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hemingway Essay

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Ernest Hemingway was an American writer. He was born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. He committed suicide in 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho (Burges 17). Even today Hemingway is one of the most recognized authors in the world. Hemingway’s experiences during World War I are directly shown in many of his works. His general outlook on life is reflected in the adventures of his characters. It is clear that Hemingway had a desire to be part of the war even though, due to bad vision he was unable to enlist in the army and fight in the war. Instead he lied about his age and went to Italy to become an ambulance driver. While in Italy he experienced many things that he would later go on to write about in works such as A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the …show more content…

While at post one night Hemingway was first wounded by an Austrian mortar shell, then the same night he was further wounded by machine gun fire while he was carrying an Italian soldier to safety. Though badly wounded his injuries were not fatal; all his injures where contained to his legs (www.timelesshemingway.com). Hemingway spent five days in a field hospital before an excruciating train trip to Milan. In Milan things took an upward turn when surgery was successful. Hemingway was regarded as a hero and reported in newspapers and newsreels at home as the first American wounded in Italy (TimelessHemingway 2). It is debatable whether this was true but no matter, Hemingway was enjoying himself.
World War One was the setting of many of Hemingway’s stories. He used his personal experiences as their basis but enhanced them greatly. In 1929 Hemingway published A Farewell to Arms; the novel that many critics consider to be the best ever written about World War One (Burgess 56). It is based on Hemingway’s personal experiences during the war. The main character, Lt. Frederic Henry, is wounded, just as Hemingway was. He is hospitalized and falls in love with a nurse. Hemingway also fell in love with his wartime nurse. But Hemingway took the characters further than his wartime experience. He created action from later experiences. He was very good at putting things together. He made up whatever he needed to suit his purposes (Hemingway 87). If the actual events worked, he stuck

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