see this book in a different light. It is so easy to focus on Jake, the center of attention in the novel, rather than see the true development of all of the characters. Or more likely, I’ve probably convinced you that you most definitely do not want to read the novel.



Recommended: Yes