Essay About Ernest Hemingway

hunting squirrels in the peaceful seclusion of nature when he was young.

Throughout his life, Hemingway was consistently influenced by nature, regardless of his location. Both personally and professionally, nature played a crucial role in shaping him. Although he lived in busy cities such as Chicago, Toronto, and Paris early on in his career, Hemingway opted for more secluded places like Key West, San Francisco de Paula (Cuba), and Ketchum (Idaho) once he became successful. These peaceful locations provided the perfect environment for him to indulge in his favorite pastimes of hunting and fishing. In addition to these activities, Hemingway also received musical education from his mother.

Grace, a talented singer, used to dream of pursuing a career in the spotlight. However, she made the decision to settle down with her husband and dedicate herself to teaching voice and music to local children, including her own.

In contrast, Hemingway lacked musical talent and had to endure choir practices and cello lessons. Nonetheless, his mother's knowledge of music allowed him to share his first wife Hadley's passion for playing the piano.

Hemingway received his formal education through the Oak Park public school system. Throughout high school, he participated in various sports such as football, swimming, water basketball, and also served as the track team manager. Additionally, Hemingway found joy in writing for the high school newspaper called the Trapeze. His early articles were often humorous and reminiscent of Ring Lardner's popular satirical style at that time.

In 1917, Hemingway surprised his parents by graduating from high school without choosing to attend college. Instead, he secured a job as a cub reporter at the Kansas City Star thanks to his Uncle Tyler

who had connections with the paper's chief editorial writer.

During Hemingway's high school graduation, World War I was ongoing in Europe. Despite Woodrow Wilson's efforts to keep America out of the war, the United States joined the Allies in April 1917 to fight against Germany and Austria.

At eighteen years old, Hemingway attempted to enlist in the army but could not due to poor vision in his left eye, a trait he likely inherited from his mother who also had similar vision problems.

Upon hearing that the Red Cross was accepting volunteers as ambulance drivers, Hemingway promptly volunteered and was accepted in December 1917. In April 1918, he left his job at the newspaper and departed for Europe in May.

The experience Hemingway gained while working for the Kansas City Star provided him with valuable stylistic lessons that would later influence his fiction writing.

The newspaper endorsed the use of concise sentences, brief paragraphs, active verbs, authenticity, compression, clarity, and immediacy. According to Hemingway, these were the most valuable writing rules he ever learned and he never forgot them. When Hemingway arrived in Europe, he initially went to Paris and subsequently traveled to Milan in early June as instructed. On his arrival day in Milan, a munitions factory exploded. He had to transport disfigured bodies and body parts to an improvised morgue which served as his immediate and intense introduction to the horrors of war. Merely two days later, he was assigned to an ambulance unit in Schio where his duty involved driving ambulances. However, Hemingway's time in Schio came to an abrupt end on July 8th 1918 when he suffered severe injuries from fragments of an Austrian mortar shell

that had landed perilously close by only a few weeks after his arrival.

Hemingway was in the trenches near the front lines, distributing chocolate and cigarettes to Italian soldiers. However, an explosion occurred, resulting in Hemingway losing consciousness. Sadly, one soldier lost their life and another had both legs severed in the blast. The subsequent events have been widely discussed. As stated in a letter by Ted Brumback, who served alongside Hemingway as an ambulance driver, despite sustaining over 200 shrapnel fragments in his legs and being struck by multiple machine gun bullets during the process, Hemingway successfully conveyed another injured soldier to the first aid station.

Regardless of whether Hemingway carried the wounded soldier or not, his sacrifice remains equally important. He received the Italian Silver Medal for Valor and the official Italian citation acknowledged his courageous actions: "Even though he was severely wounded by enemy shrapnel, Hemingway demonstrated admirable brotherhood by helping the more seriously injured Italian soldiers before taking care of himself. He refused to leave until they were safely evacuated." Hemingway recounted his injuries to a friend, stating: "There was a loud explosion like those heard on the frontlines. In that moment, I believed I had died. It felt as if my soul was being pulled out of my body, similar to pulling a silk handkerchief from a pocket by one corner. It floated around before returning and going back in, and then I realized I wasn't dead anymore." Upon his return to Oak Park in January 1919, Hemingway found it mundane compared to the thrill of war, the beauty of foreign lands, and his romantic relationship with an older woman named Agnes

von Kurowsky. Despite being only nineteen years old and having graduated high school just eighteen months earlier, the war had prematurely aged him.

Living with his parents proved challenging for Hemingway as they lacked understanding and acknowledgment of the difficulties he faced. Upon returning home, they urged him to either find a job or continue his education, yet Hemingway had no interest in pursuing these paths. Fortunately, he had received $1,000 from insurance payments for his war injuries, enabling him to avoid employment for nearly a year. He resided at his parents' residence and dedicated his time to reading at both the library and home. Additionally, Hemingway frequently delivered speeches about his war experiences to local civic organizations while often being spotted in town donning his Red Cross uniform.

Hemingway had doubts about being a war hero and would often exaggerate his experiences to satisfy his audience when asked about them. His story "Soldier's Home" portrays his frustration and shame upon returning home to parents and a town that romanticized war and didn't understand the psychological impact it had on him. The Petoskey Public Library in Michigan was where Hemingway last spoke, and what mattered to him was not his words but the presence of Harriett Connable, the wife of a Woolworth's executive from Toronto.

When Hemingway shared his war stories, Harriett noticed the stark contrast between him and her son. Hemingway appeared confident, strong, intelligent, and athletic, while her son was physically frail with a weak right arm and preferred indoor activities. Harriett believed that her son needed someone like Hemingway to introduce him to the pleasures of physical activity. So she asked Hemingway to tutor and

keep an eye on her son while she and her husband Ralph went on vacation in Florida. Hemingway gladly accepted the offer as it gave him time to write and also provided an opportunity for employment at the Toronto Star Weekly. Ralph Connable, who served as the editor of the newspaper, promised to make introductions for Hemingway there. Even after relocating to Chicago in autumn 1920, Hemingway continued contributing articles for the Star Weekly.

During his stay at a friend's house, Hemingway met Hadley Richardson and they quickly developed a romantic relationship. They got married in September 1921, and shortly after, in November of the same year, Hemingway accepted an offer to work as the European correspondent for the Toronto Daily Star. Together with his newlywed wife, he traveled to Paris, France where there was a literary revolution underway due to influential figures such as Ezra Pound, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, and Ford Maddox Ford. Hemingway took advantage of this opportunity to contribute to this movement.

Hemingway's Initial Experience in Paris

On December 22nd, 1921, the Hemingways arrived in Paris and settled into their first apartment at 74 rue Cardinal Lemoine a few weeks later. Unfortunately though, the apartment was in terrible condition with no running water and a bathroom that resembled a small closet containing only a bucket for waste disposal.

Despite Hadley growing up in luxury, Hemingway aimed to make their living conditions less primitive. However, Hadley embraced her husband's enthusiasm for the bohemian lifestyle and endured the challenging circumstances. Ironically, they could have afforded a much better living situation. With Hemingway's job and Hadley's trust fund, their annual income was $3,000 – a substantial amount in Europe's

inflated economies at the time. Hemingway found a peaceful writing space by renting a room at 39 rue Descartes. Thanks to a letter of introduction from Sherwood Anderson, Hemingway quickly befriended and connected with prominent Parisian writers and artists during his initial years.

Hemingway had numerous famous friends, including Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, Sylvia Beach, James Joyce, Max Eastman, Lincoln Steffens, and Wyndahm Lewis. He was also familiar with renowned painters Miro and Picasso. These friendships were vital in Hemingway's growth as both a writer and artist. During his first two years in Paris, Hemingway engaged in extensive reporting. This involved covering events such as the Geneva Conference in April 1922, The Greco-Turkish War in October of that year, the Luasanne Conference in November, and the post-war convention in the Ruhr Valley at the beginning of 1923. Alongside his political pieces, Hemingway wrote lifestyle articles on subjects like fishing, bullfighting, social life in Europe, skiing, bobsledding.

During Hemingway's rise as a reporter and writer, he and his wife discovered that Hadley was pregnant with their first child. To ensure the best medical care, they decided to leave Paris in 1923 and move to Toronto. While there, Hemingway worked for the Toronto Daily Star while awaiting their baby's arrival. On October 10, 1923, their son John Hadley Nicanor Hemingway was born. By January of 1924, the young family returned to Paris where Hemingway continued to establish himself as a prominent figure.

Thanks to Ezra Pound's recommendation, Hemingway had the opportunity to edit Ford Maddox Ford's literary magazine called the Transatlantic Review. Pound described Hemingway as an experienced journalist.

Ford published some of Hemingway's early stories, including "Indian Camp" and "Cross

Country Snow" and generally praised the younger writer. The magazine lasted only a year and a half (until 1925), but allowed Hemingway to work out his own artistic theories and to see them in print in a respectable journal. From 1925 to 1929 Hemingway produced some of the most important works of 20th century fiction, including the landmark short story collection In Our Time (1925) which contained "The Big Two-Hearted River." In 1926 he came out with his first true novel, The Sun Also Rises (after publishing Torrents of Spring, a comic novel parodying Sherwood Anderson in 1925). He followed that book with Men Without Women in 1927; it was another book of stories which collected "The Killers," and "In Another Country." In 1929 he published A Farewell to Arms, arguably the finest novel to emerge from World War I. In four short years he went from being an unknown writer to being the most important writer of his generation, and perhaps the 20th century. The first version of In Our Time (characterized by the lowercase letters in the title) was published by William Birds Three Mountain Press in 1924 and illustrated Hemingway's new theories on literature.

In 1925, Boni & Liveright published the American version of a book that contained only the vignettes which would later appear as interchapters. This book, consisting of just 32 pages and limited to 170 copies, showcased the core of Hemingway's aesthetic theory. According to him, the act of excluding certain elements from a story could actually enhance its strength. Hemingway drew parallels between this theory and the structure of an iceberg. Just like how only a fraction of the

iceberg is visible above water while the majority remains hidden beneath the surface, contributing to its movement and momentum, Hemingway believed a story could be constructed in a similar manner. Even in these early vignettes, this theory manifested itself.

A year after the small printing of In Our Time was released, Boni & Liveright published the American version, which included ten short stories and the vignettes. This collection is remarkable and features widely anthologized stories such as "Soldier's Home," as well as "Indian Camp," "A Very Short Story," "My Old Man," and the classic two-part tale "Big Two-Hearted River." "Big Two-Hearted River" was a breakthrough for Hemingway as he realized that his theory of omission could truly be effective in the story format. Following this, Hemingway wrote The Torrents of Spring, a satirical short novel that mocked his early mentor Sherwood Anderson and marked his departure from Boni & Liveright to join Scribner's.

Scribners published Torrents in 1925, which Scott Fitzgerald called the finest comic novel ever written by an American. A year later, the publisher also released Hemingway's second novel, The Sun Also Rises, which they had bought sight unseen. This novel introduced the world to the "lost generation" and received both critical acclaim and commercial success. Set in Paris and Spain, it tells a tale of unrequited love amidst bars and bullfighting. Men Without Women followed in 1927, and soon after, Hemingway started working on A Farewell To Arms.

Despite his successful writing career, his personal life started to deteriorate. In 1927, he ended his marriage with Hadley and married Pauline Pfeiffer, a fashion reporter for Vanity Fair and Vogue. Later that year, Hemingway and Pauline

relocated from Paris to Key West, Florida, seeking a fresh start. They resided there for approximately twelve years, where Hemingway embraced the area as an inspiring work environment and recreational destination. It was during this time that he developed a deep passion for big game fishing, which would greatly influence his future writings. Unfortunately, tragedy struck in the form of his father's suicide in the same year. Clarence Hemingway's declining physical health worsened his already fragile mental state.

Clarence Hemingway faced multiple challenges in his life, including diabetes, angina, and severe headaches. Additionally, he struggled financially due to unsuccessful real estate investments in Florida. Overwhelmed by his circumstances, Clarence tragically took his own life by shooting himself in the head. In response to the news, Ernest promptly made arrangements for his father's funeral, traveling to Oak Park.

Key West

Ernest Hemingway and his wife, Pauline, were introduced to Key West by their friend John Dos Passos. On their way back from Paris, they decided to make a stop on the small island in Florida. They quickly realized that life in Key West felt like living in a foreign country, despite being at the southernmost tip of America. Hemingway fell in love with the place, describing it as the best he had ever been to. He marveled at the abundance of flowers, tamarind trees, guava trees, and coconut palms. One night, after drinking absinthe, he even entertained himself by performing knife tricks. Initially, they rented an apartment and later a house for a couple of years. Eventually, with financial assistance of $12,500 from Pauline's wealthy Uncle Gus, they purchased a large house located at

907 Whitehead Street. During this time, Pauline was pregnant and gave birth to their son, Patrick, on June 28, 1928 through a cesarean section. It was in December of that same year when Hemingway received the news of his father's suicide via cable.

Despite experiencing personal turmoil and change, Hemingway persevered and completed A Farewell to Arms in January of 1929. The novel received critical acclaim upon its publication on September 27, 1929, a level of praise that Hemingway would not attain again until 1940 when For Whom the Bell Tolls, his Spanish war novel, was published. During the interim, Hemingway delved into an experimental phase which perplexed critics yet still partly satisfied his audience. In 1931, Pauline gave birth to Gregory, their second child together and Hemingway's last offspring. Following A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway released Death in the Afternoon in 1932, a dissertation on Spanish bullfighting. Remarkably, he managed to make this encyclopedic book on bullfighting readable even for those uninterested in the corrida.

In his book, Death in the Afternoon, Hemingway provides insights on various aspects of Spanish culture such as writers, food, people, politics, and history. He explains that the purpose of this book is to serve as an introduction to the modern Spanish bullfight, aiming to emotionally and practically explain this spectacle. Hemingway felt compelled to write this because no existing book had fulfilled this purpose in either Spanish or English. While Death in the Afternoon is a non-fiction work, it embodies one of Hemingway's literary concepts of a stoical hero who faces deadly opposition while maintaining professionalism and skill, which he refers to as "grace under pressure." Some critics raised concerns

over Hemingway's apparent transformation from a detached artist to an actual character within his own creation.

They did not like the blustery tone that Hemingway sometimes used when discussing writers, writing, and art. This tone contributed to the public perception of him as "Papa," which overshadowed his serious artistic side for the remaining 30 years of his life. In 1933, Hemingway returned to fiction and published a collection of short stories called Winner Take Nothing. This book contained 14 stories, including "A Clean Well Lighted Place," "Fathers and Sons," and "A Way Youll Never Be." Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics and being published during the Great Depression, the book sold well. Hemingway's friend, James Joyce, praised "A Clean, Well Lighted Place" for breaking down the barrier between literature and life, which is the ultimate goal of every writer.

"Have you read A Clean, Well Lighted Place?...It is masterly. Indeed, it is one of the best stories ever written..." In the summer of 1933, the Hemingways and their Key West friend Charles Thompson journeyed to Africa for a big game safari. Ever since reading about Teddy Roosevelt's African hunting exploits as a boy, Hemingway wanted to test his hunting skills against the biggest and most dangerous animals on earth. With a $25,000 loan from Pauline's uncle Gus (the same uncle who helped them buy their Key West home), Hemingway spent three months hunting on the dark continent, all the while gathering material for his future writing.

Published in 1935, Green Hills of Africa by Hemingway is a pseudo non-fiction account of his safari. However, similar to his previous work Death in the Afternoon, the book suffers from Hemingway's

tendency to digress into the blustery tone of his alter ego. Despite containing some well-written passages about Africa and its wildlife, the book is overshadowed by Hemingway's harsh criticism of his supposed friends. His insensitivity causes discomfort for the reader as he portrays himself as courageous, skillful, and composed while depicting others, such as his friend Charles Thompson, as mean-spirited and self-centered.

The influential literary critic Edmund Wilson delivered a critical review of Hemingway, suggesting that his depiction of Africa and its animals was boring, a unique achievement in literature. However, it is ironic that Hemingway drew inspiration from the same safari experience to create two exceptional short stories: "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." Surprisingly, both stories deviate from the typical heroic traits associated with Hemingway's protagonists. In "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," the dying writer named Harry regrets wasted talent due to indulgences in alcohol, women, wealth, and laziness. On the other hand, Macomber in "The Short Happy Life..." displays cowardice when faced with pressure and, just as he redeems himself, his wife shoots him. These African tales reveal a remarkable pattern found in other Hemingway stories. In his non-fiction works, Hemingway tends to obscure the truth to uphold his public persona and present himself as fearless and virtuous. However, in his fiction, negative qualities are inherent flaws that often contribute to the downfall of his characters.

Beyond that, in terms of biography, Hemingway's fiction incorporates his actual life events rather than his non-fiction. For instance, Hemingway's injuries during World War I closely resemble those of Frederic Henry in A Farewell To Arms, as opposed to the accounts found

in old biographical blurbs. These blurbs often describe how Hemingway fought alongside the elite Italian forces, how he carried a wounded soldier through machine gun fire after being hit by a mortar, and how he prioritized others' medical treatment over his own. To uncover the truth about Hemingway's life, it is best to first look at his fiction. In March 1937, Hemingway traveled to Spain to report on the Spanish Civil War for the North American Newspaper Alliance. The civil war also sparked conflict within Hemingway's marriage. He had encountered a young writer named Martha Gellhorn in Key West, and the two engaged in a secret affair for nearly four years before Hemingway divorced Pauline and married Martha.

Pauline and Hemingway had opposing political views during the Spanish Civil War. Pauline supported the pro-Catholic Franco regime, while Hemingway stood behind the communist loyalists and the democratically elected government. Despite their differences, Pauline and Hemingway developed a romantic relationship while competing for compelling stories alongside Gellhorn. They eventually got married in November 1940, following their initial meeting at Sloppy Joes bar in Key West in December 1936. The loyalist movement eventually failed, leading to Franco's dictatorial government taking control in spring 1939. Although Hemingway's side lost, he drew inspiration from his experiences in Spain to write For Whom the Bell Tolls, a play called "The Fifth Column," and various short stories.

After returning from Spain and divorcing Pauline, Hemingway and Martha moved to a large house outside Havana, Cuba. They called it Finca Vigia ("Lookout Farm") and Hemingway adorned it with hunting trophies from his African safari. He began writing For Whom The Bell Tolls in 1939 in

Cuba and continued working on it while traveling to Key West, Wyoming, or Sun Valley, ultimately completing it in July of 1940. The novel achieved great success, both critically and commercially. Sinclair Lewis even remarked that it was "the American book published during the three years past which was most likely to survive, to be known fifty years from now, or possibly a hundred...it might just possibly be a masterpiece, a classic..." Interestingly, while unanimously chosen as the best novel of the year by the Pulitzer Prize committee, it was ultimately vetoed by the conservative president of Columbia University for political reasons. As a result, no prize was awarded that year.

The book sold over 500,000 copies in just six months and continues to sell well today. However, the next ten years were unproductive for Hemingway, with his next novel being published in 1950. Despite appearing more interested in his public image than his work, he was involved in several unfinished writing projects during this time. In the 1940s, he worked on the novels Islands In The Stream and The Garden Of Eden, which were heavily edited and published after his death. He also covered World War II and divorced his third wife Martha to marry his fourth, Mary Welsh. In E. L.'s insightful essay on Hemingway.

Doctorow discusses the development of Hemingway's writing during the 1940s, focusing on his novel The Garden of Eden. Despite Hemingway's fame and accolades, Doctorow believes that he was still evolving as a writer. The same writing techniques that brought Hemingway success in his early work ended up trapping him in later works. However, Doctorow suggests that when Hemingway started writing

The Garden of Eden, his next novel after For Whom the Bell Tolls, he recognized this and wanted to reinvent himself. Doctorow believes that even though Hemingway may have failed in his attempt, the mere act of trying is what truly demonstrates the courage of a writer. Following his involvement in the Spanish Civil War and his work on For Whom the Bell Tolls, Hemingway embarked on another assignment covering the Chinese-Japanese war in 1941. He traveled alongside his wife Martha and wrote articles about the conflict for PM Magazine.

After a tiresome journey, Hemingway was relieved to be back in Cuba for much-needed relaxation. However, he didn't stay idle for long. In 1942, Hemingway embarked on a covert mission to track and capture German submarines in the Atlantic Ocean near the Cuban coast. He enlisted the help of some friends and hired a group of skilled operatives for the task. Hemingway then equipped his boat, Pilar, with radio equipment, additional fuel tanks, and an ample supply of explosives. His intention was to approach a German submarine closely enough to drop a bomb through its hatch.

He named the gang the "Crook Factory." Their submarine hunts never resulted in anything except for enjoying fishing and drinking together. This irritated Martha, who believed Hemingway was neglecting his responsibilities as a renowned writer by not reporting on the ongoing war in Europe. Finally, in the spring of 1944, Hemingway decided to go to Europe to cover the war. He first went to London, where he wrote articles about the RAF and the impact of the war on England. While there, he got into a car accident and suffered a

severe concussion and head wound that required more than 50 stitches. Martha visited him in the hospital and downplayed his injuries, criticizing him for being involved in a drunken car wreck. In reality, Hemingway was genuinely injured, and Martha's dismissive reaction marked the beginning of the end of their marriage. During his time in London, Hemingway met Mary Welsh, who was the complete opposite of Martha.

Mary was caring, adoring, and complimentary, while Martha had lost any admiration for her man and often insulted him. Hemingway easily chose Mary over Martha and, as in previous wars, fell in love with a new woman. Hemingway and Mary openly courted each other in London and later in France after the allied invasion at Normandy and the subsequent liberation of Paris. Hemingway's third marriage essentially ended, marking the beginning of his fourth and final marriage to Mary. Hemingway reflected, "It's funny how one war can ignite a woman in your heart and another can extinguish her. Bad luck." In late August of 1944, Hemingway and his group of irregular soldiers entered Paris.

Hemingway liked to claim that he was the first to enter Paris on the way to its liberation, but this is not entirely true. However, he did manage to free his favorite bar and hotel. He established himself at The Ritz Hotel and spent the next week or so indulging in drinking, partying, and celebrating his return to the city that held great importance to him during his youth. Following this, Hemingway journeyed to northern France to rendezvous with his friend General Buck Lanham as they advanced towards Germany with the allied forces, particularly the 22nd Infantry Regiment.

Hemingway accompanied Lanham for a month, witnessing the American troops cross over into Germany.

The fighting was some of the bloodiest of the war. Hemingway obliquely recorded it in his book "Across the River and into the Trees". In March of 1946, Hemingway returned to America with plans to write a great novel about the war, but it never happened. The only book he wrote about the war was "Across the River and Into the Trees". It recounts the bitter-sweet story of Richard Cantwell, a former brigadier general who was demoted to colonel after being blamed for a disastrous battle.

The elderly Cantwell, who has a heart condition that could kill him at any moment, falls in love with the young countess Renata from Italy. They engage in a romantic relationship, and through their conversations and personal reflections, we discover the reasons behind Cantwell's bitterness. These include an incompetent military that fails to recognize his abilities and sends him impossible orders, leading to his inevitable failure and disgrace. Additionally, Cantwell's ex-wife, who is based on Martha Gellhorn, manipulates her connection with him to gain access to influential military figures for her journalism career. Furthermore, Cantwell harbors a general disdain for the modern world. Relying on Hemingway's reputation, Scribners released an initial print run of 75,000 copies of "Across the River and Into the Trees" in September 1950, after it had already been published in Cosmopolitan magazine between February and June of the same year. The novel received negative reviews from critics who criticized it for being sentimental, vulgar, and a thinly veiled portrayal of Hemingway's own affair with a young Italian woman named Adriana Ivancich.

However, the book actually contains some of Hemingway's strongest writing, particularly in the opening chapters. The critics were expecting a work of similar magnitude to "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and were disappointed by the novel's brevity and limited focus.

Despite the negative reviews of Across the River and Into the Trees, Hemingway was determined to reclaim his status as the world's leading novelist. Inspired by Adriana Ivancich, Hemingway started writing a tale about an elderly man and a remarkable fish. The words flowed effortlessly onto the page, resulting in minimal editing once he finished the initial draft. This story had been lingering in Hemingway's subconscious for a while; he had actually written about a similar concept in one of his articles for Esquire magazine back in 1936.

Max Perkins had periodically tried to persuade Hemingway to write the story, but Hemingway felt he wasn't yet ready to write what his w