Ernest Hemingway Research Paper

Hemingway’s Unique Life Influenced His Style of Literature Ernest Hemingway was one of the most critically acclaimed American novelists during the 1900’s. His particular style and technique of composing literature was both criticized and cherished, as his work was honored by the Nobel Prize in 1954 (Nobel Prize 1). Vincent Balitas, a respected poet, analyzed Hemingway’s letters that were written as an “experiment” before he became popular. Balitas appreciated and emphasized the “combative spirit” (Balitas 1) that spills throughout those letters. Then, there are those that focus on specific techniques that are represented in certain pieces of his literature. Na’imah, an English lecturer at Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University, explains how Hemingway’s use of metaphors in “Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories” promises a deeper appreciation of the emotions portrayed in this story. Balitas and Na’imah both explore Hemingway’s style of literature and demonstrate why his techniques should be appreciated. Just as Hemingway lived an adventurous and unique life, the style of his
literature is organized to force readers to experience the adventure for themselves. For this particular reason, many readers struggled to respect Hemingway for the intelligent writer he was destined to be. Vincent Balitas’s analysis of Hemingway’s letters was influenced by this controversy as he wished to understand his techniques. Balitas believes that the character within the letters is a direct shadow of Hemingway himself and were written to “consciously free himself of baggage” (Balitas 1). This character (Hemingway), in the beginning of the letters presents an uncertainty of himself and his literature. However, Balitas explains that as this character progresses; he suddenly acknowledges his talent but arrogantly believes that it is deteriorating. He also strongly admires the “verbosity of many letters” (Balitas 2) that forces overwhelming emotions. Emotions that are so seemingly powerful that they may open the reader’s reality of their own issues. Although Hemingway’s letters were said to be written to other people, Balitas claims that they were written to release Hemingway’s deepest and darkest conscious. Hemingway’s distinctive style of writing is criticized for the recurring absence of adjectives, but yet his stories are still argued to express overpowering emotion. How is this so? Na’imah’s primary focus was analyzing Hemingway’s metaphorical style solely presented in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories”, and how this technique composed both beautiful and powerful literature. Na’imah passionately begins by explaining the significance and purpose of metaphors not only presented in Hemingway’s literature, but in any form of writing. According to Na’imah, Hemingway’s use of metaphors was enforced to “describe everything much more expressively, imaginatively, effectively, and poetically” (Na’Imah 1). In fact, he claims that metaphors embrace “a quality or an action more comprehensively and concisely than what’s possible in literal or physical language” (Na’imah 1). Therefore, Hemingway’s metaphorical techniques presented in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories” were enforced to create passionate composition. Literature should be viewed as a piece of art in which there is no certain way it has to be written, and there is no particular way to interpret what a story truly means.
Although some of those who have read Hemingway’s stories fail to understand his personal style, that itself is a reason to adore his work as it is different from the next man. Vincent Balitas analyzed Hemingway’s letters that were written prior to his fame to help gain an appreciation for his technique. While he eventually understands his style of literature; Balitas also gains respect for his “flat, compressed language” (Balitas 1) that allows readers to face personal experiences that are mirrored in his stories. As for Na’imah, he explains the importance of metaphors presented throughout literature. Even more importantly, he demonstrates how metaphors transformed Hemingway’s stories from unorganized to
legendary.