Hemingway Writing Style Analysis Essay Example

Many people when they read Hemingway tend to look at his writing style or the depressing meaning behind the stories to understand his writing but, the dialogue in Hemingway’s short stories, make it more interesting and help the readers feel more connected with the story to understand the plot. 

The way that Hemingway writes his dialogue in his stories helps the readers understand the story. For example, in the story “Hills Like White Elephants” the majority of the story is the dialogue which gives you a clear view of the conversation between the two characters and what is happening at that time. “ The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry."They look like white elephants," she said."I've never seen one," the man drank his beer."No, you wouldn't have." I might have," the man said. "Just because you say I wouldn't have doesn't prove anything." In this part of the story, the girl is looking at the window and says that the hills and the hills reminded her of white elephants. When I first read this story I didn’t have a clue as to why she had brought such attention to the hills and why they reminded her of white elephants. But, when reading it again and having it explained, I find out that the girl is pregnant and the hills reminded her of white elephants because of the pumps on the hills. Hemingway doesn’t give an easy way into the story which makes it more interesting and makes you think about the story. Also, during this conversation, the man is saying to his girlfriend, “It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig," the man said. "It's not really an operation at all." The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on. " I know you wouldn't mind it, Jig. It's really not anything. It's just to let the air in." The girl did not say anything."I'll go with you and I'll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it's all perfectly natural." "Then what will we do afterward?" "We'll be fine afterward. Just like we were before." "What makes you think so?" "That's the only thing that bothers us. It's the only thing that's made us unhappy." Again, the readers have to think about what Hemingway is trying to show us and what the man is saying to the girl. Mission? What could they possibly be talking about? But, again when reading it again you find out that the man is trying to convince the girl to get an abortion. The man is telling her that it’s only a “simple operation” and that “they could go back to the way things were”, trying to get the girl to cave and abort the child. 

Another example of Hemingway’s dialogue that makes the story come more to life, is in “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”. The way that Hemingway’s dialogue is written, helps the readers feel as if they are in the cafe with the waiters and the old man. For example, Hemingway writes,  “The old man looked from his glass across the square, then over at the waiters.  "Another brandy," he said, pointing to his glass. The waiter who was in a hurry came over.  "Finished," he said, speaking with that omission of syntax stupid people employ when talking to drunken people or foreigners. "Nomore tonight. Close now."  "Another," said the old man.  "No. Finished." The waiter wiped the edge of the table with a towel and shook his head.  The old man stood up, slowly counted the saucers, took a leathercoin purse from his pocket and paid for the drinks, leaving half a peseta tip. The waiter watched him go down the street, a very oldman walking unsteadily but with dignity.  "Why didn't you let him stay and drink?" the unhurried waiter asked. They were putting up the shutters. "It is not half-past two."  "I want to go home to bed." Here is a good part of the story where you feel like you’re in the cafe listening to the waiter talking to the old man and on another. The dialogue helps me as a reader feel more connected to the story.  Another part in this story that the dialogue makes the readers feel more connected is, “He's drunk now," he said.  "He's drunk every night."  "What did he want to kill himself for?"  "How should I know."  "How did he do it?"  "He hung himself with a rope."  "Who cut him down?"  "His niece."  "Why did they do it?"  "Fear for his soul."  "How much money has he got?" "He's got plenty."  "He must be eighty years old."  "Anyway I should say he was eighty." In this dialogue, Hemingway is making the reader feel apart of the conversation. You get an understanding that the younger waiter is upset that the old man is still in the cafe when he wants to go home. He begins to wonder why the old wanted to kill himself. He begins to ask why, who found him, what was the purpose? Things he wasn’t curious about before. 

Furthermore, I feel as though my point has been proven whether you agree or disagree that the dialogue in Hemingway’s short stories make it more interesting and help the readers feel more connected with the story to understand the plot.