Ernest Hemingway

8 Pages 2043 Words

Discovering a Subject

It’s very important to be your own person. Ernest Hemingway is an author who is known for being generally disliked amongst most teenagers. I like his writings. I had previously read For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemingway and enjoyed its wartime setting and surprise ending. Before I read any of Hemingway’s short stories I had assumed that all his stories were in wartime settings. For most of his stories this is true, but I was surprised at how many weren’t during a war. I have chosen four of Hemingway’s short pieces to analyze. After reading and taking notes on common themes and literary elements for many Hemingway stories I have decided to use “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”, “Soldier’s Home” and “In Another Country”.
“The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is about a man Harry, and his wife, Helen. It takes place in Africa during a hunting trip. Harry has developed gangrene from what started as a small scratch in his leg. Harry is barely alive and welcoming death at the start of the story. He soon fears death as he realizes he wants to live. When death is brought to his camp for him in the form of a hyena, he succumbs to death and dies in the end. “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” also takes place in Africa on a Safari. The main characters are husband and wife also, Francis and Margaret. Francis has lost his pride and his wife’s affection because he was too cowardly to kill a charging Lion. Wilson, the safari guide and hunter, is left to kill the lion himself. Wilson’s occupation and courage are attractive to Margaret who then sleeps with him. Francis is aware that she has had many lovers before and this incident only tears the couple apart further. The story ends with Francis trying to redeem his pride by chasing down a buffalo. They think he has finally killed it when it suddenly charges them again and brushes Francis on the head. At th...