Comparing Snows Of Kilimanjaro And Bullet In The Brain
Tammy Latronica
Jacqui Shehorn
English 1BL03
16 March 2015
On Death’s Bed
Ernest Hemingway’s short story “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” depicts a man’s final thoughts as he accepts his impending death. Hemingway’s character Harry’s death occurs over several hours as he is stranded on safari by a broken down truck and is suffering with gangrene in his leg. “Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wollf also describes the death of the main character and the thoughts that invade his mind as the moment grows closer. Anders, the lead character in
“Bullet in the Brain,” dies in mere seconds after being shot by a bank robber. Although there are similarities in plot and theme, there are marked differences in the stories’ settings and main characters. Each story, however, is uniquely crafted to engage the reader into the main …show more content…
character’s psyche.
In both “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and “Bullet in the Brain” the main character is about to meet with death.
While the stories differ in length, they follow a similar path to the end. The lead character is introduced. He is dying. Final thoughts invade his mind. The reader absorbs the regret he must feel about his life choices. Finally, the character dies.
How this plot develops differs in each story, however. In “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”
Harry’s injury and the mechanical problems with the truck that cause Harry’s death happen before the story begins. The reader does not receive the playbyplay in real time. In addition,
“The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is a longer story in length than “Bullet in the Brain”. Both of these
aspects provide Harry several hours to reminisce about many experiences in his life. There is time for him to think about the regret and failure he feels. Harry also has the opportunity to converse with his wife, allowing the reader a window into their complicated relationship.
While the cause of Harry’s death is almost a side note in the plot of “The Snows of
Kilimanjaro,” Anders’ murder is an integral part of the plot in “Bullet in the Brain.” …show more content…
Harry’s death from an infection creeps up on him for hours. Anders death from being shot in the head is
quick.
The bullet does not allow him the same leisure to reminisce or examine the meaning of his last memory. The reader must come to his own conclusion. The narrator, however, does fill in a few blanks by describing the experiences in Anders’ life that he was not given the opportunity to examine himself.
The backdrop of “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya during the mid 1930’s. Harry, his wife and a few hired hands have been stranded by a broken down truck while on a safari. Vultures, hyenas and other wildlife surround the camp they made after their truck broke down. In addition, the reader is taken to several other locales such as Paris and the Black Forest via Harry’s memories of past events. The influence of Hemingway’s previous nonfiction work
Green Hills of Africa depicting his experience on safari with his own wife are believed to have been the inspiration of both the setting and the theme of “The Snows of
Kilimanjaro” (Rokvic).
In contrast, “Bullet in the Brain” is set in the 1990’s at a bank described as “a pompous old building with marble floors and counters and pillars, and gilt scrollwork over the tellers’ cages” (Wollf). The vultures in Wollf’s story are of the human type. Ironically, had “The
Snows of Kilimanjaro” been set in the same time period as “Bullet in the Brain,” more modern
telecommunication technology might have saved Harry’s life. In addition, time moves much quicker in “Bullet in the Brain” that it did in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.” The events in Anders’ death unfold quickly, which Harry dies a slow uncomfortable death.
The character of Harry is a writer by trade. It is not just a job to Harry, though, it is his self worth. At one time he showed such a great passion for his craft that he lived in the slums of
Paris to afford rent.. Somewhere along the way, however, Harry’s notoriety brought him in contact with the wealthy people he had always envied. He found it possible to use his celebrity to become part of their world, marrying several wealthy women to secure his place amongst them.
He pondered “It was strange, too, wasn’t it, that when he fell in love with another woman, that woman should always have more money the the last one?” Once completely integrated in their lives he found the people he had once envied to be quite boring. Harry also felt that he was more a guest of the wealthy friends of his wives than part of their world. He was not involved in their stories as he was in the stories of being snowed in during a blizzard or hiding a deserter during the war. He was allowed to watch them, but he found no true substance to their polite world. At the unexpected end of his life he discovered he had traded his true passion for a comfortable life with these women he did not truly love and their friends. His final thoughts were of true stories of war, adversity, lost love, lust and poverty and the regret he felt that he had grown lazy in this comfortable life and would never have time to write about them.
The reader gets the impression that, although he had occasionally behaved dishonorably, being perceived as honorable and gentlemanly is important to Harry, even in death. Although he is irritable, he tries to be cordial and gentlemanly as he slips away and even apologizes that the smell of his rotting leg must bother his wife. Harry has a true affection for Helen, but he is
quarrelsome as he accepts his fate and would rather drink and reminisce than make small talk.
He slips and admits that he does not love her in his selfinvolved delirium. Even while he is accepting his death, however, he remembers his manners and makes amends with her when she returns from hunting. It was important to him that she believe he truly loved her, though it is clear he did not. He allows her to stay in denial as he slips further and further away, almost as a courtesy. In contrast to Harry, Anders makes his living being critical. He is a literary critic and takes that title to the extreme. It seems that the judgemental mockery that makes him a success at work has overtaken his entire persona. He judges the women in front of him in line as loud and unsophisticated. When the teller closes her line to chit chat with a coworker, Anders sarcastically answers one of the ladies’ complaints even though he agrees with her. He insults the robber by lampooning the language the man uses as coming from a bad movie script. His disregard for the safety of the other customers by continuously antagonizing the gunmen makes it easy for the reader to believe Anders got what he deserved when the man shot him in the head.
The bullet then takes his life with great speed so Anders is allowed only one final thought. The narrator, however, humanizes the character by telling the reader what Anders did not have the leisure to recall. He had at least one great love. He regrets that the daughter who doled out punishments, possibly inspired by her father’s example, to her teddy bear grew from a disappointed teddy bear master to a sour economics professor. There are hints of a different man, having survived a harsh childhood and once respecting life, before “he began to regard the heap of books on his desk with boredom and dread” (Wollf). Through this narration, the reader can soften his stance toward this arrogant man.
The final thought that Anders was allowed was of a boyhood baseball game and of the young man from the South who used the colloquialism “they is” in the place of “there is.” The reader now understands that Anders once appreciated the beauty in words, not because they were grammatically correct, but because they sounded beautiful. While Hemingway’s Harry died with the regret that he had not lived up to his full potential, Wollf’s Anders seems to have lived up to his chosen profession too well.
An underlying theme in both of these stories is regret. Harry regrets that his choice to marry into money ultimately stole his passion and happiness. While the reader doesn’t get as much insight into Anders’ regret, his last memory of appreciating the beauty in simple, misspoken words tells the reader that he longed for that time in his life.
Anders died alone, most certainly ending a lonely life he created by his pompous mockery of almost everything. While
Harry died with his wife, seemingly having had a full social life, he was also lonely. He longed for the people of his past that he had left behind for money. Both men appeared to have ended their lives wholly unsatisfied.
While Harry’s comfortable life swallowed his enthusiasm for writing, Anders comfortable career swallowed his enthusiasm for life. Anders would probably have blamed everyone else for his state but Harry recognized his mistake. A more sincere life, not being too comfortable or afraid to pursue one’s passion would have been more satisfying.
There are many similarities in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and “Bullet in the Brain,” particularly in the elements of plot and theme. Impending death and the missed opportunities each character experienced due to their choices create a common bond between the two stories.
The characters of Harry and Anders were probably more alike in their younger years but end their lives with markedly different traits. Harry dies honorably, having made amends to Helen for
his brutal honesty. Anders, on the other hand, was probably seen as anything but honorable by the victims of the bank robbery. The different settings, Harry dying in shadow of Mt.
Kilimanjaro and Anders’ meeting his fate in a modern city bank brings a uniqueness to each story. Works Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. ""The Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Ernest Hemingway.
"Cardinal Hayes High School. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
<
http://www.cardinalhayes.org/ourpages/auto/2007/2/8/1170966148839/The%20Snows
%20of%20Kilimanjaro.pdf
>.
Rokvic, Aleksandra. "Snows of Kilimanjaro: Death of the Author." Aleksandra Rokvić Blog.
N.p., 04 Apr. 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
<https://aleksandrarokvic.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/snowsofkilimanjarodeathofthe
author/>.
Wollf, Tobias. "Tobias Wolff 's Short Story, "Bullet in the Brain"" Tobias Wolff 's Short Story, "Bullet in the Brain" N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
<http://pov.imv.au.dk/Issue_27/section_1/artc2A.html>.
Jacqui Shehorn
English 1BL03
16 March 2015
On Death’s Bed
Ernest Hemingway’s short story “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” depicts a man’s final thoughts as he accepts his impending death. Hemingway’s character Harry’s death occurs over several hours as he is stranded on safari by a broken down truck and is suffering with gangrene in his leg. “Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wollf also describes the death of the main character and the thoughts that invade his mind as the moment grows closer. Anders, the lead character in
“Bullet in the Brain,” dies in mere seconds after being shot by a bank robber. Although there are similarities in plot and theme, there are marked differences in the stories’ settings and main characters. Each story, however, is uniquely crafted to engage the reader into the main …show more content…
character’s psyche.
In both “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and “Bullet in the Brain” the main character is about to meet with death.
While the stories differ in length, they follow a similar path to the end. The lead character is introduced. He is dying. Final thoughts invade his mind. The reader absorbs the regret he must feel about his life choices. Finally, the character dies.
How this plot develops differs in each story, however. In “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”
Harry’s injury and the mechanical problems with the truck that cause Harry’s death happen before the story begins. The reader does not receive the playbyplay in real time. In addition,
“The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is a longer story in length than “Bullet in the Brain”. Both of these
aspects provide Harry several hours to reminisce about many experiences in his life. There is time for him to think about the regret and failure he feels. Harry also has the opportunity to converse with his wife, allowing the reader a window into their complicated relationship.
While the cause of Harry’s death is almost a side note in the plot of “The Snows of
Kilimanjaro,” Anders’ murder is an integral part of the plot in “Bullet in the Brain.” …show more content…
Harry’s death from an infection creeps up on him for hours. Anders death from being shot in the head is
quick.
The bullet does not allow him the same leisure to reminisce or examine the meaning of his last memory. The reader must come to his own conclusion. The narrator, however, does fill in a few blanks by describing the experiences in Anders’ life that he was not given the opportunity to examine himself.
The backdrop of “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya during the mid 1930’s. Harry, his wife and a few hired hands have been stranded by a broken down truck while on a safari. Vultures, hyenas and other wildlife surround the camp they made after their truck broke down. In addition, the reader is taken to several other locales such as Paris and the Black Forest via Harry’s memories of past events. The influence of Hemingway’s previous nonfiction work
Green Hills of Africa depicting his experience on safari with his own wife are believed to have been the inspiration of both the setting and the theme of “The Snows of
Kilimanjaro” (Rokvic).
In contrast, “Bullet in the Brain” is set in the 1990’s at a bank described as “a pompous old building with marble floors and counters and pillars, and gilt scrollwork over the tellers’ cages” (Wollf). The vultures in Wollf’s story are of the human type. Ironically, had “The
Snows of Kilimanjaro” been set in the same time period as “Bullet in the Brain,” more modern
telecommunication technology might have saved Harry’s life. In addition, time moves much quicker in “Bullet in the Brain” that it did in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.” The events in Anders’ death unfold quickly, which Harry dies a slow uncomfortable death.
The character of Harry is a writer by trade. It is not just a job to Harry, though, it is his self worth. At one time he showed such a great passion for his craft that he lived in the slums of
Paris to afford rent.. Somewhere along the way, however, Harry’s notoriety brought him in contact with the wealthy people he had always envied. He found it possible to use his celebrity to become part of their world, marrying several wealthy women to secure his place amongst them.
He pondered “It was strange, too, wasn’t it, that when he fell in love with another woman, that woman should always have more money the the last one?” Once completely integrated in their lives he found the people he had once envied to be quite boring. Harry also felt that he was more a guest of the wealthy friends of his wives than part of their world. He was not involved in their stories as he was in the stories of being snowed in during a blizzard or hiding a deserter during the war. He was allowed to watch them, but he found no true substance to their polite world. At the unexpected end of his life he discovered he had traded his true passion for a comfortable life with these women he did not truly love and their friends. His final thoughts were of true stories of war, adversity, lost love, lust and poverty and the regret he felt that he had grown lazy in this comfortable life and would never have time to write about them.
The reader gets the impression that, although he had occasionally behaved dishonorably, being perceived as honorable and gentlemanly is important to Harry, even in death. Although he is irritable, he tries to be cordial and gentlemanly as he slips away and even apologizes that the smell of his rotting leg must bother his wife. Harry has a true affection for Helen, but he is
quarrelsome as he accepts his fate and would rather drink and reminisce than make small talk.
He slips and admits that he does not love her in his selfinvolved delirium. Even while he is accepting his death, however, he remembers his manners and makes amends with her when she returns from hunting. It was important to him that she believe he truly loved her, though it is clear he did not. He allows her to stay in denial as he slips further and further away, almost as a courtesy. In contrast to Harry, Anders makes his living being critical. He is a literary critic and takes that title to the extreme. It seems that the judgemental mockery that makes him a success at work has overtaken his entire persona. He judges the women in front of him in line as loud and unsophisticated. When the teller closes her line to chit chat with a coworker, Anders sarcastically answers one of the ladies’ complaints even though he agrees with her. He insults the robber by lampooning the language the man uses as coming from a bad movie script. His disregard for the safety of the other customers by continuously antagonizing the gunmen makes it easy for the reader to believe Anders got what he deserved when the man shot him in the head.
The bullet then takes his life with great speed so Anders is allowed only one final thought. The narrator, however, humanizes the character by telling the reader what Anders did not have the leisure to recall. He had at least one great love. He regrets that the daughter who doled out punishments, possibly inspired by her father’s example, to her teddy bear grew from a disappointed teddy bear master to a sour economics professor. There are hints of a different man, having survived a harsh childhood and once respecting life, before “he began to regard the heap of books on his desk with boredom and dread” (Wollf). Through this narration, the reader can soften his stance toward this arrogant man.
The final thought that Anders was allowed was of a boyhood baseball game and of the young man from the South who used the colloquialism “they is” in the place of “there is.” The reader now understands that Anders once appreciated the beauty in words, not because they were grammatically correct, but because they sounded beautiful. While Hemingway’s Harry died with the regret that he had not lived up to his full potential, Wollf’s Anders seems to have lived up to his chosen profession too well.
An underlying theme in both of these stories is regret. Harry regrets that his choice to marry into money ultimately stole his passion and happiness. While the reader doesn’t get as much insight into Anders’ regret, his last memory of appreciating the beauty in simple, misspoken words tells the reader that he longed for that time in his life.
Anders died alone, most certainly ending a lonely life he created by his pompous mockery of almost everything. While
Harry died with his wife, seemingly having had a full social life, he was also lonely. He longed for the people of his past that he had left behind for money. Both men appeared to have ended their lives wholly unsatisfied.
While Harry’s comfortable life swallowed his enthusiasm for writing, Anders comfortable career swallowed his enthusiasm for life. Anders would probably have blamed everyone else for his state but Harry recognized his mistake. A more sincere life, not being too comfortable or afraid to pursue one’s passion would have been more satisfying.
There are many similarities in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and “Bullet in the Brain,” particularly in the elements of plot and theme. Impending death and the missed opportunities each character experienced due to their choices create a common bond between the two stories.
The characters of Harry and Anders were probably more alike in their younger years but end their lives with markedly different traits. Harry dies honorably, having made amends to Helen for
his brutal honesty. Anders, on the other hand, was probably seen as anything but honorable by the victims of the bank robbery. The different settings, Harry dying in shadow of Mt.
Kilimanjaro and Anders’ meeting his fate in a modern city bank brings a uniqueness to each story. Works Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. ""The Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Ernest Hemingway.
"Cardinal Hayes High School. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
<
http://www.cardinalhayes.org/ourpages/auto/2007/2/8/1170966148839/The%20Snows
%20of%20Kilimanjaro.pdf
>.
Rokvic, Aleksandra. "Snows of Kilimanjaro: Death of the Author." Aleksandra Rokvić Blog.
N.p., 04 Apr. 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
<https://aleksandrarokvic.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/snowsofkilimanjarodeathofthe
author/>.
Wollf, Tobias. "Tobias Wolff 's Short Story, "Bullet in the Brain"" Tobias Wolff 's Short Story, "Bullet in the Brain" N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
<http://pov.imv.au.dk/Issue_27/section_1/artc2A.html>.