The Life of Ernest Hemingway

             At 8:00 A.M. on July 21, 1899, Ernest Miller Hemingway, one of the greatest American novelists, entered the world. Born in Oak Park, Illinois, Hemingway was the second child to Grace Hall and Clarence Edmonds, also know as Ed. As individualists, Grace and Ed were an unusual pair for the middle-class society during this time period (Sanford 6). Grace was a successful music teacher who gave up a promising music career to marry Hemingway's father. She made more money than Ed, a medical doctor interested in Indian culture, camping, fishing, and hunting. Together they raised six children: Marcelline (1898), Ernest (1899), Ursula (1902), Madeline (1904), Carol (1911), and Leicester (1915). Since Hemingway's mother always desired twins, she dressed Marcelline and Ernest alike for the beginning of their childhood. She even held Marcelline back a year in school so that she and Ernest could be in the same grade (Mellow 11).
             Hemingway's notebooks reveal the great education he received at Oak Park and River Forest Township High School. Hemingway involved himself in many activities and sports during his four years at high school, starting with his freshman year in 1913. He was average in sports, playing football, swimming, water basketball, and serving as the track team manager. Writing obviously came easier than sports, and Hemingway's works were often used as examples in English class as what to "strive for." Among the first of his short stories were published in OPHS's yearbook, the Tabula. They were often adventurous, bloody tales about boxers, Indians, and Canadian Trappers (Desonyers I 3). As the editor of his high school newspaper, the Trapeze, Hemingway enjoyed writing humorous articles using the style of Ring Lardner, a popular satirist of that time.
             Although his mother encouraged him to sing in church and play the cello in orchestra, Hemingway (like his father) was far more intere...

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The Life of Ernest Hemingway . (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 09:17, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/61091.html