Ernest Hemingway Symbolism Essay

     There is great power in being an author; you can make things happen which do not necessarily occur in real life. Hemingway felt throughout his life, powerless, and so to escape this, he created alternative lives by writing stories. Hemingway, who fell in love with Agnes, an American nurse, seven years older than he, while wounded in Milan, was deeply hurt after she didn't return his affections. While the beginning of A Farewell to Arms, up until this point is similar, this is where the story changes. In the book, Frederic and Catherine are both in love with each other. Hemingway continued his affair with Agnes through Frederic and Catherine. He put his dreams of what his faded love affair would have been like in the love scenes between Catherine and Frederic:

Many novels have used symbolism to express certain feelings and emotions in discreet ways. What is symbolism? "The practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships" (Dictionary.com). Numerous authors use the same denotations to illustrate different thoughts or ideas. Mark Twain uses various symbols, such as the river and the land to expose freedom and trouble in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

It is truly a gripping story, told in a lean hard athletic narrative. Mr. Hemingway shows uncanny skill at implementing his own masculine beliefs and values into a theme of immense emotion”(essortment2). Seeing through the masculinity in the story Justin Day writes: “Mr. Hemingway has such a hold on his values that he makes an absorbing, beautifully and tenderly absurd, heartbreaking narrative of it, when on the surface, it seems as if it is going to be one of his infamous “Man Stories”(day3). Speaking of “A Farewell to Arms” which is a highly reviewed Hemingway story, Arthur Waldhorn writes that: “The chief result is of enamel luster imparted to the story as a whole, not precisely and iridescence, but a white light, rather, that pales and flashes, but never warms. Which is Hemingway’s way of thinking, it is apparent that he has soft spots in his work and in his thoughts, but he refuses to let them show”(Waldhorn2). Reviewing the same story Jeff Marx states that “a Victorian telling the story of Henry and Catherine would have waxed sentimental; he would have sought the tears of his reader. And he would surely himself shed tears as he wrote”(jackson73). Many believe that Hemingway wrote about fictional characters that had the life that Ernest Hemingway himself tried to lead. Brian Dennis speaking of the story “To Have and Have Not” states: “Henry was a big bruiser of a man, hard as

During the process of writing literature, and for works of fiction especially, authors will often utilize a literary device known as symbolism, in order to further engage readers and add a deeper layer of meaning to their story. Any object, person, or situation, can be used as a symbol provided it represents an additional concept or abstract idea apart from its literal meaning. In several fictitious stories, the element of symbolism plays a crucial role in helping writers extend the meaning behind their works beyond the prosaic. Two notable pieces of literature that skilfully demonstrate how symbolic imagery can enhance the narrative include, Frankenstein and “Goblin Market”—written by Mary Shelley and Christina Rossetti, respectively. Within both of these literary works, symbolic imagery is effectively employed, by setting the tone of the story, adding depth to the characters, and expressing the significance of several complex themes.

Writers use several literary devices to when creating their stories, writers like Ernest Hemingway incorporates symbolism, theme, and imagery. Hemingway focuses only on the surface of the components without clearly exposing the theme. Most of his short stories are similar to one another. Two of the short stories written in the 1920’s are very different but had a lot of similarities that made them relate to each other. The short story “Hills like White Elephants” and “Cat In The Rain” are the two stories that relate to each other in various ways. “Hills Like White Elephants” is about a couple that is facing an unexpected pregnancy and deciding whether to keep the baby or not. “Cat In The Rain” is about an unstable couple that has lack of love

Ernest Hemingway, a literary icon of the early twentieth century, challenged the typical lengthy and detailed prose of authors before him by pioneering a stylistic revolution centered around heavy dialogue and minimalistic details. More specifically, “Hemingway used a journalistic style and unadorned prose to capture the everyday lives of men and women caught up in history’s most momentous events,” without wasting pages establishing the setting or background within a work like most authors of the nineteenth century (The Letters… 442). Often, the mood, setting, and emotion within Hemingway’s stories are established through symbolism and constant dialogue. Hemingway expertly implements his unconventional and unique authorial style to convey the disparity in gender communication and perspectives and its effects on relationships in his 1927 short story, Hills Like White Elephants.

Ernest Hemingway penned a short story titled, “Hills Like White Elephants.” The story takes place at a train station in Spain and depicts a troublesome dilemma for the two main characters. The story begins with the characters casually discussing what kind of beer to partake in; the tone quickly shifts when the man mentions a surgery to his female friend, Jig. The reader is left to infer that the two characters are discussing an abortion. Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism throughout the story so the reader can delve into a deeper meaning without the ensnarement of excessive emotion. Throughout the story, Hemingway uses several examples of symbolism to depict Jig’s inner struggle with the decision she is faced to make.

The use of symbolism in Hemingway’s, Hills like white elephants, provides the reader with situations people in society may face every day. There are many symbols within this short story, some more complex than others. Knowing the different symbols, can ultimately lead up to the discovery of the themes in this story. Hemingway never gives us an easy explanation in this story, forcing the reader to make wild assumptions. Since this story requires readers to read between the lines and think more complex, Hemingway gives us symbols so readers can understand the overall meaning of the story. Hemingway points out many of the symbols used by mainly repetition, which make them very important.

Ernest Hemingway uses symbols to illustrate the severity of the relationship between Jig and her American boyfriend and portrayal of the operation they are discussing. The reader can infer the events in the story from the use of the symbols and come to the conclusion about the abortion that Hemingway implies throughout the whole plot.

In the novel, the mountains symbolize the pleasant events. Frederic shows interest for visiting the mountains, saying that he “wanted to go to the Hartz Mountains” to escape the war (Hemingway 31). The plains symbolize unpleasant events. In the beginning of the novel, Frederic says there is fighting in the plains beyond the peaceful village he is staying in (Hemingway 1). The rain symbolizes the disastrous and pivotal events that occur in the novel.

The novel explains Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley’s lives before they came to Italy clearly by stating that Henry wanted to be an architect before the war and Catherine has always been a nurse. Henry is an American who was studying architecture in Rome. On page 242, it clearly says this when Henry told Catherine, “I wanted to be an architect.” Henry joined the war because he was already in Italy and he knew how to speak Italian. Catherine had always been a nurse, but she was previously in England because that is where her home is. These examples show the past lives of both Frederic and Catherine and how their lives came to cross.

In a well-written short story, different literary elements and terms are incorporated into the story by the author. Ernest Hemingway frequently uses various literary elements in his writing to entice the reader and enhance each piece that he writes. In Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway uses symbols to teach the reader certain things that one may encounter during daily life. Symbolism may be defined as relating to, using, or proceeding by means of symbols (Princeton). The use of symbols in Hills Like White Elephants is utterly important to the plot line and to the fundamental meaning of the story. Through this use of symbolism, the reader can begin to reveal the hidden themes in this short story.

Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships. In the novel 1984, written by George Orwell, one of the main symbols is the glass paperweight Winston, the main character, owns. The paperweight signifies his rebellion against the society he lives. Where he lives anything pleasurable is forbidden, but the paperweight reminds him of how the world was before the Party took over, and how they turned his country into a utopia where you basically is not allowed to be who you are. Also the paperweight symbolizes the love he has for Julia. Winston mentions the paperweight many times throughout novel and has many quotes talking about it.

The use of symbolism in Hemingway’s, Hills like white elephants, provides the reader with situations a couple may face at least once in their life. There are many symbols within this short story, some more complex than others. Knowing the different symbols, can ultimately lead up to the discovery of the real meaning in the story. Hemingway never gives us an easy explanation in this story, forcing the reader to make wild assumptions. Since this story requires readers to read between the lines and think more complex, Hemingway gives us symbols so readers can understand the overall meaning of the story. Hemingway points out many of the symbols used by mainly repetition, which make them very important. Some symbolism shown in this story is: the white elephants, the train station, and scenery.

In Huckleberry Finn, a young boy and a runaway slave look to escape from “sivilized” land. This adventure highlights the contrast between Huck’s experiences on the Mississippi River, a symbol for freedom, and his experiences in the South, a symbol for deceit. Twain uses this symbolism to convey the theme of civilization and natural life. The land symbolizes how skewed and messed up the South's morality is.