I chose to write a literary essay based on a story “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” written by genius American author Ernest Hemmingway because I have always admired the originality of his works and the unique style of their composition.
While writing this paper I have consulted such sources as Oliver Evans “The Snows of Kilimanjaro: A Revaluation” (1961), Ernest Hemmingway “The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories” (2014), Michael Hollister “Analysis of “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (2015), Nicole Smith “Analysis of The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway: Major Themes Explored” (15 Jan. 2012), Arthur Waldhorn “A reader’s guide to Ernest Hemingway” (2002). All of these sources are very informative and original and were very helpful during this research. I used Internet as well as the library to find information on the subject of literary analysis of Hemmingway’s story “The snows of Kilimanjaro”. Such sources as Hollister, Smith were found online. The books of Evans, Hemmingway, Waldhorn were chosen from the provided library sources.
I believe that the most essential source that helped in understanding the true nature if this particular story was the book “The Snows of Kilimanjaro: A Revaluation” written by Oliver Evans. Notwithstanding the date of its publication it holds original views upon literary analysis of this story.
Before reading the story I was interested what particular original ideas and what special techniques the author used in order to create this work. After reading the story I faced with such questions as what complex overtones did the simple plot of the story represent?; how did Hemmingway manage to escape using specific details and descriptions and succeed in the expression of true feelings of main character? This story has also brought some eternal questions such as what is the true meaning and purpose of our lives? But I am afraid the latest has remained unsolved.
During his literary career as a writer Hemmingway went through a creative crisis. For example, in the early 1930s one of these periods occurred and for the personal development Ernest Hemingway went on a long journey to Africa. In these exotic countries, he was able not only to hunt, but also to find himself. As a result, he wrote such short stories as: “Death in the Afternoon” (1932), “Green Hills of Africa” (1935), and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (1936) (Meyers 1999).
The plot is based on memories of the main character, who had come on a safari in Africa. Random scratch during a hunting trip seriously infects his foot, leading to gangrene. After this accident Harry Smith lies in front of his tent at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya in anticipation of a slow death. Loss of the ability to move develops the painful soul-searching in the soul of the character. “He had destroyed his talent by not using it, by betrayals of himself and what he believed in, by drinking so much that he blunted the edge of his perceptions, by laziness, by sloth, and by snobbery, by pride and by prejudice, by hook and by crook”(25). Harry realizes that even though he has experienced a lot and seen a lot of wonderful, authentic things, in his life, he never wrote about them. And all that for what he lived has led to the lack of implementation of its author's talent.
One of the critics of the story Evans in his work argues that in the short story by the author wanted to show that a person's life is unique. It is unique not only in terms of human capacity, the originality of his talent, people and circumstances that surround a person. But also it is unique in the sense of its originality (76). I agree with him, I think that people should always follow their ideals, the true interests, values, correlating their lives with the time factor and the understanding that life is happening right now.
Evans continues with the thought that as in the story of the author carries the theme of responsibility for their actions and decisions (79). In my opinion Evans expresses interesting ideas on the matter. It has got me focused on the thought that when the character faces death considering his life's journey, it is with a logical consequence of his reasoning.
Another scholar Waldhorn writes that in the story the author shows us the dismissive attitude toward the character, showing his weakness and frustration not only for life, which he now has to leave, but his contempt and even hatred for the woman who is with him (143). I believe that Waldhorn focusses on Harry's thoughts about еthe wife and his life. It is an interesting prospective to underline that this was author’s idea to show his current despair and emptiness emptiness of a man who once loved his life and his work, who knew how to love.
Waldhorn goes on with the idea that distinctive feature of the story is the so-called “iceberg principle”. It is used to create a “dual optics” of featuring images which resulted in very simple and austere plot of the story saturated with complex overtones, which focus on the richness of meanings, emotions, mental reactions, symbols and associations (147). Waldhorn focusses the attention of the reader toward the fact that thus it seems that the story has a common narrative, where the writer covers hidden behind the surface deep ideas and thoughts representing the reality of life.
In the article “Analysis of The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway” another critic, Smith, notes that precision and conciseness of language, cold restraint in the descriptions of the tragic and extreme events, very specific artistic details, the ability to omit unnecessary and unimportant details. Smith’s ideas are original and interesting, they underline that the story is full of pessimism, extreme distress; the character finds himself in an atmosphere of suffering, inner emptiness in the world of external cynicism, indifference. Smith also says that the theme of “lost generation” has got one of the leading roles in the story. Smith writes that the story are about people who survived the First World War and now were full of striking cold cynicism, thick skin, but in fact they were just dealing with despair and grief. Smith’s ideas can be proven by the fact that the main character recollects horrible events of War and looks at his passed life as if it has lost all value.
Hollister argues that in the story the author tried to answer the question that he found most important to the question of how to survive in this world, how to find the real values of life that may be the main principle of human’s existence. Holliser’s response to the story conveys my personal feelings after reading the story. I believe that this source has the deepest feedback on the subject. Holliser continues that the main pathos of the work of outstanding American writer is humanity that person should honorably get out of a difficult situation, maintain dignity in any conditions, to win a moral victory. In my opinion, Holliser’s words transmit the true essence of the story.
While writing this assignment I have established that the story embodies all distinctive features of Hemingway’s works. The reader can notice the “iceberg principle”, the idea of a lost generation, the simple narration style that express deep emotions and suffering of a person.
I believe that creativity of every true artist always has a deep connection with the period of time he lives in, with the moral issues of this era. For the works of the author this relationship appears to be in special directness and honesty; his work cannot be separated from his own life, although this biography, of course, appears to the reader artistically meaningful and artistically transformed. Hemingway didn’t write simply about common dull life. He wrote about things that he knew well, saw, survived through, but personal experience which he relied upon, only served as an inspiration, a foundation of his ideas and creativity.
One of my questions after reading was concerning complex overtones in the connection of the simple plot of the story. The answer to this question was found with the help of Waldhorn who in his research explained the “iceberg principle” as a distinctive feature of Hemingway’s work. Next question was concerning escaping the usage of specific descriptions and succeeding in the expression of true feelings of main character. The answer to this question I found challenging. In my opinion, Smith was able to propose the best way to answer it. Smith argued that precision, conciseness of language and cold restraint gave the author the chance to omit unnecessary and unimportant descriptions.
The success of the works of Hemingway is explained by their exciting and interesting content and successful form of storytelling. The originality of the literary style of the author, the novel method applied in his works, and methods of artistic expression are the things that make this story a truly unique masterpiece.
Works Cited
Evans, Oliver. The Snows of Kilimanjaro: A Revaluation. Modern Language Association of America, 1961. Print.
Hemmingway, Ernest. The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories. New York: Penguin, 2014. Print.
Hollister, Michael. Analysis of “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”. Amerlit.com. 2015. Web. 14 Jun. 2016.
Meyers, Jeffrey. Hemingway: A Biography. New York: Perseus Books Group, 1999.
Smith, Nicole. Analysis of The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway: Major Themes Explored. Article Myriad. 15 Jan. 2012. Web. 15 Jun. 2016.
Waldhorn, Arthur. A reader’s guide to Ernest Hemingway. New York: Syracuse University Press, 2002.
