The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway Symbolism of the bullfight.

 Arena del Toros When an event that incorporates life, death and serious emotions occurs, it is bound to parallel several other facets of life. One of the few events in life that can thoroughly present life and death in a graphic and public manner is the bullfight. Ernest Hemingway seems rather attached to the bullfight as it becomes a central symbol in "The Sun Also Rises". Hemingway's rugged individualism is shown throughout the novel and …

…not only individualism and economy of motion but also the futility of life in general. 4 Works Cited Dewing, Arthur. Modern American Literature. Ungar, Vol. 2 of A Library of Criticism Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1926. Magill, Frank A., ed. Critical Survey of Long Fiction, ed. 4, Salem Press, 1481-1980, pages 1598-1601. Wyatt, David M. Hemingway's Uncanny Beginnings, The Georgia Review, Summer, 1977, pp. 476--501, http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?locID=lawr16325