ABSTRACT
Bullfighting provides the origin of the concept of moment of truth: el momento de verdad. The lore and spectacle of bullfighting has attracted award-winning writers such as Ernest Hemingway and James Michener.1 According to Hemingway, the moment of truth is the climax of the bullfight, a finalization of a process of killing the bull. El momento de verdad is “the final sword thrust, the actual encounter between the man and the animal.”2 The earlier parts of the spectacle of the corrida de toros (bullfight) lead to the moment of truth. Strict rules of bullfighting prescribe the manner in which the matador (bullfighter) should kill the bull. By law, the bull should be killed within fifteen minutes-fifteen minutes in which the matador must create moments of truth. Using a muleta (a red cloth folded over a pointed wooden stick), the matador encourages the bull to charge. By skilled use of the muleta the matador directs the bull to lower its head as a prelude to a charge. In so doing, the bull exposes the arch between its shoulder blades. Stepping close to the bull, the matador reaches over the horns to the exposed area and plunges the sword into the exposed flesh. Bullfight aficionados recognize this as the moment of truth. The matador plunges the sword deep enough to sever the aorta and cause death. In the timeframe of the bullfight the moment of truth is but a few brief instants. The size and speed of the bull leave little scope for hesitation in this life-and-death struggle between man and animal. If the bull raises its head while the matador is reaching over for the kill, the sword is not long enough to reach the aorta and make the kill. The matador’s body is then exposed to the horns. The matador’s skillful placing of the sword ensures death. A mistake by the matador in timing and placing the sword (for example, by striking bone) may lead to victory for the bull. If the matador is unable to control the movement of the bull, he is likely to be gored. When this happens, the matador can expect hospitalization-at best.
