Pedro Romero in The Sun Also Rises

Who is Pedro Romero?

Pedro Romero is a nineteen‑year‑old torero introduced in Pamplona during the San Fermín fiesta. He appears modest and composed in his room and at the ring, where his cape work and clean kills earn admiration from Jake, Bill and the crowd. Romero’s technical excellence and lack of posturing draw Brett’s intense attraction: he gives her an ear after killing a bull and later leaves Pamplona with her on the seven o’clock train. Though he is physically involved in the festival’s violence—knocking down Cohn in the altercation recounted after the fights—Romero behaves with restraint and professional focus. He speaks some English, smokes with the others, and responds politely and respectfully to Brett’s attention. Throughout the episodes in Pamplona Romero functions as an almost elemental presence: a demonstration of authentic artistry and courage that highlights the other characters’ passions, jealousies and moral confusions, while he remains primarily concerned with his performance in the ring.

In the book: Pedro Romero is a prodigiously talented bullfighter whose purity of craft and composure embody the ideal of authentic passion that the novel’s expatriates crave. His presence draws admiration and desire—especially from Brett—and becomes a catalyst that exposes the group’s insecurities, values, and fault lines without him ever posturing or boasting.

Personality

Composed

Montoya and Jake note Romero’s poise both in his hotel room and when he fights calmly and directly in the ring.

Technically brilliant

In the arena Romero makes slow, close, precise passes and kills cleanly, earning an ear and the crowd’s acclaim.

Modest

He behaves politely in cafés, speaks some English, and does not posture despite others’ admiration.

Catalytic

Brett’s declaration that she is “a goner” for Romero and her leaving Pamplona with him precipitate fractures among the expatriates.

Character arc

Romero’s trajectory in the chapters is remarkably steady: he enters as a quietly confident young torero and remains essentially the same through his last appearance. First presented by Montoya and observed by Jake and Bill in his room, Romero demonstrates a professional detachment and technical purity that set him apart from the holiday crowd. In the ring he confirms that promise, delivering masterful cape work and precise kills that win an ear and public adoration. Offstage he interacts politely with Brett and others, flirtatious but not domineering; his physical involvement in the scuffle with Cohn—where, according to accounts, he knocks Cohn down repeatedly and strikes him when Cohn refuses to fight back—shows a firmness that enforces boundaries rather than escalating personal vanity. By the end he accepts Brett’s company and leaves Pamplona with her, carrying the same composed dignity he displayed at first; instead of changing, he acts as a steady force whose presence reveals the transformation and turmoil in others.

Relationships

• Lady Brett Ashley Brett becomes intensely attracted to Romero; he gives her a bull’s ear and she leaves Pamplona with him on the seven o’clock train.
• Jake Barnes Jake admires Romero’s technique and defends him (Montoya’s request) while observing how Romero’s presence affects the group.
• Montoya Montoya introduces Romero and worries about protecting the young torero’s future, relaying requests about summoning bull‑fighters.
• Bill Gorton Bill watches Romero fight with Jake and praises his mastery along with the other expatriates.
• Mike Campbell Mike is part of the drinking, revelry and later conversation about Romero; he grows drunk and quarrels with others amid the fiesta context.
• Robert Cohn Cohn confronts Brett and Romero in the hotel; accounts say Romero knocks Cohn down repeatedly during the altercation.

Why Pedro Romero matters

Romero embodies the novel’s ideal of authentic craft, courage and aesthetic purity. His measured mastery in the ring and lack of theatricality contrast with the expatriates’ self‑conscious pursuit of pleasure and tangled desires, exposing their jealousy, insecurity and moral confusion. By remaining essentially unchanged and focused on his art, Romero becomes a mirror and catalyst: others reveal their limits and failings through their responses to him, while the novel uses his presence to interrogate what true passion and integrity look like amid the aimless expatriate life.

Chapters with Pedro Romero

• Chapter 6
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10
• Chapter 14
• Chapter 15
• Chapter 16
• Chapter 17
• Chapter 17
• Chapter 18

More The Sun Also Rises characters

• Jake BarnesNarrator
• Robert CohnMajor character
• Lady Brett AshleyMajor character
• Mike CampbellMajor character
• Bill GortonMajor character
• Frances ClyneMinor character
• MontoyaMajor character
• Wilson-HarrisMinor character