Jared Shulkin
Mrs. Papa
AP English
10 December 2014
A Misrepresented Maiden: Hemingway’s Portrayal of Women Depicting the exploitation of women in his short story The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Ernest Hemingway exhibits a woman’s enfeebling emotion-driven character and her inability to detect the true nature of men. To begin with, Hemingway characterizes Helen as a rich woman who assumes the dominant position in her relationship with Harry. Although this description portrays a strong and independent female character, Helen’s character bears a seemingly negative connotation, reflective of the views on women in the era in which Hemingway lived. Furthermore, Hemingway does not even mention Helen’s name until the concluding paragraphs of the story, suggesting her blatant insignificance. Helen’s life changes drastically after the death of her child. She starts drinking and acquiring lovers, prompting her to seek a new life yet again (Henrichon 36). Hemingway writes, “The steps by which she had acquired him and the way in which she had finally fallen in love with him were all part of a regular progression in which she had built herself a new life and he had traded away what remained of his old life” (Hemingway). …show more content…
He adds, “[Harry’s] ‘hostess,’ on the realistic level, is Helen; on the symbolic, it is death. It is, after all, only right that Helen should have this function in the story, since Harry's moral infection, the gangrene of his spirit, dates from his association with her” (Evans 605). Hemingway continues with his negative connotation of women; since marrying Helen, Harry has lost interest in writing, an unfortunate death to Harry’s spirit as a result of his association with women. Evans notes, “What has been bad for Harry has been good for Helen: she has thrived at his expense” (Evans 605). Yet Helen sees nothing wrong with this situation; she has satisfied her needs entirely with this
Mrs. Papa
AP English
10 December 2014
A Misrepresented Maiden: Hemingway’s Portrayal of Women Depicting the exploitation of women in his short story The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Ernest Hemingway exhibits a woman’s enfeebling emotion-driven character and her inability to detect the true nature of men. To begin with, Hemingway characterizes Helen as a rich woman who assumes the dominant position in her relationship with Harry. Although this description portrays a strong and independent female character, Helen’s character bears a seemingly negative connotation, reflective of the views on women in the era in which Hemingway lived. Furthermore, Hemingway does not even mention Helen’s name until the concluding paragraphs of the story, suggesting her blatant insignificance. Helen’s life changes drastically after the death of her child. She starts drinking and acquiring lovers, prompting her to seek a new life yet again (Henrichon 36). Hemingway writes, “The steps by which she had acquired him and the way in which she had finally fallen in love with him were all part of a regular progression in which she had built herself a new life and he had traded away what remained of his old life” (Hemingway). …show more content…
He adds, “[Harry’s] ‘hostess,’ on the realistic level, is Helen; on the symbolic, it is death. It is, after all, only right that Helen should have this function in the story, since Harry's moral infection, the gangrene of his spirit, dates from his association with her” (Evans 605). Hemingway continues with his negative connotation of women; since marrying Helen, Harry has lost interest in writing, an unfortunate death to Harry’s spirit as a result of his association with women. Evans notes, “What has been bad for Harry has been good for Helen: she has thrived at his expense” (Evans 605). Yet Helen sees nothing wrong with this situation; she has satisfied her needs entirely with this