Hemingway's Heroics

Introduction

Hemingway's hero is one of strong substance, and one that understands basic concepts including that of Nada. He comprehends himself as the victim of an anarchistic universe. He does not have faith. He is a person who does not believe or think about chance, luck, or happenstance, but rather lives as he breathes. He is born of the Parisian expatriates; he lives materialistically and feeds on "sinful" pleasures (Hemingway, pp. 34-45). We observe all such qualities disturbingly similar in Hemingway stories. Nick Adams, our war veteran from "The Big Two Hearted River, the sadistic, dying husband from "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", the despairing old man in "A Clean Well Lighted Place", and the crippled ex-sportsman major in "A Way You'll Never Be" (Hemingway, pp. 34-45). There are a few rules which rigidly enforce the Code. Our hero will have been the victim of unjustified injury; he will realize that no God watches over him, and finally he will be strong sportsman.

Hemingway Hero in Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories

Ernest Hemingway mentions “Our hero will be hurt. In one way or another, our hero will have, or will over the course of the story sustain serious physical injury” (Hemingway, pp. 34-45). This is vitally important because it helps the character to realize that the universe is not ruled by any sort of principle or law that injuries and death occur gratuitously and often. In the case of Nick Adams, it is the head injury which haunts him so dangerously. "'I suppose what I did was forget to put iodine on it when I first scratched it'" (Hemingway, pp. 34-45). In this story, the hero, a male war veteran, is vacationing with his wife when he scratches his leg. Gangrene follows and reduces him to a cot while the infection spreads. Eventually, ...