When I was younger and far more romantic I loved Ernest Hemingway. As my fourth novel (For Whom the Bell Tolls) was edging towards the ending I put the book down and walked away. After that I read The Green Hills of Africa, some short stories. What at first had me transfixed by noble but doomed protagonists turned into over the top compositions of machismo ideology.
Several things bug me about Hemingway. First every story makes you want to crawl in a bottle and die. If you are a recovering alcoholic DO NOT read To Have and Have Not for you will surly relapse. I'm not about happy endings. I don't really believe anything in life ends happily. Even with my pessimistic fatalism I think it's too much. To Hemingway's credit it is his command of the English language that allows him to sink you into a spiraling depression. Next thing that really grinds my gears is how women are portrayed in one of two ways: needing to be saved (by a man) or a real biz-iz-nich. I guess Anselmo could be the exception but she gives a girl to the main character for sex after she knew him for a day. How messed up is that? The last thing that really ruins his works is how the protagonist never breaks his composure or shows any emotional vulnerability. What kind of man doesn't cry when his women and baby are dead on a hospital table? (Sorry if I ruined A Farewell to Arms for anyone) I don't think that's a real man at all. It's over compensation if you ask me. Low self esteem is probably why Hemingway spent his entire life trying to build a mystique around himself that was merely a facade only to eat his father's shotgun in Montana.
So there you have all the bad thing I got to say about old Ernie. So I don't seem like a complete "hater" I will end by saying that Hemingway was an extremely talented writer that could draw you into a character like no other author I've ever read. His book are classics and I am not advocating that a person not read them (unless of course they are trying to stay off the sauce). Besides these are just my opinions and no more valid than the next man's. What I would like anyone reading this to do is take Hemingway with a grain of salt.
Several things bug me about Hemingway. First every story makes you want to crawl in a bottle and die. If you are a recovering alcoholic DO NOT read To Have and Have Not for you will surly relapse. I'm not about happy endings. I don't really believe anything in life ends happily. Even with my pessimistic fatalism I think it's too much. To Hemingway's credit it is his command of the English language that allows him to sink you into a spiraling depression. Next thing that really grinds my gears is how women are portrayed in one of two ways: needing to be saved (by a man) or a real biz-iz-nich. I guess Anselmo could be the exception but she gives a girl to the main character for sex after she knew him for a day. How messed up is that? The last thing that really ruins his works is how the protagonist never breaks his composure or shows any emotional vulnerability. What kind of man doesn't cry when his women and baby are dead on a hospital table? (Sorry if I ruined A Farewell to Arms for anyone) I don't think that's a real man at all. It's over compensation if you ask me. Low self esteem is probably why Hemingway spent his entire life trying to build a mystique around himself that was merely a facade only to eat his father's shotgun in Montana.
So there you have all the bad thing I got to say about old Ernie. So I don't seem like a complete "hater" I will end by saying that Hemingway was an extremely talented writer that could draw you into a character like no other author I've ever read. His book are classics and I am not advocating that a person not read them (unless of course they are trying to stay off the sauce). Besides these are just my opinions and no more valid than the next man's. What I would like anyone reading this to do is take Hemingway with a grain of salt.
I understand what you're trying to say here. Most of Hemingway's works are particularly dark, but I don't share the same pessimism as you when looking at the themes and idea behind his stories, particularly Hills like White Elephants. I found this work to be very intriguing. Although the couple doesn't neccesarily resolve their issues in the story, the decision the girl makes not to go through with the operation(which I'm assuming is an abortion) didn't send me into a spiraling depression? The lady looks out and sees white hills on one side of the tracks, representing life, and then walks to the end of the platform and sees the brown empty valley which probably represents death. But the part I like about this story is that she chooses life, which should be encouraging? The lady finds value in life which is a great thing.
ReplyDeleteI understand how In Another Country can be depressing. The story is about people's struggle with loss of purpose and faith, and how they deal with it. Obviously not Hemingway's brightest work, I still really was able to appreciate the work because it's real, and life isn't always pretty. You obviously understand that Hemingway didn't write this story to depress people. I think maybe he wrote this work to make people question and appreciate their own purpose, make people step outside of their own existence and realize death and pain are inevitably a part of this life. Maybe he just wanted people to realize they don't have it that bad!
Try a novel. You'll see what I mean.
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