On the significance of Bull Fighting

Bull-fighting is first introduced into the novel amid a conversation between Jake and Cohn. After Cohn says that his “life is going so fast and [he’s] not really living it,” Jake reassures Cohn with the fact that  "Nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters." From this quote, it is clear that Jake holds admiration for bull-fighters, particularly because they live an exciting life that involves risk and adrenaline. Not only does this confirm that Jake is a fan of manly activities, but also that he admires a man who risks his life for something he has aficion for, much as he presumably did in the war.

Later in the novel, it becomes clear that Jake doesn’t just admire bullfighters, he has serious aficion for the sport—the kind of aficion he’s missing out on because of his injury. It is particularly telling that as Jake does meaningless busy work to keep his mind off Brett, (and the fact that his injury keeps them from being together) he spends most of his time reading Le Toril, a bull-fight paper. It seems that the void left by his desires to be with Brett are filled by reading an exciting story about men enticing bulls into trying to puncture them with horns but gracefully deceiving them each time they charge in.


It is also telling that Brett is fascinated with the gracefulness and effectiveness with which Romero lures in the bulls. She seems to consciously or subconsciously notice that they have a similar skill set. To be specific, one can draw a parallel between Brett’s seduction of men across Europe and Romero’s bullfighting. Men, such as Cohn, are constantly approaching Brett, hoping to marry her. She calls them in, and although never explicitly tells them, “Come with me and we will get married,” she lures them in with that prospect in mind (she even seems to be deceiving her husband, Mike, in a similar fashion, because although they are married, they are nowhere near being in an exclusive relationship)—this is her “red cloth”. Romero then lifts the cloth for the crowd’s entertainment and maintains close contact with the bull to give an extra sense of excitement and to frustrate the bull so he comes back again. Similarly, once men are close to Brett, (physically and emotionally) she takes advantage of them, getting what she really wanted out of the relationship—sex, companionship, potentially money, etc.—but leaves them with a feeling that they still have a chance to marry her, so they come charging back again. This metaphor seems particularly strong for Cohn, as he chases Brett’s love and doesn’t seem to understand that it’s not going to happen.

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2018 at 4:09 PM

    I like your analogy with the red cloth, and I find it accurate. Again, it's sad that Jake provides so much emotional support, gives up things (like his aficion status) for Brett, and she still continues to use him. Brett also uses her red cloth on Jake, constantly teasing him, then denying him...

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