"'Nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters'" (Hemingway 18).

Bull-fighting serves as an interesting backdrop to the plot in The Sun Also Rises. This hypermasculine, dangerous activity is first introduced in chapter two as Jake's example of what it means to fully live. Jake references bull-fighters when Cohn tells him, "'I can't stand it to think my life is going so fast and I'm not really living it"' (18). In this way, Jake suggests that no one is truly living, and this is just the way it is. Not everyone can be a bull-fighter, so they all need to be okay with feeling discontent. Throughout the novel, we encounter characters who are directionless and unfulfilled. This can be projected onto the Lost Generation in its entirety. This restlessness is something thoroughly explored in the novel, especially through Jake and Cohn. While Cohn more readily vocalizes his discontent, Jake is much more subtle and selective in his expression. Having been injured in war, he has partially come to terms with his own loss of masculinity and his feeling of not having a purpose. That is one reason why this hypermasculine activity is such an interesting part of the story. In Spain, the characters enjoy this gruesome display, suggesting a desire to feel anything. Together, they discuss how they enjoyed watching their first bull-fight. "'They do have some rather awful things happen to them," Brett said. "I couldn't look away, though."' (170).