Ernest Hemingway :

Staunch believer in 'Fatalistic heroism'

by W.T.J.S. Kaviratne

Ernest Miller Hemingway, better known as Ernest Hemingway, was an American novelist, journalist a short story writer and an adventure sportsman. Death, nature, disillusionment, nihilism and fatalistic heroism are the multiple themes featured in his writings.

Hemingway was born on July 21, 1889 at Oak Park, Illinois, conservative suburb of Chicago in the United States.

His father Clarence Edmond Hemingway was a physician and his mother Grace Hall Hemingway was a musician.

Hemingway attended Oak Park and River Forest High School from 1913-1017 and during his school career he contributed to the school newspaper Trapeze and Tabula articles on sports.

After graduation in 1917 he joined the newspaper Kansas City Star as a journalist.

His father taught him hunting, fishing and camping in the woods when Hemingway family shifted to Northern Michigan.

Beauty of nature

Hemingway was infatuated with the beauty of nature, loved outdoor adventure and preferred to live in isolated areas.

He also took part in boxing, track and field events, water polo and football.

During World War I, Hemingway left for Europe in May, 1918 to join as a volunteer ambulance driver for the Italian Red Cross.

He sustained severe injuries while working as the ambulance driver and he was awarded the 'Italian Silver Medal for Bravery.'

At 20, he returned to the US and joined the newspaper Toronto Star. He met Hadley Richardson in Chicago and she became his first of his four wives and just after their marriage they left for Paris.

The Hemingways lived in Paris from 1921-1926 and during his stay in Paris he found the opportunity to associate with the British and American intellectual expatriates such as Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot, John Dos Passos, Waldo Peirce, Isodora Duncan, Abraham Walkowitz, Ford Maddox Ford and Alan Seeger belonged to the tradition of modernist writers.

Intellectual

Gertrude Stein had branded these expatriate intellectuals as members belonged to the "Lost Generation."

Gertrude Stein was an American writer and poet who spent most of her time in France.

She was one of the writers who greatly influenced Hemingway as his mentor and patron when he was in Paris.

Hemingway compiled seven novels, six short story collections, two non-fictions during his lifetime and in addition three novels, four short story collections and three non-fictions written by Hemingway had also been published posthumously.

Indian Camp (1926), The Sun Also Rises (1926), A Farewell to Arms (1929), The Short Happy Life of Frances Macomber (1935), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), and The Old Man and the Sea (1952) are some of the most popular novels he had written.

In recognition of his contributions to literature Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1954.

The works of Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling and Theodore Roosevelt had also influenced Hemingway in his literary career.

Even though his mother wanted him to pursue music lessons, he preferred to be engaged in outdoor activities such as camping, fishing and hunting with his father. Whenever he ventured into the forest he observed the invincible power of nature.

The exposure of nature's enchanting beauty provided guidance, hope and inspiration to the characters playing diverse roles in the novels and short stories of Hemingway.

In addition, the theme of masculinity has been highlighted by hunting animals in many of his works including The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, A Day's Wait and Fathers and Sons.

Hunting expedition

The character Nick Adams took part in a hunting expedition as an inspiration to his sick son to teach the importance of self-reliance.

Nick was grateful to his father as he described in ' Fathers and Sons for teaching him hunting and fishing skills.

Themes of nature and death had been portrayed by Hemingway in a diversity of situations prominently in his short stories, novels and non-fiction writings.

Hemingway was of the opinion that politics, women, drink, money and ambition ruin writers and their creativity.

Death

Death has been identified as a recurring theme in the writings of Hemingway.

He examines the manner the men behave when they confront death in his works of Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Short Happy Life of Frances Macomber.

Francis Macomber and his wife Margot Macomber took part in a game safari in Africa under the guidance of a professional hunter named Robert Wilson.

During this hunting expedition Francis Macomber was attacked by a wounded lion and his wife Margot Macomber found this as an opportunity to mock him as a coward.

On the second day, both Francis Macomber and Robert Wilson managed to shoot three buffaloes but he escaped with injuries. When they tried to track the wounded buffalo it charged Francis Macomber.

Francis killed it but he became an instant victim by the accidental shooting aimed at the buffalo by his wife from the car.

Carlos Baker the biographer of Hemingway, said that Francis Macomber lost his fear and transformed to manhood when he was charged by the buffalo but his manhood was killed by his wife Margot Macomber.

Fatalistic heroism

Literary critics widely vary on the analysis of the shooting incident and Edmund Wilson referring to the role of Margot Macomber said, "The men in African stories are married to American bitches of the most soul-destroying sort."

Hemingway was a staunch believer in 'fatalistic heroism'.

Death is certain and it is impossible to avoid it.

The universal truism that death has to be faced with stoicism has been implicitly portrayed by the character Francis Macomber.

The deterioration of traditional values of morality, faith and justice among the people could be attributed to the impact of World War 1.

Even Hemingway hinted once that his mentor Gertrude Stein belonged to the "lost generation".

These individuals were found to be constantly engaged in escapist strategies such as drinking, dancing and immoral behaviour.

The behaviour pattern of the characters such as Jake, Brett and their friends in The Sun Also Rises proved to be a clear indication that their lives are aimless.

Besides, the romantic relationships found in The Sun Also Rises appear to be fragile and not mutually shared.

Struggle against defeat

Numerous themes are portrayed in the award-winning novella Old Man and the Sea compiled by Hemingway in 1952 when he was in Cuba.

It became so popular and made him an international celebrity.

The protagonist Santiago is an old fisherman struggling with a giant fish known as 'marlin' which he caught just after spending 84 gruelling days in the deep sea.

A young apprentice Manolin learning techniques of fishing under Santiago had been asked by his parents to discontinue working with an unsuccessful fisherman and instead to fish with a successful man.

Marlin was so big and Santiago had to hold the fishing line for two days and on the third day he stabbed the fish with his harpoon. Sharks were attracted to Marlin's blood and on his return he found only the skeleton was left by the sharks.

Perseverance, suffering, strength, skill, pride, memory, isolation, man and natural world and hunger are some of the themes portrayed in Old Man and The Sea.

The Old Man And the Sea was a grand success and Hemingway was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1953.

Some literary critics said that Hemingway was a nihilist for the reason that the characters in his writings did nothing good in their lives and proved useless.