Hemingway

Hemmingway

Hemingway Hero’ is the foundation for the main charater in all of Hemingway’s stories. The ‘Hemingway Hero’ is always a man, more so, he is a rough, woodsy type; a real man’s-man. He drinks, he hunts, and he acts first then asks questions later. He goes from one woman to another, and women are good for little more than reproduction. (Shoemaker) He has hopes, dreams, convictions and beliefes which he strictly follows, but he does not talk about them. This is one great example of the ‘Hemingway Hero’ being a man: “How much did you suffer?” “Plenty,” replied the old man.” (Ernest Hemingway, “Old Man and The Sea” 126.) This conversation took place after the old man had been fighting a twelve hundred pound marlin for three days with little drink and only raw fish to eat. This pattern of the ‘Hemingway Hero’ is consistent in all of Hemingway’s writings.

Santiago, from “The Old Man and the Sea,” has a striking similarity to each of the injured soldiers in “In Another Country.” All of these men are proud and it is shown in the soldiers thoughts about his medals (Adventures in American Literature 649) and in Santiago’s belief that a man can be destroyed, but not defeated; which is also major theme in many of Hemingway’s writings. However, the hero varies from story to story in their realism. In “In Another Country” the characters display a more human quality of emotion, where as Santiago seems to have a super-human restraint and is always stoic.

Hemingway uses most every kind of literary device imaginable in his writing. One major item is the use of understatement (Shoemaker), the quote in the second paragraph is an excellent example as is; “It is very difficult,” he said “I am utterly unable to resign myself,” (Adventures in American Literature, 651.) This quote is from an injured soldier morning the loss of his recently wed bride.