"Discuss the apparent simplicity of Hemingway's style. Is it as simple as it first appears? How does Hemingway convey subtle and complex feelings? What role does imagery play in multiplying implications?" Ernest Hemingway is simplistic in the way that his books read, yet the content is a little more complex. Hemingway writes as if the words and thoughts are coming directly from the characters; so this makes it easy for his readers to follow along with the story. Both Norton and Cain referred to Hemingway’s style as being “stripped down”. I relate this to the way that he just doesn’t use a lot of unnecessary words; nor does he over-dramatize his scene descriptions. That is going to be a slight contradiction to what I will say later about
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Does that make the content simplistic? Hemingway was deep; it seems there is hidden meaning around every corner. This is going to carry right in to the “subtle and complex feelings” portion of our essay. Norton’s introduction to Hemingway uses an interesting term: “psychological meanings of masculinity” (Norton). This is a perfect term for the complexity of Hemingway’s works. Let’s face it; In the beginning of his career, Hemingway was the very definition of masculinity; always seeking new adventure. Women fame and alcohol ruined that, but that’s a story for another prompt (and I didn’t mean women in a negative sense, they just seemed to play a role in his …show more content…
In “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”, our character contemplates his life as he lay dying. A macho man, injured on a manly adventure can be symbolic to most men. We like to think that we have been “manly” along the adventure that is life. Truth is; we all think about our mortality and the way that we will face it when the time comes. Hemingway writes: “For years it had obsessed him, but now it meant nothing in itself. It was strange how easy being tired enough made it” (Hemingway). As the character simultaneously reflects and dies, Hemingway reveals the thoughts and questions that even the most macho of men will ask themselves: Did I accomplish my goals, did I marry for the wrong reasons, have I compromised my ethics, have I forgotten my roots, and most importantly, will I accept responsibility in the end for my own
Does that make the content simplistic? Hemingway was deep; it seems there is hidden meaning around every corner. This is going to carry right in to the “subtle and complex feelings” portion of our essay. Norton’s introduction to Hemingway uses an interesting term: “psychological meanings of masculinity” (Norton). This is a perfect term for the complexity of Hemingway’s works. Let’s face it; In the beginning of his career, Hemingway was the very definition of masculinity; always seeking new adventure. Women fame and alcohol ruined that, but that’s a story for another prompt (and I didn’t mean women in a negative sense, they just seemed to play a role in his …show more content…
In “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”, our character contemplates his life as he lay dying. A macho man, injured on a manly adventure can be symbolic to most men. We like to think that we have been “manly” along the adventure that is life. Truth is; we all think about our mortality and the way that we will face it when the time comes. Hemingway writes: “For years it had obsessed him, but now it meant nothing in itself. It was strange how easy being tired enough made it” (Hemingway). As the character simultaneously reflects and dies, Hemingway reveals the thoughts and questions that even the most macho of men will ask themselves: Did I accomplish my goals, did I marry for the wrong reasons, have I compromised my ethics, have I forgotten my roots, and most importantly, will I accept responsibility in the end for my own