The influence of Earnest Hemmingway
The influence of Earnest Hemmingway on literature was significant and immeasurable. Through his groundbreaking work and distinctive writing style, he revolutionized minimalist fiction. In order to achieve this, he developed a writing theory known as the iceberg theory that was consistent with his idea of what excellent and effective writings should be. Indian Camp, one of his earliest short tales, received high praise when it was published, and understanding Hemmingway's literary style and point of view requires understanding its critical analysis.
Hemmingway's "iceberg theory" of literature
Hemmingway invented the "iceberg theory" of literature, which he defined as the deliberate omission of certain details from a story and the subsequent use of words to disclose the unspoken to the reader. (Dudley, 14). In this regard, his literary work portrays a strong level of congruence with his theory as he endeavored to make the deeper meaning of his stories invisible on the surface, but vigorously vivid when considered implicitly. An analysis of his short story, Indian Camp, unveils that the narrative resonates with the iceberg theory. In the story, the main protagonist is Nick Adams, a young boy who travels with his father to an Indian camp to help a woman in labor deliver her baby (Smith, 42). Through the experience, which involves a lot of blood and gore, both from the caesarian section that his father had to perform on the woman, as well as the suicide of the husband in the top bunk, the reader is unwittingly presented with the deeper meaning of the narrative, which is the initiation of the young boy into adulthood. Hemmingway never explicitly mentions that the ordeal would be Nick’s transcendence to adulthood. Instead, he makes it exceedingly clear through such aspects of the narrative as the young boy serving as the nursing aid to his father’s procedure, as well as the insistence of Nick’s dad that he not look away during the C-section. In this regard, the short story embodies the iceberg theory postulated by its author.
Themes
Human existence’s duality of life and death is a central theme in Hemmingway’s short story Indian Camp. This is evident, first of all when Nick’s father opts to take his young son to the birth of another human being. While the protagonist’s father knows that the scene might not be conducive for a young child, he is still aware that he will need to come to terms with these two aspects later on in life, and as such, sought to prepare him for the same. To this end, Nick’s father endeavors to make him aware of the bloody, painful and laborious task that is childbirth. This enables the reader, through Nick’s eyes, to resonate with the fact that life does not come easily into this world, and by extension, appreciate its precious nature. Hemmingway also expounds on the motif of death through the inclusion of suicide in the short narrative. Though there has been varied speculation regarding why the husband took his life, most critics cite that he took it as a result of his wife’s labor pain, which had been going on for days, and which he could not alleviate owing to his foot injury (Benson, 25). It is imperative to note that even in his portrayal of the theme of life and death, Hemmingway remains true to his iceberg theory and portrays the themes within the deeper meaning of the text and not merely on its surface. As the events in the Indian Camp unfold, the reader is forced to reflect on the fragility and preciousness of life, and simultaneously, the inevitability and ghastliness of death.
Characterization
A critique of Hemmingway’s protagonist in Indian Camp, Nick Adams, reveals further congruence between his writing technique and his iceberg theory. A significant aspect of the story, is white privilege, with regard to their interaction with the Indian folk. As Nick observes the interaction between his male role models and the Indian people, he is quickly appraised of the fact that they considered themselves in higher regard than the native American population. Therefore, as a young Caucasian male, Nick is expected to act in the same way. In the Indian Camp, Hemmingway subtly points to this expectation when he portrays how Nick reacts during the surgery. “Nick did not watch. His curiosity had been gone a long time.” (Hemmingway, 32). His father, noticing the reaction, urges him to look on, evident that he expects his son to act in a masculine and authoritative way even in the face of such gore, as not doing so would be perceived as weakness by the Indian people, which was unacceptable. Furthermore, it becomes increasingly evident to the reader that Nick’s pondering over his father and uncle’s interaction with Indians cause him to become aware of the inequalities of life, and the existence of social strata. All this is evident without Hemmingway’s explicit affirmation, but instead, asserts it implicitly through the underlying meaning of his work. This is in tandem with his iceberg theory.
Conclusion
Earnest Hemmingway’s Indian Camp is perhaps one of his best works, as it set the stage for Hemmingway’s unique perspective on the literary world. The critically acclaimed author supposed the iceberg theory, which champions for the extension of meaning implicitly rather than explicitly. A critical analysis of his work reveals that Hemmingway’s iceberg theory permeates the plot, themes, and characterization of Indian Camp.
Works Cited
Benson, Jackson J. New Critical Approaches to The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. 1st ed., Durham, Duke University Press Books, 2009.
Dudley, Marc Kevin. Hemingway, Race, and Art: Bloodlines and the Color Line. Kent: The Kent State University Press, 2011. Project MUSE, https://muse.jhu.edu/book/14385
Hemingway, Ernest. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. 1st ed., New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1987.
Smith, Paul. A Reader's Guide to The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. 1st ed., Boston, Mass., G.K. Hall, 1989.
