Hemingway Book Banned
Books are banned in America every year for different reasons. Some are allowed in public and school libraries, while others are strictly forbidden due to their nature. Vulgar language, sexual content, and racial slurs are all enough to get a book banned or challenged, especially if allowed in school libraries. This sometimes causes an upset for both readers and the authors who wrote these books because the ban on the book is almost like insult or in this case, a "compliment" to Hemingway. A book is challenged when a group or individual attempts to restrict the accessibility of it because of its materials. The initial “ban” is when the book has successfully been removed from libraries and other sources. What confuses people about the banning
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process is the fact that the government has no part in what is voted. Usually, it is only a group of citizens that get together to have the book terminated. Most reasons that books are banned is because of vulgar language, extreme religious views, or sexually explicit content. Because of the time period that this book was published, many people were still very sensitive to the type of content in Hemingway's novels. The 1920’s was a time of economic prosperity and culture. Automobiles, telephones, televisions, motion pictures, and cars were all introduced and widely used during the 1920’s. World War I patriotism also played a huge role in how Americans felt and acted at the time. Ernest Hemingway portrayed his view of World War I which kept some readers on their toes while others burning in rage. Ernest Hemingway was an American short story writer and author whose style of writing greatly influenced the 20th century. He was raised in Oak Park, Illinois and after high school was a reporter for a period time. As World War I came near, he enlisted with the ambulance drivers and was sent back to the United States after being critically wounded. While in a hospital in Milan, he met a woman named Agnes von Kurowsky, who later accepted his marriage proposal, but soon left him for another man. His wartime experiences sparked the writing of his novel, A Farewell to Arms, which has been challenged multiple times by people and organizations on a local level. Because his book tells so much of what his life was like during the war, Hemingway can’t possibly be blamed with purposely making his novel vulgar. He is regarded as a highly intelligent and stylistic author whose words are used to describe everything in great detail.
A Farewell to Arms has been challenged a number of times for its sexually explicit content.
In an analysis by Shmoop, they stated that it was “banned from Boston newsstands because the novel was accused of being pornographic.” In my opinion, the reasoning behind challenging this book is not justified enough because the idea of sex is implied, but never clearly said. It is true that the idea of sexual intent is present, but before anything serious happens, Hemingway does a fantastic job of utilizing omission to allow readers to make their own assumptions as to what really goes on in the novel. Another reason that this book should not be banned is because of the level at which it was written. This novel has received many merits for its plot and style that banning it will only be a waste of literature for students and regular readers alike. A Farewell to Arms also serves as a great tool for teachers to analyze Hemingway’s literary work and life with their students. It is not only a great read, but the perfect topic for a research paper such as this one. Students can use this novel to analyze the reasons behind banned books and compare how people back then felt about them versus now. Aside from reading this book for a school essay, it can also be read for the sake of knowing what Hemingway went through during World War I. There are many wartime novels that depict gruesome scenes, but “A Farewell To Arms” is so much more than your typical war story. The love affair described in this novel is like none other because of the easy flowing words used by Hemingway. His style of writing is very vivid and makes you feel as though you are living the lives of the characters in his
stories. Another incident in which this novel was temporarily inaccessible was in 1929 when police Chief Michael H. Crowley pronounced the book “salacious”. In an excerpt of “Censorship and a Farewell to Arms” by Scott Donaldson, he explains that even though Michael Crowley contested the distribution of Hemingway’s book, “it had little to no effect on the overall circulation of figures of the magazine and undoubtedly served to stimulate sales of the book when it was published on September 27.” As you can see, the banning of books also tends to have the reverse effect on those who see the attempt as another reason to read just how “inappropriate” it really is. When people defy something, whether it be a books’ materials or an idea, the initial mindset is that by protesting, it will be discontinued; this is not true however. When buzz about a controversial book begins, naturally those who have no idea what it is about will want to find out for themselves resulting in sales of the book ultimately making it more popular. Because Hemingway was already a well accredited author, people were already buying his work. In short, if the majority of the people reading a novel enjoys the story for which it was written, then they will continue buying the book regardless of the content. Many times, books much worse than “A Farewell To Arms” are the ones most enjoyed by the general because of the nature of the novel. People like diversity in a book. If they were all the same then no one would read them. Authors like Hemingway do a fantastic job of keeping the reader captivated while telling a well-thought and descriptive story.
To review, banning books in America is a controversial affair among many authors and groups of people. Banning a piece of literature for something miniscule such as language or light sexual innuendos should never be the case. Unless the book is intended for adult audiences only, then it shouldn't have to be removed from public or school libraries. It only keeps students and the public away from a possible great piece of work. Ernest Hemingway in “A Farewell To Arms” beautifully portrayed his work and deserves to reap the benefits in libraries all across the globe.
process is the fact that the government has no part in what is voted. Usually, it is only a group of citizens that get together to have the book terminated. Most reasons that books are banned is because of vulgar language, extreme religious views, or sexually explicit content. Because of the time period that this book was published, many people were still very sensitive to the type of content in Hemingway's novels. The 1920’s was a time of economic prosperity and culture. Automobiles, telephones, televisions, motion pictures, and cars were all introduced and widely used during the 1920’s. World War I patriotism also played a huge role in how Americans felt and acted at the time. Ernest Hemingway portrayed his view of World War I which kept some readers on their toes while others burning in rage. Ernest Hemingway was an American short story writer and author whose style of writing greatly influenced the 20th century. He was raised in Oak Park, Illinois and after high school was a reporter for a period time. As World War I came near, he enlisted with the ambulance drivers and was sent back to the United States after being critically wounded. While in a hospital in Milan, he met a woman named Agnes von Kurowsky, who later accepted his marriage proposal, but soon left him for another man. His wartime experiences sparked the writing of his novel, A Farewell to Arms, which has been challenged multiple times by people and organizations on a local level. Because his book tells so much of what his life was like during the war, Hemingway can’t possibly be blamed with purposely making his novel vulgar. He is regarded as a highly intelligent and stylistic author whose words are used to describe everything in great detail.
A Farewell to Arms has been challenged a number of times for its sexually explicit content.
In an analysis by Shmoop, they stated that it was “banned from Boston newsstands because the novel was accused of being pornographic.” In my opinion, the reasoning behind challenging this book is not justified enough because the idea of sex is implied, but never clearly said. It is true that the idea of sexual intent is present, but before anything serious happens, Hemingway does a fantastic job of utilizing omission to allow readers to make their own assumptions as to what really goes on in the novel. Another reason that this book should not be banned is because of the level at which it was written. This novel has received many merits for its plot and style that banning it will only be a waste of literature for students and regular readers alike. A Farewell to Arms also serves as a great tool for teachers to analyze Hemingway’s literary work and life with their students. It is not only a great read, but the perfect topic for a research paper such as this one. Students can use this novel to analyze the reasons behind banned books and compare how people back then felt about them versus now. Aside from reading this book for a school essay, it can also be read for the sake of knowing what Hemingway went through during World War I. There are many wartime novels that depict gruesome scenes, but “A Farewell To Arms” is so much more than your typical war story. The love affair described in this novel is like none other because of the easy flowing words used by Hemingway. His style of writing is very vivid and makes you feel as though you are living the lives of the characters in his
stories. Another incident in which this novel was temporarily inaccessible was in 1929 when police Chief Michael H. Crowley pronounced the book “salacious”. In an excerpt of “Censorship and a Farewell to Arms” by Scott Donaldson, he explains that even though Michael Crowley contested the distribution of Hemingway’s book, “it had little to no effect on the overall circulation of figures of the magazine and undoubtedly served to stimulate sales of the book when it was published on September 27.” As you can see, the banning of books also tends to have the reverse effect on those who see the attempt as another reason to read just how “inappropriate” it really is. When people defy something, whether it be a books’ materials or an idea, the initial mindset is that by protesting, it will be discontinued; this is not true however. When buzz about a controversial book begins, naturally those who have no idea what it is about will want to find out for themselves resulting in sales of the book ultimately making it more popular. Because Hemingway was already a well accredited author, people were already buying his work. In short, if the majority of the people reading a novel enjoys the story for which it was written, then they will continue buying the book regardless of the content. Many times, books much worse than “A Farewell To Arms” are the ones most enjoyed by the general because of the nature of the novel. People like diversity in a book. If they were all the same then no one would read them. Authors like Hemingway do a fantastic job of keeping the reader captivated while telling a well-thought and descriptive story.
To review, banning books in America is a controversial affair among many authors and groups of people. Banning a piece of literature for something miniscule such as language or light sexual innuendos should never be the case. Unless the book is intended for adult audiences only, then it shouldn't have to be removed from public or school libraries. It only keeps students and the public away from a possible great piece of work. Ernest Hemingway in “A Farewell To Arms” beautifully portrayed his work and deserves to reap the benefits in libraries all across the globe.