hemingway1
An Analysis of the Presence of Alcohol in Ernest Hemingway's Short Stories Alcohol and Desperation: An Analysis of the Presence of Alcohol in Ernest Hemingway's Short StoriesThroughout the short stories of Ernest Hemingway, alcohol inevitably lends its company to situations in which desperation already resides. In an examination of his earlier works, such as In Our Time, a comparison to later collections reveals the constant presence of alcohol where hopelessness prevails. The nature of the hopelessness, the desperation, changes from his earlier works to his later pieces, but its source remains the same: potential, or promise of the future causes a great deal of trepidation and lament throughout Hemingway's pieces. Whether the desperation comes from trepidation or lament depends on the view point from which it is observed, or rather, experienced. In many of the works written early in his career, Hemingway's characters experience a fear of the future. The fear does not necessarily stem from commonly expected sources, such as "the unknown," but rather, it seems to grow from a fear of failure, a fear of being unable to fulfill potential. A number of stories and vignettes from In Our Time reflect these trepidations, and t
Over a bottle of wine, Nick and George discuss the joy of skiing. Trepidation and lament are marked by the presence of drink and its quieting effects. In his thoughts of the past, he also recalls how he had stalled and postponed his writing, always assuring himself that he would start when he had enough information to write all his stories, and to write them all well. "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" ties the trepidation of Hemingway's earlier works to the lament of his later works in a manner that again displays the level of maturity in his later writing. The young age of the torero is implied, since bullfighters rarely fought into middle-age, and it serves as an interesting bridge to Hemingway's later stories which involve potential. "The Three-Day Blow" offers the reader one of the first opportunities to observe the trepidation and fear of future potential. Awaiting his death, Harry remembers his youth and comments on his current relationship with the woman that accompanies him now in Africa. As the father, an aging jockey, drinks more and more, his son looks on with an innocence that would seem to indicate the perspective of either a boy or a young man. As Nick and Bill begin drinking, their talk includes baseball, fishing, the nature of drunks, and eventually Marge. " Even though the loss of hope is not overcome, however, the story does depict a means of living that maintains dignity and self-respect. Unfortunately, fulfilling the promise their lives hold is not something that can be consciously chosen; the attempt to succeed at fulfilling that promise begins at birth. Nick's desire to shed responsibility affords the reader another vantage point from which to observe the fear of failing to fulfill potential: rather than trying and falling short, why not shirk responsibility and submarine any efforts to succeed? In this case, the alcohol facilitates the day-dream quality of Nick and George's fantasy to turn their backs on responsibility and potential and to ski for the rest of their lives.
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Acceptance Essays
