Essay on The Meaningful Words of Hemingway
As arguably one of the most influential writers of his time, Ernest Hemingway captured a unique writing style that was distinguishable, and responsible for his name being as credible as it is today. Hemingway discussed many influential topics, and was able to amplify his language through his use of figurative language. In The Garden of Eden, and The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway’s style is shown through motifs regarding love, tragedy, and intimacy, along with his use of symbolism and heavy figurative language.
One example of Hemingway’s style of symbolism is present in his novel, The Garden of Eden. Hemingway depicts a scene of an elephant being killed, writing, “Now all the dignity and majesty and all the beauty was gone from the elephant and he was a huge wrinkled pile.” (Hemingway ‘200) The elephant was the original attacker; it symbolizes the loss of dignity that comes with losing a fight, and how quickly something so beautiful can be destroyed. This scene also foreshadows the relationship between the protagonists, David and Catherine, as their relationship suffered the same fate throughout the novel. Even though she had suggested the relationship between him and Marita she says, “And now I'm nothing. All I wanted was for David and you to be happy. Everything else I invent." (Hemingway ‘100)
The novel, The Garden of Eden, features Hemingway’s abundant use of adjectives to show imagery within the text. “As they could see the empty beaches, the high papyrus grass at the delta of the small river and across the bay was the white curve of Cannes with the hills and the far mountains behind.” (Hemingway ‘75) Doing this allows Hemingway to clearly show the scenery of David and Catherine’s exploration, and adds to the book’s repetitive motif of vacation.
Hemingway’s, The Sun Also Rises, shows a theme of alcoholism portrayed through its protagonist, Jake. Throughout each chapter of the book, Jake is seen as a heavy drinker, as he often drinks in every new scene. “I drank my glass and poured out another. Brett put her hand on my arm. ‘Don’t get drunk Jake,’ she said. You don’t have to.” (Hemingway ‘272) The article, “Braver Than We Thought” reads, “He [Hemingway] wrote ‘The Sun Also Rises’ while still seeing many of the people in Paris on whom he modeled its characters.” (Doctrow) Hemingway was writing the stories as they were happening; which signifies the importance of the main character, the storyteller, being an alcoholic.
Another stylistic element used by Hemingway is situational irony, present within the plot of, The Garden of Eden. “We could be the same if you’d let us[...]not even if I say it’s all I want?” (Hemingway ‘196) Catherine urges her husband to have an affair with a woman named Marita, to overcome her paranoia that he will cheat. Though when things in their relationship change, she has a problem with it. This adds a dramatic outcome that readers are able to predict earlier in the story.
Lastly, Hemingway uses metaphors and similes in his writing to add to the descriptions he gives. “And when she went to sleep suddenly like a tired young girl and lay beside him lovely like the moonlight that showed…”(The Garden of Eden Hemingway ‘53) Doing this adds to the infatuation that is being shown by David when he sees Marita. It heavily contrasts to the speech that is used when Hemingay depicts Catherine.
Hemingway uses stylistic elements such as symbolism and figurative language to show the apparent motifs he utilizes throughout his novels. These stylistic techniques are shown in The Garden of Eden, and The Sun Also Rises, and are used to emphasize the importance of the words he writes. It is because of this, that Hemingway was able to obtain a distinguishable writing style that is notorious to him today.
