The character Pedro Romero is described by Hemingway as a pure and whole person who is not inflicted by the same feelings of emptiness that Jake and the rest of the characters in the book seem to be troubled with. In The Sun Also Rises other bull fighters are mentioned as well as Romero, however none of the other bull fighters seem to get close and personal to the bull, they rather fake a closeness with the bull and don't instill emotions in their audience like Romero does. In this way Romero shows his heroism towards truly facing the bull and through his satisfaction with himself and his life while Jake and the rest of the characters are cowards and don't face or accept the lives they lead. Romero is arguably the only character who represents the values that were present before the war and by retaining these values, he has the unique quality of getting emotion out of his onlookers and often clashes with the harsh realities of Jake's generation. Not only is Romero's job, bullfighting, a symbol of heroism in modern times but his career also helps form his identity which none of the other characters in The Sun Also Rises can create from their own careers. Romero's genuineness makes him the archetypical hero in the story in that he knows who he is personally, he fights a bull in the utmost reality for a career, and dares to hold on to the pre-war values that in the current generation have been left behind.
When contrasting Romero to Jake the reader can see that Jake, who is very in love with Brett, sacrifices everything to satisfy Brett, while Romero does things to protect his career which shapes him into the moral person he is. Despite knowing this, Jake cowardly brings Brett to Romero in order to satisfy her needs although knowing that foreigners pose a threat to his career. This action makes Jake seem cowardly because of the fact that he is passionate with bullfighting and the fact that he knows that bring Brett to Romero may hurt his career Jake still takes her to him disregarding this fact. Rather than confronting Brett Jake remains silent about his feelings and takes her to Romero which proves that the relationship between them is toxic and hurts all of Jake's other relationships. Romero is undamaged by his encounter with Brett and upholds his values that he had before the war despite the distraction.
Romero is very much the hero of The Sun Also Rises because of his virtues and stature in the bullfighting ring. This symbol of heroism meshes with contemporary view's of hero's in many ways involving morals, saving the day and preventing corruption. Romero upholds all of his morals that he had before the war and presents himself to Jake and the others as the way they should feel towards their own lives, in other words he sets a good example, just as modern day hero's do, to others who may wish to relate to him. Romero some what saves the day when he helps Jake realize that Brett will never be satisfied with just one man, who even she believes is "the one". Romero also helps Jake see that Brett corrupts and changes all the men she comes in contact with. Although Jake's sees this through Romero's affair with Brett he still does not admit the fact that he has fallen victim to Brett's ways as well. Romero's affair with Brett can be viewed as a warning to the other men, in that she claimed she was in love but very shortly after their affair had begun she leaves him and attempts to go back to the men that she knows she can fall back on. Although Jake does not heed this warning viewed through their relationship, it can be said that Romero helps to open some of the men's eyes towards Brett and her ways. In this way Romero is symbolic of contemporary hero's because he attempts to stop the corruption that Brett leaves in the wake of her relationships.
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