The bullfights find another form of significance in their paralleling of events in the characters’ lives. For instance, the first time they see the bulls as they are being unloaded into the corrals the first bull gores and kills a steer. This could be seen as parallel to the ensuing fight Mike and Cohn have. Mike himself compares Cohn to a steer—a castrated bull calf that grows into an ox—which fits on more than one level. Cohn is already an outsider to the group simply by being Jewish, as the low current of anti-Semitism runs through the novel attest too. However he has also has been left emasculated in the wake of his affair with Brett, as he proceeds to trail behind her like a lost, lovesick puppy during the trip (Puckett, 128). Mike’s comments serve to further push him away from their group, or in this case, “herd”.
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Additionally, Jake is often neutral in the group, letting others argue around him. Another example of bullfighting paralleling events is Vicente Girones being gored the same day Cohn leaves Pamplona. Cohn fights with Romero but is unable to knock him out, despite being a “middleweight boxing champion” (Hemingway, 3), and eventually leaves after Romero gets in a few hits of his own. Cohn has been quite trampled by Brett’s rejection of him, and the mockery he receives over his behaviour from his
Additionally, Jake is often neutral in the group, letting others argue around him. Another example of bullfighting paralleling events is Vicente Girones being gored the same day Cohn leaves Pamplona. Cohn fights with Romero but is unable to knock him out, despite being a “middleweight boxing champion” (Hemingway, 3), and eventually leaves after Romero gets in a few hits of his own. Cohn has been quite trampled by Brett’s rejection of him, and the mockery he receives over his behaviour from his