ERNEST HEMINGWAY COURSEWORK

Ernest Hemingway is perhaps one of the most well known authors of

all time. Born just at the turn of the 20
th
century, his life as a war
correspondent, hunter, angler and (more importantly) his later
literature career has been regarded as the most significant work in
the short story genre, even earning him a Nobel prize for Literature
in 1954. In this essay I will be discussing the symbolism used in two
of his short stories: The End of Something and Old Man at the bridge.
Both stories have been heavily based on his real life experiences, as
The End of Something is influenced by a failing relationship he once
had in his youth with a waitress called Marjorie. A few years later, he
serves in the Spanish Civil War as a war correspondent for the
republican side, an experience in which he bases to write Old Man at
the Bridge.

The setting in The End of something is portrays significant to the
outcome of the story, which is as stated before, the end of the
relationship. At the start of the story, Hemingway sets the scene with
an abandoned town, on which ruins Nick and Marjorie spend their
town together. The schooner filled in and moved out into the open
lake, carrying with it everything that had made the mill a mill and
Hortons bay a town. This shows how a once lively and busy town
now is quite the opposite: a forsaken piece of land. By saying that the
town has lost every single aspect that made it one, Hemingway
transmits to us the feeling of nothingness- the lack of emotions (love
being one of them) that the place now echoes with and has a contrast
with the strong emotional bond couples have. Another example of
how Hemingway shows us this is: The one-story houses, the eating-
house, the company store, the mill offices, and the big mill itself stood
deserted in the acres of sawdust that covered the swampy meadow
by the shore of the bay. Hemingways use of enumeration highlights
the qualities Hortons Bay had before its downfall, as he paints us a
picture in our heads about all the different institutions that had once
stood tall and proud by the shore and the ironic fact that a loving
couple (Nick and Marjorie) are heading towards a similar,
passionless place.

As important as the setting is, the reactions that Nick and Marjorie
have towards it are complete opposites. Marjorie is really optimistic,
in spite of the grim atmosphere. It seems more like a castle. This
accurately reflects Marjories state, as literally, the quote says her
opinion about the now nearly destroyed mill. I think that this also
shows her romantic and childish side, as castles have long been
associated with fairy tales of princes and princesses, and her mention
of how the mill looks like a castle is in fact an effort to make the
atmosphere between them more romantic. Nick on the other hand,
seems abnormally detached throughout their journey. For example,
when the couple manage to see the Mill, Marjories first reaction is to
say: Theres our old ruin, Nick which is her first attempt to make
things seem more romantic. However, against all expectation for Nick
to follow and further enhance the atmosphere, all he says is: There it
is. This demonstrates his coldness and more importantly lack of
romance or emotional joy of being with his couple. I think that
Hemingway has foreshadowed their relationship through their initial
reactions, but not enough to determine the eventual outcome, that is
the breakup. Instead, we begin to doubt about where it is headed.

However, in my opinion the part in the story where symbolism works
at its best is in their conversation, just before Nick gets the courage to
end the relationship. Theres going to be a moon tonight. Here,
Hemingway uses the moon to effectively symbolize the pure end to
the relationship. In context, Nick sees the moon as he sees the last
rays of sunlight in the distance, which is followed by his
encouragement of a fight with Marjorie and subsequent breakup. I
think that the moon can be linked to this because of the sheer fact
that seeing the moon in the sky means the end of the day, which in
the story is synchronized completely with the breakup of nick and
Marjorie. In the ensuing moments, when Nick finally admits his true
feelings for Marjorie, we can see how her mood changes: She sat
there with her back towards him. This reflects her growing
detachment and antipathy to Nick, a complete contrast to her
attitude at the beginning of the story- that by now is forever gone, as
she realizes the truth.

The second short story: Old Man at the Bridge, is set right in the
turmoil of the Spanish Civil War and accurately reflects the sheer
tragedy of war through a 76-year-old man. Throughout the story,
Hemingway describes us all the negative aspects of war. One way he
does this is through the symbolism he gives to the 3 animals the old
man mentions. These are: The cat, the dove and the goat. The cat, of
course, will be alright and The cat will be alright, I am sure, reflect
not only the strength in which the old man believes this but it reveals
exactly what the cat symbolizes: the survivor. In popular culture, the
cat has 9 lives, which demonstrates my earlier point. The survivor is
a general term, which refers to all civilians who survive war, and
have the herculean task to deal with their lives after the calamity-
which are often followed by anger and misery (as their loved ones
may be lost, their homes up in ruins and a serious shortage of
essential living supplies). The Pigeons, or doves symbolize freedom.
Yes, certainly, theyll fly. This, (which is said by the old man) states
the ability that birds have to fly away from war at any time, which
contrasts with the old man, who we know will die sooner or later.
Also, doves are associated with peace, and in this situation it is ironic,
as it is war, which will cause the old mans doom. Finally, the goats
symbolize the ones who cant escape, scapegoats who are innocent
victims. But the others. Its better not to think about the others.


The old man himself also acts as a major symbol in the story. He
represents all of the innocent civilians that die because of war, and
that are often helpless and cant do anything about it. I am without
politics says the old man, which shows how most of the people dont
really care about the views their government has, but rather are only
concerned that the government ensures peace and stability in their
country. Also, I think the Old Man symbolizes the iconic feeling of
existentialism that is common in Hemingways works. The chaos of
war has forced him out not only of his hometown, but also to leave
behind everything that meant something to him. Hemingway depicts
him as a now aimless man, with absolutely no hope for his future as
he now feels no sense of purpose. Instead of showing panic at his
situation, he instead remains strangely calm, nihilistically choosing to
sit by the bridge and wait towards his inevitable death.

In conclusion, I think both stories use symbolism very effectively, as
Hemingways motives- his rather cynical view on life is transmitted
to us in a sutile, yet deep way. In both stories we can see dark and
negative themes- the ending of a relationship, or love and the tragic
ending of innocent lives. We can see how Hemingway, through his
writings, really was affected by his life experiences, and sometimes
even traumatized by them. In my opinion, Hemingway is a creative
genius, as he has the ability to use symbolism to a level of perfection
so that in just a very few words, he can not only deliver his thoughts
on life to the reader, but make him seriously reflect on them.