The literature of the beginning of the 20th century was heavily influenced by the major changes that were reshaping the world at the time. The First World War was one of the deadliest conflicts in the history of mankind and resulted in millions of casualties and devastation across Europe. In addition to the Great War, urbanization, immigration, and the rapid progress of technology led to the general feeling of uncertainty due to the rejection of old, traditional ideas.
This identity crisis is explored in the works of many notable modernist authors, including Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Eliot. The characters of Nick Adams and J. Alfred Prufrock are representations of the modern man, fractured and lost after the devastating consequences of the First World War.
Nick Adams in the main character of more than a dozen stories written by Ernest Hemingway. The character is largely autobiographical, with many similarities to Ernest Hemingway. Nick Adams’ father is also a doctor, and he, just like Hemingway, enlists as an ambulance driver to work on the Italian front during the World War I. In each of Hemingway’s stories, Nick Adams is confronted with some traumatic event, and the author explores the consequences this event has on Nick Adams.
In one of the stories, A Way You’ll Never Be, Nick Adams is shown suffering recurring nightmares and hallucinations in the aftermath of the traumatic head injury inflicted during his service on the Italian front. Nick Adams returns to the place where he was injured with a hidden motive – to understand the reason behind his hallucinations. However, in spite of the fact that Nick Adams learns some information about his trauma, he fails to understand the underlying cause of these nightmares – the crisis of personal identity (Quick 30). He is self-conscious and restless, and his hallucinations seem jumbled and unrelated, just like Nick Adams’ anxious thoughts about his sense of self.
The post-traumatic shock Nick is suffering from in the aftermath of the events on the Italian front is the allusion to the general anxiety which grew its roots in the minds of people living in the 1920s. A number of Ernest Hemingway’s works touch upon physical wounds, but it is this story that focuses on mental trauma, the destructive psychological result of the Great War. Nick’s search for the meaning of life continues in Big Two-Hearted River, where he returns to Michigan from the Italian front.
In this descriptive story, Nick, unable to find a place for himself, leaves urban environment and turns to the healing power of nature to lessen his burden, which was “too heavy […] much too heavy” (Hemingway par. 6). The feeling of anxiety stays with him even there, and although he tries to avoid it, he seems preoccupied with it. In the aftermath of World War I, Nick Adams, just like many other people of that time, is suffering from the loss of the orientation, which makes him the archetype of that time (Burke 2).
Like Nick Adams, the main character of Thomas Eliot’s poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock J. Alfred Prufrock is also avoiding something, an overwhelming question. Prufrock, an average middle-class man living in an urban setting very similar to London, also suffers from unspoken psychological conflict. A variety of allusions, used by Elliot, seem to suggest that Prufrock is an educated man. However, he is very self-conscious and seems unable to confront the overwhelming question.
Throughout the novel, which takes place in an urban setting, Prufrock seems to be confused what time of the day it is and where is past and where is future: tenses are frequently confused throughout the poem. In contrast to Nick Adams, Prufrock does not leave the city but gets lost in its sinister streets instead. The urban setting allows the reader to see rooms full of people mindlessly drinking tea all day, joined by Prufrock himself.
The author presents a picture of a wasted existence, hindered by indecisive paralysis. Prufrock is ready for “a hundred indecisions […] before the taking of a toast and tea” (Elliot 10-11). Elliot captures the image of a typical young man unable to find his place in a world, fractured by the Great War. The juxtaposition of scenes, texts, and thoughts are used to show the chaotic state of Prufrock’s mind and the society in general. It is not entirely clear if Prufrock actually leaves his room or whether the narration is the result of his disturbed mind.
The characters of Nick Adams and J. Alfred Prufrock both struggle with challenges typical of people of “the lost generation”. In the first half of the 20th century, the old world has been shattered and was undergoing dramatic transformations. The aftershock of the World War I left many questioning what the meaning of their existence was. A common trait of both characters is that they are lost in the new world. However, while Elliot’s character seems to never leave this state of paralysis, Hemingway’s’ protagonist turns to nature and seems to find his inner self.
Works Cited
Burke, William. Hemingway ‘s Nick Adams Archetype of an era. Web.
One of the tragic consequences of any war is that it demolishes the traditional values and drastically changes the perceptions of the world by those who have gone through its horrors. Coming back to normal life appears a torture to such people since their vision of future existence runs counter to the standards of the peace time.
While civilian population seeks shelter from the harshness of the angry world in the safe harbor of family life, soldiers who come back from the war find themselves incompatible with the traditional pattern of life. Such dramatic situation is described in Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Soldier’s Home”, where the character of Harold Krebs reveals itself as a tragic hero who is opposed to the traditional world represented in the characters of the average citizens.
To unfold the characterization of Harold Krebs in “Soldier’s Home”, Hemingway employs a whole range of means. For one thing, Krebs’ character opens up through his actions, thoughts and reactions to the surrounding world. From the very beginning of the story the reader faces a series of monotonous repetitions that reflect an objective, dull, almost mechanical state of Harold’s mind: multiple reiterations of phrases like “There is a picture…”, “He liked…”, “He did not want…”, “It was simply not worth it” reflect Harold’s emotional deadness and indifference caused by the terrors of the war (Hemingway 165–167).
War was not the only cause for Harold’s apathy: he was met with estrangement by his own community who wanted not the truth but the embellished tales that were far from the war reality. Revolted by the necessity to tell those lies, Harold rejects the reality which is false for him and creates his own existence opposite to the conventional routine: instead of finding a job and settling down with a girl, he sleeps, reads books, plays pool and the clarinet. Thus he explicitly opposes himself to the society by means of his words and deeds.
For another thing, Harold’s surname is significant: Hemingway borrowed it from his friend married to a woman old enough to be his mother (Lynn 258). This fact signifies the importance placed on the dramatic conflict between Harold’s world-view and that of his mother’s. Hemingway launches this conflict to provide a deeper understanding of Harold’s incompatibility with his environment.
Setting off Harold’s lack of determination and definite life objectives, the foil character of his mother embodies all the traditional values: in trying to convince her son of the necessity for settling down and finding a job, Harold’s mother acts as a herald of conventional lifestyle that rather repulses than inspires Harold. Harold’s relaxed existence appears meaningless to his mother, who represents the traditional Protestant values of work and family, of everyone’s life subordinated to the eternal laws of the Kingdom of God.
The more painful and uncomfortable for Harold is his mother’s attempt to place him into that Kingdom, where he has actually never belonged (Hemingway 168). His repulsive reaction to his mother’s reproach, his disinterest and blunt confession of no love for anybody discloses the abyss between him and the conventional society. To survive in it, Harold unwillingly gives up to its demands and says farewell to his dream of a smooth life uncomplicated by social conventions.
The tragedy of Harold’s character is that once he loses everything in the frightful experience of war, coming back home becomes senseless to him. He does not feel the wish to do it; yet, due to the apathy and weakness of his nature, he returns one year later — too late to be accepted as a hero. Wrong time, wrong place — those are the adverse circumstances that ruin Harold’s vision of uncomplicated life. He becomes a piece of driftwood that floats according to the ways imposed by the traditional society which is too blind to see and accept his uniqueness.
As of today, the process of Western civilization embracing the spirit of “political correctness” had reached its logical conclusion, when it is only the matter of very short time, before men will be forbidden from referring to women as actually women, but something like “representatives of vaginal group”. Nowadays, it became a commonplace practice for women to work as police officers, and for male “white collars” to be increasingly preoccupied with having their fingernails nicely polished, as one of their lives’ foremost priorities. However, it would be wrong to think of ever-decreased levels of gender differentiation within Western societies as essentially beneficial socio-political phenomenon, as the hawks of “tolerance” would like us to believe. On the contrary – it is because more and more men and women find themselves being increasingly incapable of perceiving their existential potential through the lenses of biological functionality, which explains the feeling of sexual ambiguity, on their part.
The reading of Ernest Hemingway’s novel “The Sun Also Rises”, confirms the theoretical validity of such our suggestion with utter exactness, because in it, author had succeed in exposing main characters’ (Jake, Cohn and Brett) inability to attain marital happiness as a direct result of their bio-psychological inadequacy, even though it was far from his original intention. In this paper, we will strive to substantiate the validity of this thesis even further, while simultaneously aiming to reveal what accounts for the fundamental difference between male and female sexualities, during a process.
The history of Western civilization is the history of metaphysical manliness affecting the course of historical events – this continues to be the case even today, despite the process of Western societies becoming increasingly “feminized”. Such manliness has been traditionally associated with masculine virtues of rationale, courage, physical strength, and will-power. The foremost psychological difference between men and women is that men are expected to be capable of suppressing their animalistic urges, to be able to act “as necessary”, as opposed to women’s tendency to act “as it feels like”. Therefore; whereas, physically attractive women inspire passion in men’s hearts by their mere existence, it is namely men’s deeds and the strength of their individuality, which account for their value in the eyes of women.
However, the beginning of 20th century had marked the emergence of a new generation of men, the representatives of which were deprived of those psychological qualities that allowed their ancestors to build and to maintain civilization. While remaining undoubtly intellectual, these men were becoming increasingly incapable of associating their lives with any particular purpose, whatsoever. Slowly but surely, they were becoming reduced into the crowd of degenerates, solely preoccupied with seeking cheep thrills, just as it was the case with physically and mentally corrupted Romans, in time of Roman Empire’s decline. It was during first part of 20th century that the degenerative doctrine of Marxism had attained a status of legitimate political theory, that the sub-products of people’s mental illness began to be discussed in terms of “art”, and that the representatives of world’s Plutocracy had found themselves in position of ruining the economies of whole countries, thus instigating the beginning of both: WW1 and WW2.
Therefore, it was not due to Bill Gorton’s intellectual maliciousness that he used to continuously refer to Jake as decadent: “You’re an expatriate. You’ve lost touch with the soil. You get precious. Fake European standards have ruined you. You drink yourself to death. You become obsessed by sex. You spend all your time talking, not working” (Hemingway Ch. XII, p. 115). However, these words do not seem to only apply to Jake, but to most Hemingway’s characters, as well – all they seemed to be concerned about is drinking and posing as “sophisticates”.
For example, throughout novel’s entirety, Cohn never ceases to provide others with his “valuable” opinions on issues he could not possibly comprehend. This caused others to others to get annoyed with him to ever-increasing extent: “He’s got this Jewish superiority so strong that he thinks the only emotion he’ll get out of the fight will be being bored” (Hemingway Ch. XV, p. 162). In its turn, this explains the particularities of a relationship between Brett and novel’s other male characters, such as Jake, Cohn, Mike, Pedro and Count Mippipopolous while being an intelligent woman, Brett never ceased seeking for namely those psychological qualities in her male partners that she felt she lacked. The irony lays in the fact that, even though it was the narrator, with whom Brett felt the most comfortable, in psychological sense of this word, she could not seriously consider the possibility of marrying him, due to Jake being an impotent.
The following exchange of remarks between Brett and Jake provide us with the insight onto the latter as being utterly naïve individual: “It’s funny,’ I said. ‘It’s very funny. And it’s a lot of fun, too, to be in love’. ‘Do you think so?’ her eyes looked flat again. ‘I don’t mean fun that way. In a way it’s an enjoyable feeling’. ‘No’, she said. ‘I think it’s hell on earth” (Hemingway Ch. IV, p. 27). Women cannot enjoy platonic love as “thing in itself” due to particularities of their physiology – unlike men; women cannot mentally detach themselves from their genitals.
Otto Weininger’s famous book “Sex and Character” contains a particularly valuable observation, in regards to what constitute a foremost difference between male and female existential modes: “The female is always sexual, the male is sexual only intermittently. The sexual instinct is always active in woman, whilst in man it is at rest from time to time. And thus it happens that the sexual impulse of the male is eruptive in character and so appears stronger. The real difference between the sexes is that in the male the desire is periodical, in the female continuous” (Weininger Ch. II, p. 54). We can say that woman’s whole body functions as one big sexual organ, which explains why women get easily aroused, as the result of even such “non-sexual” parts of their bodies as hands being touched.
Therefore, it was not simply a coincident that, every time Brett had found herself in the company of men, her mere presence would create a strongly-defined sexual tension within such a company. It is the same as it has always been the case with women – they actively seek to create such a tension, because it is only through becoming the object of men’s sexual desire that they can realize their true worth. In the same book from which we have already quoted, Weininger states: “The love of a man for whom she does not care is only a gratification of the vanity of a woman, or an awakening and rousing of slumbering desires. A woman extends her claims equally to all men on Earth” (Weininger Ch. IX, p. 140). Throughout novel’s entirety, Brett actively flirted with just about anyone who happened to come across her path. Therefore, by telling Cohn that he should have stopped pursuing Brett: “Why do you follow Brett around like a poor bloody steer? Don’t you know you’re not wanted?” (Hemingway Ch. XIII, p. 142), Mike had simply proven himself being completely unaware of how women’s psychology works – being followed around by as many men as possible is exactly what Brett subconsciously strived for.
Whereas, men think of love as emotionally inspirational experience, which adds value to their otherwise mechanistic existence, women think of their ability to inspire love in men as simply a tool of gaining social prominence. In its turn, this explains why Brett seemed to be emotionally comfortable with Count Mippipopolous, just as much as it used to be the case between her and Jake, even though she did not even know this Greek aristocrat very well. All she knew is that, unlike her other lovers, Count was not affected by any mental insecurities and, what is the most important – he could well afford supplying her with money: “He just brought me here now. Offered me ten thousand dollars to go to Biarritz with him. How much is that in pounds?” (Hemingway Ch. IV, p. 33). This brings us to discussion of another important sex-related theme, contained in Hemingway’s novel – namely, the effects of Brett’s genetically predetermined nymphomania on her behavior.
Throughout the novel, author never ceases bringing readers’ attention to particularities of Brett’s “feminist” physical appearance: “Her hair was brushed back like a boy’s” (Hemingway Ch. III, p. 22). As we are all well aware of, the most famous promoters of feminist cause have traditionally been known for particularly masculine aspects of their physical appearance. It is not only that feminist women like wearing men’s clothing, but they are often being forced to deal with essentially “masculine” physiological issues, such as the excessive growth of hair on their faces and legs. Moreover, “liberated” feminists have also been known for their rather ravenous sexual appetites. Why would this be the case? This is because such women’s blood contains excessive amounts of testosterone – the hormone of sex and aggression. There is a plenty of subtly defined evidence as to the fact that Brett had plenty of testosterone running through her veins, which is why in her relations with men, she would often take sexual initiative.
For example, Brett thought it was quite appropriate on her part, to ask Jake to set her up with Pedro, so that she could have sex with him, while being honest enough to admit her animalistic urges as such that never ceased defining her behavior: “I do feel such a bitch”. ‘Well,’ I said. ‘My God!’ said Brett, ‘the things a woman goes through’. ‘Yes?’. ‘Oh, I do feel such a bitch” (Hemingway Ch. XVI, p. 184). What Brett used to refer to as her “bitchiness” is now being referred to as “emancipation”. In “Sex and Character”, Weininger states: “A woman’s demand for emancipation and her qualification for it are in direct proportion to the amount of maleness in her… The desire for freedom and equality with man occurs only in masculine women, the inductive conclusion follows that the female principle is not conscious of a necessity for emancipation” (Weininger Ch. VI, p. 42). Therefore, we can say that how Hemingway goes about exploring the theme of sexual ambiguity in his novel, is being concerned with Brett acting as “male”, on one hand, and with Jake, Cohn and Mike acting as “females”, on the other. For us to explain the true essence of this behavioral phenomenon, we will have to outline the conceptual premise, upon which the “theory of three generations” is being based.
The history of Western civilization can be thought of as the continuous succession of generations, representatives of which posses specific psychological traits. For example, in Homer’s poems, male characters are being defined almost exclusively by their sheer will-power and physical strength. There is nothing else about them. The history of their lives is read like an epic. Men that belong to “second generation” have both – will-power and intellect. They are the ones who build and conquer, while strengthening the foundation of earlier accomplishments. Martin Luther, Columbus, and Shakespeare, for example, are the typical representatives of “second generation”. As history progresses, men slowly loose their strength and all that there is remaining is their intellect. The psychological introspect onto the characters of Jake, Cohn and Mike leave no doubt as to their strong affiliation with “third generation”. This explains the effects of these characters’ war-experiences on their behaviour.
Again and again, Jake stresses out the fact that he has been hurt by war, in psychological more then in strictly physical sense of this word: “I got hurt in the war,’ I said. ‘Oh, that dirty war” (Hemingway Ch. III, p. 16). At the same time, novel’s only representative of “second generation”, Count Mippipopolous, was able to retain his existential cheerfulness, despite his war experiences being so much more extensive as compared to that of Jake’s: “I have been in seven wars and four revolutions,’ the Count said” (Hemingway Ch. VII, p. 60). Brett’s reaction to these Count’s words strengthen our earlier suggestion as to her psychological manliness: “I told you he was one of us. Didn’t I?’ Brett turned to me. ‘I love you, Count. You’re a darling” (Hemingway Ch. VII, p. 60). It is important to understand that a phenomenon of a so-called “combat fatigue”, on the part of soldiers that have had participated in war, cannot be thought of as being objectively defined.
The reason why it was namely during 20th century that many former soldiers would end up experiencing a variety of mental anxieties, associated with their time in trenches, is because they belonged to a “third generation”. It was not war that made mental wrecks out of them (before WW1, the phenomenon of “combat fatigue” simply did not exist), but historical dialectics. Mentally stable individual can never get tired of war, just as one can never get tired of life, because life is best discussed in terms of never-ending struggle of everybody against everybody.
In its turn, this allows us to suggest that it was not solely due to Jake’s sexual impotence, which prevented him from eloping with Brett, but also due to effeminate qualities of his character – Brett could simply never bring herself to respect Jake. In her article “Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises”, Jacqueline Bradley provides us with the insight on why Jake could never inspire respect on women’s hearts: “Jake is the peacemaker… Jake presents himself as being in complete agreement with those he respects – whether he agrees with them or not” (Bradley 2006, p. 231). Why is it that the majority of White women usually decide in favour of leaving their Black boyfriends and husbands, after having lived with them for some time? It is certainly not due to these men’s inability to satisfy White women sexually, but because, in terms of psychology, Black males do not differentiate much from White/Black females. It appears that Brett had realized that the offer of “niceness”, on Jake’s part, simply reflected his perceptional infantilism. And, such infantilism is the behavioural trait of women, which explains why they enjoy so much working with kids. Brett did not want to end up being married to a “grown up boy”, who besides being an impotent and alcoholic, also appeared as particularly annoying individual, who simply strived to appease those he did not like, instead of trying to confront them openly.
Thus, we can say that the aura of sexual ambiguity, which appears being ever-present throughout Hemingway’s novel, derives out of the fact that the relationships between novel’s male and female characters are being marked by a low degree of gender differentiation. After all – what is the fundamental difference between Brett and most of novel’s male characters? They are all being equally committed to drinking, indulging in seemingly sophisticate but utterly meaningless conversations, and seeking emotionally-charged forms of entertainment: “Romero’s bull-fighting gave real emotion, because he kept the absolute purity of line in his movements and always quietly and calmly let the horns pass him close each time” (Hemingway Ch. XV, p. 168). Real men do not seek “real emotions” but mental excitement, which they usually derive out of participating in variety of intellectual and physical activities.
Therefore, the fact that Brett and the bunch of “steers” around her had found themselves so attracted to watching a spectacle of bulls being killed by bullfighters in particularly cruel manner, simply reflected these people’s existential decadence. And, as we are all aware of – decadents cannot be endowed with genuine emotions, which cause them to continuously seek for emotional surrogates. Decadents cannot truly love, which is why they confuse love with sex. Decadents cannot be concerned about anything but satisfaction of their animalistic instincts. All decadents care about, when it comes to experiencing sensual emotions, is these emotions’ “intensity”, rather then “genuineness”.
When being asked whether he would be able to stand bloody sight of Spanish bullfight, the hook-nosed “expert on tolerance” Cohn replies: “I’m not worried about how I’ll stand it. I’m only afraid I may be bored” (Hemingway Ch. XV, p. 162). Therefore, it appears that in author’s eyes, Jake’s inability to have sex had deeply metaphorical significance, because it symbolised existential impotence, on the part of just about all of his degenerate friends. In her book “Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises: A Casebook”, Linda Wagner-Martin makes a perfectly good point while stating: “Jake has come to inhabit the demi-monde, the world of the outcast, the lost, the homosexual – the decadent other par excellence… Jake, like the homosexual, is a habitué of cafes, where one ‘does’ very little except talk, and the homosexual, the female, and the Jew are constructed as overly discursive” (Wagner-Martin 2002, p. 74). Sexual ambiguity only begins to affect people’s lives when these people go about actively opposing the objective laws of nature. When women become overly masculine and when men become overly effeminate – this represents transgression against the laws of nature. And, there can be only price for such a transgression – degradation and death.
At the time when “The Sun Also Rises” was published for the first time in 1926, the number of White people accounted for 20-25% of world’s population. As of today, it barely reaches 5%. Nowadays, we have a whole class of White “yuppies” (men and women), who are being solemnly concerned about pursuing professional careers at the expense of neglecting their biological duty as potential mothers and fathers. Those of them who eventually decide to get married, often realise themselves being incapable to conceive children. On the other hand, during last forty years, the population of Ethiopia had tripled, despite being affected by never-ending civil war and famine, and even though Medicare in this country simply does not exist. What accounts for such an amazing strength of sexual libido among Ethiopians? It is the fact that these people never had a chance to learn what the concept of “libido” stands for. They have never been taught by “progressive” individuals like Cohn to think about degenerates among themselves as worthy to be admired. Such our idea corresponds rather well to this paper’s initial thesis – it is namely because Hemingway novel’s characters (except Pedro Romero and Count Mippipopolous) were deprived of their existential wholesomeness, which prompted them to indulge in variety of degenerate activities. In its turn, this resulted in these individuals eventually beginning to experience sexual ambiguity.
Bibliography
Bradley, J. (2006). Hemingway’s ‘The Sun Also Rises’. The Explicator, 64 (4): 231-234.
Hemingway, E. (1926) 1995. The Sun also Rises. London: Scribner.
Wagner-Martin, L. (2002). Ernest Hemingway’s ‘The Sun Also Rises’: A Casebook. NY: Oxford University Press.
Weininger, O. (1906) 2003. Sex and Character. Authorized Translation from the Sixth German Edition. NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
Ernest Hemingway is known as a legendary figure of the American culture, because he consistently communicated the American values and aspects of self-image in his literary works. In order to discuss Hemingway’s depiction of the American values and beliefs, it will be necessary to use three works: The Old Man and the Sea, a novella by Hemingway, “Papa’s Ghost”, an article by Gary Buslik, in which the author describes his experience of visiting “Hemingway’s” famous place, and “Ernest Hemingway”, a biographical inquiry into the life of the great writer. The present paper argues that Hemingway’s idea of “the true-born American” draws a portrait of a self-made man who has freedom of choice, rises from poverty through hard work and believes only in himself without relying on or hoping for the support of the others or the government.
Summary of the main points of the article and the novella
The Old Man and the Sea narrate about the old fisherman Santiago, who has had as many as eighty-four unlucky days and seeks desperately to catch a large fish. His little friend Manolin, who had fished with Santiago before, is forced by his parents to leave the old man because of their superstitions associated with the old man’s regular failures over the months. Therefore, Santiago ventures to the Gulf alone and shortly after finds out that a huge marlin takes his bait. After struggling with the fish for two days, Santiago loses it as a result of the shark attack. However, after having a long rest at home, Santiago reveals no despair to Manolin, instead stating his intention to try again later. In “Papa’s Ghost”, G.Buslik narrates about his journey to Cuba and his excursion around the favorite places of Ernest Hemingway. In particular, he visits cafes and bars where Hemingway used to stay for hours writing his literary works, and conducts an interview with Gregorio Fuentes, an acquaintance of the great writer, believed to become a Santiago’s.
Ideal of freedom and non-commitment
The first intrinsic characteristic of the American masculinity, or the “true American man”, according to Hemingway’s novella, is freedom, interpreted as the absence of obligations and responsibilities except for those directly associated with individual survival. The protagonist of The Old Man and the Sea doesn’t seem committed to anyone except for himself, as he has no family and his social status imposes on him not so many obligations, as long as he is a fisherman. The only character the old man closely interacts with is the boy named Manolin, who, as he believes, should be reared and brought up by his parents, but not him: “If you were my boy I’d take you out and gamble,” he said.” But you are your father’s and your mother’s and you are in the lucky boat. “( Hemingway, p.2). The value of freedom is also reflected in “Papa’s Ghost” which demonstrates that Hemingway easily left America with its noisy cities for Cuba, where simple entertainments like fishing gained a new value: “Two years later he bought his own boat, Pilar, and over the next several years popped over to the big island when the spirit moved him […]” (Buslik, p.103). As one can assume, the famous writer himself was not actually willing to carry the burden of social obligations like marriage.
Idea of the self-made man as inherent to the American culture
The idea of a self-made man, who grows professionally and economically through hard work is another persistent idea which Hemingway presents in his works. In particular, both Santiago and Manolin adore DiMaggio, an outstanding baseball player: “I would like to take the great DiMaggio fishing”, the old man said.”They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he was as poor as we are and would understand.” (Hemingway, p.5). In fact, in the biographical essay, the great writer is positioned as a self-made man, who “had learned to play himself, his own best hero, with superb conviction” (“Ernest Hemingway”, p.4). Furthermore, it is stated that ”he was Tarzan Hemingway, crouching in the African bush with elephant gun at ready, Bwana Hemingway commanding his native bearers in terse Swahili […]” (“Ernest Hemingway”, p.4). Therefore, he constructed his image and professional position by growing from a young freelance writer at The Sun to reputable war correspondent and writer. One more argument in favor of self-shaping through hard and honest work is Hemingway’s attachment to and adoration of Gregorio Fuentes, a great Cuban adventurer, whose success was associated with following the individual path of personality development. As Buslik explains, “…for the next two decades he did [care about Hemingway] accompanying the writer on hundreds of fishing trips as leader and confidant” (Buslik, p.110).
Self-reliance as an American value communicated by Hemingway
Finally, it is also important to note the tendency of Hemingway’s characters to rely exceptionally upon their own power and abilities and avoiding hopes for external support. Santiago is a canonical individualist who fully provides for himself even in constraint conditions and reluctantly accepts the food Manolin brings. He stays in the open sea on his own and even dares to begin the struggle with the huge fish without expecting the others’ backing. Although Santiago is not American by nationality, by his nature and spirit he can be classified as Hemingway’s “canonical American man” – independent, regardless of economic conditions, sober in his mind and confident enough the resume his work after such an exhausting failure as the loss of the huge fish. The author of the article “Ernest Hemingway” is consistent with this idea, as his heroes “ awake to a world gone to hell. World War I destroyed belief in the goodness of national governments. Institutions, concepts and insidious groups of friends and ways of life are, when accurately seen, a tyranny, a sentimental or propagandistic rationalization” (“Ernest Hemingway”, p.4). Thus, in the world, where there is no government or reference group to lean on, it is necessary to nurture the belief in oneself and one’s own capacities, Hemingway believed.
Conclusion
As one can conclude, Hemingway perceived his compatriots as individualists, who value personal freedom over social status, but still take pains to grow economically, professionally and spiritually, reckoning on their own strength, courage and abilities. Hemingway’s “true man” wins his survival in the daily struggles with the anarchic postwar realities, thus feeling eager enough to live and build his future.
Works cited
Hemingway, E. The Old Man and the Sea.
Buslik, G. “Papa’s Ghost”. A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean. Palo Alto CA: Travelers’ Tales, 2008.
Harry’s wound had festered to an extent that it had graduated to gangrene. As usual, for a man who had gone through immense physical and emotional suffering, Harry had lost his ability to think. As a result, Harry had resigned to the fact that he would die in a remote jungle far away from home. Helen urges him not to give up as help could be on the way but he is too tired to care what will happen to him.
His mental and physical condition is affecting her negatively, especially after he declares that he has never loved her. Harry actually blames Helen for his predicament claiming that it is her money that brought all his current suffering upon him. This hurts Helen so much that she cries bitterly. In a monologue Harry wonders a lot about his present predicament. He blames Helen for destroying his writing career, since it is her money that brought him closer to her, the same money that was now threatening to take him far away from his writing. But he still thinks that he is still too strong a man to be destroyed by women and concludes that he brought all his present tribulations upon himself by the choices he made.
Upon his return from the hunting trip Helen notices that Harry’s condition had improved, much to her relief. She even promises him a delicious supper from the Tommy she had shot. Helen further begs Harry not to hurt her again since she had previously been destroyed by men in her life. He promises to stop the habit and make amends with her in bed, much to her appreciation. In her mood of appreciation, Helen promises Harry that the help they need would arrive the following day in the form of an Aeroplane. But Harry has suffered too much to care for help. They opt to while-away the evening drinking whiskey, which they order from one of the boys.
After a while, it occurred to him that death was imminent. His wound now smelled too much, a smell that was symbolic of death. After taking a bath, she wants to serve him supper which he refuses, claiming that there was no need to eat since he would die that night. Out of her abundant care for him, she urges him to take a little food to give him strength to write. After all the emotional suffering he had taken her through, Harry is touched by the fact that she manages to remain loving and friendly.
He acknowledges this and assures her that she is a fine woman. He refuses to eat more and slowly falls into a deep slumber that he would never wake from. After he is fallen asleep she asks the boys to take him into the tent. The next morning the plane arrives but it is already too late. Harry is already dead. Helen takes awhile to notice and after she does she is too shaken.
In this narrative, Hemingway presents himself as both melodramatic and emotional, while still remaining uncaring to Helen’s plight. His adventurous spirit brings him to Africa, along with Helen, a woman he loves but does not wish to admit this fact. He fails to acknowledge that Helen had abandoned her life to be with him. He goes on to hurt her emotions and blame her for his present condition. Suffice to say that in his own words, Harry agrees that his drinking and love for women were the reasons for his death; he had brought it all this upon himself.
Hemingway used imagery throughout his short story “Cat in the Rain,” with each imagery having a distinct representation. Hemingway establishes the environment in which he introduces the couple and the atmosphere and guides the readers in the appropriate direction. Hemingway employed imagery in the “Cat in the Rain” when describing the Italian hotel, setting the mood for the short narrative. Only the hotel’s location in Italy is revealed to readers, meaning they are Americans and, therefore, must acquire accommodation elsewhere. That is why they are referred to as “Americans,” which would be absurd if they were visiting their own country, America. In Hemingway (n.d.), they are described as the sole visitors from America and do not know any other person in the hotel. Additionally, the couple is isolated from the rest of the hotel. They are cut off from the chamber beyond their window, where an empty square can be seen due to the rain (Hemingway, n.d.). The essay shows an instance of how Hemingway used imagery in the short story, giving a vivid impression that the couple is not happy.
From the imagery regarding the couple’s environment, it is prudent to conclude that they are unhappy about their trip to Italy. They do not appear to get along well. When reading the short story, the woman keeps nagging the husband about getting the cat from the rain and about her hair being unattractive while the husband is in bed, engrossed in reading a book (Donaldson, 2021). One might anticipate that when a young married American couple traveled abroad for work or pleasure, their displays of affection would be more obvious, maybe even more so on a rainy day. According to Hemingway (n.d.), the woman demands to get the cat shielding from the rain under the table due to the rain. The husband gets a cold shoulder from her even though he offers to help her, given the circumstances.
In conclusion, Hemingway’s use of imagery dramatically adds to the depth of his characters. The reader makes the protagonists’ psychological experiences and companions more evident. The short story would lose much of its color and clarity without the imagery in the reader’s mind. The hotel setting has made it possible for readers to comprehend the area’s atmosphere.
Ernest Miller Hemingway believed that the mind was deceptive; consequently, he depended on his senses to express himself. This perspective was always evident in his work, and that was why people thought it was pure and fresh. The uniqueness of his writing may be attributed to his detailed creative regimen.
The creative process in Hemingway’s work
Some of the notable pieces that this author has written include “The Sun Also Rises” and “The Old Man and the Sea”. The latter piece won him a Nobel Prize for Literature. Hemingway explained that when writing these two literary texts, he wanted to let readers identify the elements that he had deliberately omitted. He said that he pruned words and only wrote what was absolutely necessary.
Hemingway affirmed that when a writer omitted something out of the lack of knowledge of the thing, then he/she was unskillful. However, if a writer knew something and left it out deliberately, then the person was a genius. Hemingway asserted that it took a lot of prowess to leave out an element of a story and still create the illusion, to readers, that the thing happened.
Omission was a strong indication of one’s writing quality (Plimpton 29). Such an assertion indicates that this author carefully thought his literary pieces. He first made up what he needed to say in his mind; thereafter, he would cull irrelevant words or ideas that would reveal too much.
He wanted to make his writing three dimensional by giving readers instructions that they needed to follow in order to figure out the whole story. Therefore, this author had to exercise a considerable amount of restraint in his writing. He knew that less is more, and the best literature always causes readers to think.
Hemingway often guarded his creative process. He believed that writing a book was a lonely activity that would only be distracted if other people got in the way. This was the reason why he liked to work in his bedroom or inside a workroom set aside for this very purpose.
Ernest preferred his bedroom to the special workroom, which happened to be in a special tower on a corner in his house, because his bedroom probably inspired him to come up with new ideas. In this regard, one can learn that creativity sometimes requires isolation (Muller 33).
Since his bedroom was his favorite place to work, it is only fitting to find out the qualities in his bedroom that caused his creative juices to flow. Hemingway had a lot of sentimental goods in his bedroom. Some of them included carnivore teeth, a toy U.S. airplane, a toy guitar, a toy lion, a toy zebra, and many others. These items had great sentimental value to the writer.
He asserted that the collection cheered him up. From this process, one can deduce that the author needed external items to keep him focused on his writing. Although he was a neat man, one can assume that he had difficulties in letting go of old things. This sentimentally probably pushed him to do more than he would have if the memorabilia did not exist.
The author’s creative process was jealously guarded. He often explained that when one overly scrutinized the writing process, then one would neutralize its value. He claimed that writing was solid and fragile at the same time. When one talked about the fragile part too much, then one would lose out on it completely. This individual felt that it was imperative to stick to the solid aspects alone.
Therefore, if one intends on making commentaries about Hemingway’s artistic process, one must interpret them from his actions. The author thought of writing as an occupation that could not integrate witnesses during production. People were only relevant after one’s work was complete. Creativity was a sacred process to this writer, so he probably refrained from talking about it because of this (Trodd 21).
One thing that emanates from most of Hemingway’s interviews is his strong dedication to his work. One may assume that a creative process ought to be spontaneous and unplanned; however, this was not Ernest’s approach. He was immensely disciplined when he wrote. First, he chose to stand rather than sit when working. It is not clear why he chose to do this, but one may deduce that he was probably excited about his work.
When he got the inspiration, he would get energized like a young boy. He would often find himself perspiring because of this. It only comes naturally to stand when one is excited about something. Usually, he would stay in this state of stimulation until midday when the artistic touch wore off. At that time, the author would give himself a treat. Besides this, Ernest always wrote in the morning.
He believed that this was the best time to write because one’s mind was clear. It was also unlikely for people to disrupt him at that time in the morning. Clearly, this was someone who took his writing very seriously. If he dedicated the most productive part of his day towards it, then it must have been something precious.
Nonetheless, one should not assume that the high level of discipline indicated that he did not enjoy writing. Ernest told many interviewers that the hours he dedicated to writing were his most pleasurable moments.
Creativity, to Hemingway, involved a considerable level of control. In certain instances, he had a lot to write about after midday, however, he would stop when it was time. This was done in order to keep the juices flowing. When there was still something left in him from the previous day, Ernest found that it was easier to continue with his narration the next day.
He often realized that it was quite hard to wait and hold back until the next day; this was his toughest moment. Hemingway explained that it look a lot of energy and will power to put aside the stories that he was working on when he was away from his typewriter. However, he mastered the art of controlling those thoughts after some time (Smith 9).
This author also believed that any creative process could always be reworked. In fact, when he woke up in the morning to work on a certain piece, he would read through the previous day’s writings and consider rewording them. Sometimes, reworking the piece would take much longer than expected, especially if something important was at stake.
For example, when working on endings, Hemingway often reedited his narratives so many times. In one instance, he wrote the ending 39 times before completing it. Hemingway explained that when he reread his pieces, more creative juices would flow because he would be inspired to complete what he had started. This process put him at a place where he knew that he had to keep going.
Hemingway, like many other writers, sometimes experienced dry spells. In these instances, he would feel no inspiration. However, he explained that in order to prevent that from happening, he would always stop when he still knew what was going to unfold in the narrative.
This always gave him a reason to keep going even when he was not sure about where he would take the characters. It took the author a very long period of time to figure out this formula, and it worked well for him.
Even though this author was quite fond of working in his house, he was still quite capable of working in different environments. For example, he wrote many masterpieces in Havana at a hotel called Ambos Mundos. The writer’s inspiration was not confined to his house. He asserted that there were several places that he worked in. Ernest did not mind working in different circumstances.
He only had a problem with visitors or other interruptions like telephone calls. Therefore one can say that this author functioned well in quiet environments. It was at this point when he could be left alone with his thoughts, and ideas would flow. To Hemingway, the telephone and visitors ruined great work.
Therefore, if he had to write in a place that had many people, he had to be ruthless about his private time in order to get anything done (Robinson 90).
After looking at the physical environment that Ernest enjoyed working in, it is necessary to understand the psychological or emotional conditions that inspired this author’s imagination. Hemingway explained that one of the best emotional states to write in was when one was in love.
He explained that when a person was in love, he/she could experience a felling of inhibition that no other emotion could create. However, the author also adds that one can write at any time; love just had a way of making that writing better.
Hemingway also asserted that one can also write well when one is not worried about one’s obligations. Poor health and financial challenges can block one’s creativity tremendously. In fact, during Hemingway’s last years, he started worrying a lot about paying taxes and meeting other financial obligations.
As a result, he accomplished very little in his field. In his hey-days, the author affirmed that worrying has the capacity to destroy writing. He explained that one’s subconscious needed to be unoccupied by other issues when one was engaging in one’s art. He believed that the subconscious held one’s artistic reserves, and when it was occupied with other things, then it could not operate properly.
He further added that any kind of worry was bad for creativity. If one worries about one’s health, then that would also take a toll on one’s subconscious mind and one’s ability to write. Despite pointing out all these psychological factors that can destroy good artistic work, the author affirmed that when one found pleasure in writing, one could do it even in the worst circumstances.
Creativity came at all times to him because he was doing something he loved (Merion 14). He believed that it was only death that would stop him from engaging in his art. In essence, Hemingway was saying that certain emotional and psychological conditions cause writers to write more creatively, however, writing was a full time occupation that could continue even if one’s emotional and psychological well being were not ideal.
In many interviews, the author also believed that certain things could be done to enhance one’s creative juices outside the writing room. For instance, he cited reading as one of them. Hemingway felt that competent writers had the ability to balance their responsibilities as knowledgeable people. Even though many writers spent a small portion of their time writing, they still engaged in the profession by acquiring new knowledge.
In Hemingway’s mind, creativity could be likened to a well; it needed to be filled with good water. The process of filling it with good water was synonymous to acquiring new knowledge. In essence, he wanted to prove that creativity came from within, but it was inspired by external knowledge.
Hemingway also held that sometimes one could engage in certain actions that could destroy one’s creativity. He said that this could happen even when one believed that one was still a writer. An example he cited was the case of the journalist.
To Hemingway, journalism was only valuable to young writers who wanted to jumpstart their careers. However, if one reaches a certain point in one’s career as a journalist, one may start to destroy one’s creativity. To this writer, not all types of writing require creativity, and some of them actually wipe out creativity.
Hemingway also felt that sometimes creativity could be learnt from other people. He often cited a number of painters, sculptors, poets and writers who taught him how to express his ideas. Nonetheless, in the creative process, one must learn how to articulate one’s point of view. Other artists can only inspire someone; they cannot be the sole basis for writing something (Gurko 34).
Lastly, this author believed that when one was making a literary piece, one should not think too much about the work’s meaning. He believed that analysts and literary critics existed for a reason. Authors had a hard time merely writing their books; therefore, asking them to interpret was unfair. He explained that when he was writing, he was never bothered too much about what his audience would interpret from the work.
He felt that his imagination would be bogged down if he did this. To Hemingway, readers completed the creative process by discussing and analyzing his writings. Ernest also added that one was not obligated to expound on one’s writing; this was someone else’s task.
Conclusion
Hemingway asserted that the creative process was special, and should not be analyzed. However, in most instances, he believed that inspiration came when one was isolated and undistracted, he also believed in letting one’s juices flow; focusing too much on other’s interpretations hampers this process.
Ernest asserted that writing could be done at all times but the best work came when a writer was in a strong emotional and psychological state.
Works Cited
Gurko, Leo. Ernest Hemingway and the pursuit of heroism. NY: Crowell Company, 1996. Print.
Merion, Jeff. Channeling the Canon: An interview with Ernest Hemingway. The by-gone bureau. 3 Mar. 2008. Web.
Muller, T. (2010). “The uses of authenticity: Hemingway and the literary field 1926-1936.” Journal of modern literature 33.1(2010): 28-42. Print.
Plimpton, George. “Ernest Hemingway, The Art of Fiction.” Paris Review 18 (1958): 14-56. Print.
Robinson, Daniel. “My true occupation is that of a writer: Hemingway’s passport correspondence.” The Hemingway Review 2 (2005): 87-93. Print.
Smith, Paul. A reader’s guide to the short stories of Ernest Hemingway. Boston: Hall and Company, 1997. Print.
Trodd, Zoe. “Hemingway’s camera eye: the problems of language and an interwar politics of form. The Hemingway review 26.2(2007): 7-22. Print.
Ernest Hemingway, short story, “The End of Something”, looks into the life of two young people going through transition, as they witness how the world and people change within over a period of time. The story also explores how those who are going through change desperately stay put and decide to hang on to the present.
The “something” in Hemingway’s story takes many forms, from the broken Mill to the fish ‘failure to strike’. All these, with deeper meaning in reference to the main characters, Nick and Marjorie relationship
The story opens with “In the old days Hortons Bay was a lumbering town. No one who lived in it was out of the sound of the big saws in the mill by the lake. Then one year there were no more logs to make lumber…….” The mill was the main base for Hortons Bay; it was what kept the town alive, with shops and people engaging in all kinds of activities. In the present though, the mill is no longer working, the small town has been deserted, no activities going on, the place is quiet. In relationship to Nick and Marjorie, Hemingway depicts a relationship that once flourished between these two young people. When nothing seemed to get in their way, but in the present things have changed. Just like the broken mill, the relationship between the two is broken down into pieces.
The fishing scene is introduced by the writer to bring out a deeper meaning in relation to Nick and Marjorie. “……..from sandy shallows to twelve feet of dark water. They were trolling on their way to set night lines for rainbow trout” During the fishing, Nick notes the following about the fish “They aren’t striking”. The fish, not striking symbolizes a lack of interest in Nick’s in his relationship with Marjorie. Marjorie’s observation of the fish is that “They’re feeding”, but again Nick responds quickly by “But they won’t strike”. Here, Marjorie is of the opinion that there is still a chance of working things out to make their relationship work, but Nick has completely lost interest in Marjorie.
In the hopes that Nick might change his stand, Marjorie does not stop trying to catch the fish, “Marjorie did not reel in until the boat touched the shore” This is symbolic of Marjorie’s failure to face the reality that her relationship with Nick is no more.
In the story, Nick learns many things about growing up. He is not afraid to face reality, he knows that he can no longer cling to the past, just like the broken mill, it was no longer worth the effort to cling to his relationship with Marjorie. In reference to the love he shared with Marjorie, Nick says “It isn’t fun anymore. Not any of it.” Nick exemplifies a lot of maturities, he undergoes through transition, he realizes that the present will not be present forever and that for one to experience true happiness, one must look beyond what was in the past. To Nick, a new relationship with Bill is what will bring him happiness and satisfaction.
Reference:
Ernest Hemingway (1996) In Our Time: The End of something, Simon & Schuster Publishers, New York, United States.
Every person is an individual with definite purposes, needs, and problems. Santiago is an ordinary fisherman that lives according to certain standards and by holding fast to those standards he triumphs even in his defeat. The Old Man and the Sea is a profound and thought-provoking novel of a renowned American writer Ernest Hemingway published in the middle of the 20th century that was highly acclaimed by critics and now is regarded to be an immortal classic. The book tells the story of an old fisherman Santiago who goes fishing on his boat in the sea and manages to hook on a huge marlin but has to struggle with all his forces to get it on the shore.
Santiago’s image as an everyman
Santiago is a poor fisherman that makes his living with the help of fish he manages to catch. Though his catch can happen to be tiny and insignificant, the old man does not seem to be upset. However, he believes that he is an unlucky person and that destiny had sent him a period without luck which should be gained again. The struggle accompanies the old man throughout his life; it can be considered an integral part of being an everyman because all people tend to fight for something they passionately want to reach. The eyes of the old man, “cheerful and undefeated” (Hemingway 10) are always directed to the sea which seems to wage the human being. To his sheer amusement, the old man manages to hook on a marlin that appears to be so huge and too heavy for him.
The main idea of the book is every man’s unceasing fight with difficulties and deprivation in life. Through the words of the old man Hemingway tries to bring to the world his conviction that it is the purpose of every man to struggle in life and never surrender: “A man can be destroyed but not defeated” (Hemingway 48). And just to prove it, losing his prey Santiago does not lose his human pride and dignity. It is actually the feeling of pride that drives him into the ocean following the fish. Santiago respects the fish and thinks that it should not be eaten, he thinks that “There is no one worthy of eating him from the manner of his behavior and his great dignity” (Hemingway 27). Moreover, it is the fight with marlin that reveals the hidden strength in the old man, though he suffers from physical pain he does not give up morally. In fact, Santiago shows himself as a wise man understanding that it is his weakness that makes his triumph over the fish so significant.
It is necessary to emphasize that the pivotal figure of the book presents an image of everyman. The old man as a vivid representative of the human civilization is opposed here to the fish that seems to fight for its life. The opponent in this fight is strong and powerful and human existence does not presuppose to win the fight, though it concerns the concept of standing one’s ground, resisting, and never losing hope, even when the eventual result is always death. To support the idea of the necessity to resist the feeling of disappointment we find Santiago’s words in the text: “It is silly not to hope…besides I believe it is a sin” (Hemingway 12). The old man reaches the coast tired and humiliated with no food but he perceives it with dignity and with “no true loss of pride” (Hemingway 50).
Conclusion
To conclude, it is necessary to say that Hemingway succeeded not only in writing a story that is understandable to everyone but also in creating a powerful book that inspires every reader to assess their life and not to give up when facing a problem.
References
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Hueber Verlag, 1995.
Despite different attitudes toward war, people cannot ignore one evident truth this event has a tremendous impact on everything. The changes that Frederick Henry experiences in Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms introduce a good example of how one man’s perspectives reveal others’ harshness. Although I have never seen war with my own eyes, I get a good understanding of how conflicts might change. The controversies in Henry’s life may be reflected through the prism of my observations of how devastating biased judgments can be. In A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway shows how Henry’s desire for self-improvement breaks his current beliefs about service and makes him a dignified man, becoming a solid contribution to my ability to solve real-world problems.
In the beginning, Henry demonstrates his positive thoughts about war and the possibility of fighting and winning. Despite the horrible destructions and ruins, the character is glad the war continues as it is a good way to develop his skills and achieve satisfaction (Vidor). However, the people Henry meets in his life make him reconsider his opinion about military conflicts. He learns that “there is nothing as bad as war,” and “people realize how bad it is they cannot do anything to stop it” (Hemingway 53). With time, Henry comes up with the evaluation that completes his transformation. He understands that the world in war might kill “the very good and the very gentle and the very brave” (Hemingway 267). Instead of developing strength and courage, people should be smart enough to avoid wars.
In my life, I cannot ignore the presence of minor quarrels that become serious conflicts with time. Hemingway’s story proves that sometimes it is usually more difficult to avoid the problem than to be ready to participate in a debate. When two of my friends were about to end their relationships because of diverse attitudes toward one real-life event, I did everything possible to minimize their disagreements.
The stories like A Farewell to Arms help to create a world free from conflicts and misunderstandings if people are ready to change and recognize their mistakes. Today, it is hard for people to diminish their ambitions even if they know such decisions enhance peace and stability. Thus, Henry’s changes in war perspectives should become a good example of how the attitudes of one person might affect others.
Works Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1929.
Vidor, Charles, director. A Farewell to Arms. The Selznick Company, 1957.