Ernest Hemingway's Code Hero in For Who The Bell Tolls and A Farewell To Arms
They were American innocents negotiating the river of life wherever it took them: to Italy, to Spain, to Africa, to the Caribbean, wounded men laughing through the pain, sometimes risking their skins but never sacrificing their honor. It was a river into which countless writers would thrust their paddles.(Papa)
Ernest Hemingway is arguably one of the most important writers in American history. Though this is disputed, Hemingway has undoubtedly had a major influence on contemporary American literature. One aspect of Hemingway's famous writing that shines in almost all of his works is the hero. Hemingway created the famous Hemingway code by which all of his heroes, often called code heroes, lived. One critic asserted that, 'Hemingway invented more than a style he invented the Hemingway hero.' (Papa) Hemingway attempted to live by this code but did not enjoy the success of his fictional characters. In fact, critic Joseph DeFalco states, 'The type of hero that can accomplish such a feat [living up to the Hemingway code] is rare in any area of life.' (195) The code hero was not rare, however, in Hemingway writing. Robert Jordan in For Whom The Bell Tolls and Frederic Henry in A Farewell To Arms are perfect examples of the Hemingway code hero.
The Hemingway code is, ?a grace under pressure. It is made of the controls of honor and courage which in a life of tension and pain make a man a man and distinguish him from the people who follow random impulses.? (Young 63) Additionally, this ?grace under pressure? can be expressed as, ?an ability to be in difficult situations without succumbing to either panic, enthusiasm, or indifference, is the hall...
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In the short story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway, the idea of a code hero, affects the reader's view of the characters. First is Francis Macomber. He does not appear as a hero immediately but later blossoms into one after facing hardships on his safari. Then we have Margaret Macomber, his wife. She is the opposite of Macomber, starting out looking like a code hero then deteriorating that image as her husband grows stronger. Robert Wilson a hunting guide Macomber hiers for the safari is show immediately as a hero and stays that way wavering only slightly at the end of the story. Through the use of diction and syntax, Hemingway develops characters that have qualities of a code hero.
The Code Hero is present in the majority of Hemingway's novels. Even the young man in Hills Like White Elephants contained many of the characteristics of the Code Hero such as free-willed, individualist, and travel. The individualism comes out in his desire to not have a child.
One observation that can be made on Hemingway’s narrative technique as shown in his short stories is his clipped, spare style, which aims to produce a sense of objectivity through highly selected details. Hemingway refuses to romanticize his characters. Being “tough” people, such as boxers, bullfighters, gangsters, and soldiers, they are depicted as leading a life more or less without thought. The world is full of s...
In The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume II. Edited by Paul Lauter et al. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath and Company, 1991: 1208-1209. Hemingway, Ernest. A.
Ernest Hemingway’s code hero can be defined as “a man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful." The Hemingway Code Hero embodies specific traits shown throughout the plot of a story. In the series of short stories “The Nick Adams Stories” by Ernest Hemingway, the protagonist Nick Adams, slowly begins to develop as a code hero throughout the transversal of the plot. Adams is able to demonstrate courage, honor, and stoicism, while tolerating the chaos and stress of his crazy world.
" The Hemingway Review. 15.1 (Fall 1995): p. 27. Literature Resource Center -.
Hemingway was extremely influential to many authors, he showed the world that stories did not need to be detailed and concrete. He showed that threw simplicity and mystery a great story could be told. He made it so his story had a sturdy base line to help guide the reader, but leaving out the main idea for them to uncover. He was able to do this because he was master with diction, being able to strip away most of the true story and still get the main idea across would require little to no ideas or hints that could cause a reader to stray from the central idea. Many authors have tried to do what Hemingway did, but their stories rather than taking away some of the background would leave holes in the story where they were unsure what to write.
Hemingway's novel A Farewell To Arms takes place during World War I in various parts of Italy. Frederic Henry is an American second-lieutenant volunteering in the ambulance corps of the Italian army, his lover, Catherine Barkley, is a British nurse who falls in love with Henry following the death of her fiancé. This novel conveys Henry’s struggle of his fate as a Code Hero. The ideal Code Hero will continuously face death and measure themselves by how well they handle the difficult situations that life throws at him. Henry displays many traits throughout the novel, the most significant are how he is brave, alert, and loyal.
Trogdon, Robert W. Ernest Hemingway: A Literary Reference. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2002. Print.
Frequently throughout Hemingway's use of heroes there are two behaviors or types of heroes that he uses, these are the "Hemingway Hero" and the "Code Hero". The Hemingway hero is usually a masculine man who drinks, loves hunts and bullfights, and has war injuries.
A Hemingway Code Hero is a character from an Ernest Hemingway novel that follows a particular pattern of how he or she conducts life on a day to day basis. Catherine Barkley from A Farewell to Arms lives with a respect for honor and courage as a Code Hero should. Catherine Barkley is the original code hero of the novel. She has all of the traits of a Hero, and implements them onto Frederic as he matures throughout the story. Catherine’s three main traits that define her as a Hemingway Code Hero are her values of human relationships over materialism, her idealism, and her grace under pressure; she is fearful but not afraid to die.
Ernest Hemingway was a famed U.S. author who wrote many novels which was strongly influenced by the World War One and World War Two. As he participated in the both major wars, the first hand experience of the brutal war is conveyed with great detail and with heartfelt feelings. His works were majorly on the effects of wars on human beings and the men’s sense of honor and pride. Ernest Hemingway was inspirational writer of men’s ideals, especially during war, who clearly had uncommon experiences in his life, such as going through both World War One and World War Two, which was reflected upon most of his literary works.
Frederic Henry is an ambulance driver in Italy during World War 1 in Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. Frederic lives in the here and now, and though he faces struggles, he always works toward a resolution. Taking the characteristics into consideration, Frederic is a perfect example of a Hemingway Code Hero.
“A Farewell to Arms Essay – A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway.” Twentieth Century Literary Criticism 115 (1929): 121-126. JSTOR. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.