Symbolism In Ernest Hemingway

Wagner-Martin, Linda, Reynolds, David S., and Myerson, Joel, eds. A Historical Guide to Ernest Hemingway. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2000. Print.

In the summer of 1917 while the sun beat down in Kansas City, Kansas, Ernest Hemingway took his first official job a writer at the Kansas City Star (Antonacci). Hemingway describes the job explaining “ And the Kansas City Star happened to be, in those years, the beau ideal of every newspaperman in American” (Antonacci). There the writing had to be direct and straight to the point. The paper didn’t have time for frilly literary techniques that required facts and ideas to be wrapped up in adjectives and imagery. This task caused

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.

Hemingway’s story relies primarily on dialogue. During the three page story, there are really only four sections that only provide description -- not counting small details like “he said” or “she said” or one sentence paragraphs like “The girl did not say anything” (Page 2). It is interesting that he chose to do this when considering it artistically. Descriptions of the characters, of the environment, of the objects people interact with are often major points of the story that reveal something to the reader. If nothing else, these descriptions fill out the story and make the world in which it is occurring feel real. Hemingway’s choice to use only dialogue shows the reader that they need to pay close attention to what the character’s are saying. The story lies in their words, not in the movements they make or how the

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.

Ernest Hemingway started his career as a writer in a newspaper office in Kansas City at the age of seventeen. Here he learned to get to the heart of a story with direct, simple sentences. After the United States entered the First World War, he joined a volunteer ambulance unit in the Italian army. Here he was wounded near the Italian/Austrian front. Hospitalized, he fell in love with his nurse, who later called off their relationship. After his return to the United States, he became a reporter for Canadian and American newspapers and was soon sent back to Europe to cover such events as the Greek Revolution. During the twenties, Hemingway became a member of the group of expatriate Americans in Paris, which he described in his first important work ‘The Sun Also Rises’ (1926).

The period between World War I and World War II was a very turbulent time in America. Ernest Hemingway most represented this period with his unrestrained lifestyle. This lifestyle brought him many successes, but it eventually destroyed him in the end. His stories are read in classrooms across America, but his semi-autobiographical writings are horrible role models for the students who read them. Hemingway’s lifestyle greatly influenced his writings in many ways.

Ernest Hemingway, an American novelist, was born on July 21, 1899 and died July 2, 1961. He served in World War I as an ambulance unit, once he returned to the US he worked for many newspapers as a reporter and writer, but I think the most important to his career was his work at the Kansas City Star. This was a pivotal point in his career, due to his freedom in his writing here, he developed his unique writing style which lead him on to publish some of his most famous works, The Sun Also Rises, and A Farewell to Arms. His works like these are so famous due to his unique writing style.

Many authors, critics, and everyday social readers define Ernest Hemingway as the prime example of 20th century American literature. Hemingway’s works transcend time itself, so that even readers today analyze and criticize his works. His works, of course, have drawn praises and animosity from all corners of the globe. Critics often applause Hemingway on his short simple prose, for which many people recognize him for. His writing builds upon the masterful usage of “short, simple words and short, simple sentences” (Wagner, 3) to create clear and easy to

Symbolism, may be defined as a non-superficial representation of an idea or belief that goes beyond what is "seen."  Earnest Hemingway's "A Clean Well-Lighted Place" uses symbolism to help convey the theme of Nihilism, the philosophy that there is nothing heavenly to believe in.  It discusses that there is no supernatural reason or explanation of how the world is today.  Three symbols: the soldier, the café, and the shadows of the leaves, found in Hemingway's short story clearly displays this Nihilistic theme.

There is perhaps no greater an example of exemplary Modernist writing than that of Ernest Hemingway. The Modernist movement defined itself with its opposition towards traditional American values. With a tendency to suggest rather than state, show rather than tell, and focus on questions rather than answers, the Modernist movement changed the course of American Literature, and one of the most influential members of that movement was Hemingway. Amongst a sea of notable works, Hemingway's “Snows of Kilimanjaro” serve as a testament to the subtle craft of the Modernist style of writing. The symbolism and dialogue within the “Snows of Kilimanjaro” is superb and helps reinforce the Modernist themes of Hemingway's writing. Hemingway frames Harry's wife in a way that negatively equates her with American wealth. Hemingway then suggests that such wealth ruins the natural gifts of a writer, symbolized through Harry's gangrene. This is further expanded upon with Harry's salvation in realizing that his writing is what was truly important, a salvation symbolized within the snow leopard and the mountains of Kilimanjaro themselves. Hemingway's symbolism is well constructed, and helps to illustrate the theme of the dangers of corrosion under wealth, while expressing salvation in purpose.

Hemingway died July 2, 1961, at his home, as the result of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Ernest Hemingway had a different style of writing than the other authors in his

Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist, journalist, writer of short stories, and winner of the 1954 Nobel Prize for literature. He created a distinguished body of prose fiction, much of it based on adventurous life. He was born on July 21, 1899, the second of six children, in Oak Park, Ill., in a house built by his widowed grandfather, Ernest Hall. Oak Park was a Protestant, upper middle class suburb of Chicago. He died on July 2, 1961.

Ernest Miller Hemingway named after his grandfather was the first son of Clarence and Grace Hemingway and was born on July 21,1899 in a Chicago suburb. As a child, he spent much of his