Hemingway describes a hero as one who exhibits "grace under pressure" and being brave. This means he must be confident in himself and confront situations with courage and a strong mentality. Certain heroic characters are seen throughout Hemingway's novels, such as Romero from The Sun Also Rises, who show genuine traits of pureness, tradition and fearlessness. Romero shows his true heroic spirit inside the bull arena when he becomes a matador. His graceful movements show how effortless the fighting is for him, but his humble nature conveys his sense of humility. He takes pride in his work but does not get caught up in the spotlight and fame from all of the attention.
His shiny attire and successes in the arena make him a hero for all who are watching. He gives the people something to treasure during that lost time and someone to look up to. He is the hero who is saving the lost generation from themselves and the hopelessness of that era. Romero gives Jake, Bill, Mike, Cohn, and Brett something to look forward to in the midst of all the drinking and careless partying. He is seen as a symbol of hope for that time, that not everyone has been ruined by war and there is still some good that can come out of this world.
Also, Romero displays his quality of handling "grace under pressure" in context with the bulls and how dangerous they can be. He seems to have no sense of fear when he is with the bulls because he demonstrates his skills with such ease, even when a huge animal is charging right towards him. This makes the reader infer that Romero would do well in other outside situations and could handle stressful and strenuous situations. His brushes with danger don't seem all that threatening the way Hemingway writes them and make his actions easy and perfect.
Romero can relate to modern-day heroes, like firemen and third world volunteers, because they portray all that is still good and hopeful in this world. They instill hope into society just as Romero did with the Lost Generation. These men and women fight to save peoples' lives, which is not something Romero actually did physically, but he helped in emotional ways to save them from purposeless lives. Both Romero and the modern-day heroes create a big impact on society and people would be lost and suffering without either of them.
In another light, Romero could have been seen as a hero towards Brett and was saving her from herself. With his young and innocent ways, Brett might have been transformed or changed into a whole new person that had meaning in her life. He might have been saving her from her friends and the atmosphere she was in previously with the hard drinking and constant partying. Through book two, the story does not specify what happens between Brett and Romero when they run off, but I believe he would have been good for her and a positive influence, seeing as he was not a part of the Lost Generation.
Romero's heroism towards saving Brett can also be related to the police forces and investigation units of today. They work to find and save people all the time. They seek out the persons they wish to find, just as Romero sought out Brett. This may be a very distant tie between Romero and Brett and those men and women who serve to find those who are missing, but they still end up with a similar solution. Both types of heroes worked to save someone, either from themselves or others around them.
Romero is the type of hero, so brave and pure, that people wish still existed today. Maybe in the bull fighting sense we lack this type of hero, but there are heroes just like him in our modern world. They don't have the flashy pants or red cape but they still fight for what the love and believe in. The firefighters, policemen, investigators, and volunteers all work to save lives from misery and suffering, while at the same time creating an image that people can look up to and respect. Romero is the same as them, brave and sincere, except in Pamplona, Spain during post-WWII.
