The history of the Andalusion Gypsy and Basque don José, described by P. Mérimée in the novel “Carmen”(1845), enjoys unfading popularity, which she owes to the same name by G. Bizet (1875).Analyzing the phenomenon of “Carmen” , musicologists focus on the main generalizing image of the opera - bullfighting, a celebration of like conquered from death. The work of Mérimée the bullfight, and the bullfighter are mentioned only in passing, and the cumbersome design of the travel notes and ethnographic essay differs academic dryness that leaves the story in the shadow of a musical masterpiece. Meanwhile, tauromachy and its participants (matador and bull) are present and implicit in the literary text. The article is devoted to uncover the metaphorical image of the bullfight by the novel Mérimée “Carmen”.