Hemingway Symbolism

Hemingway's use of baggage as a symbol in “Indian Camp,” “Big Two Hearted River,” and “Hills like White Elephants” demonstrates that baggage can be represented as something good or bad. As read in “Indian Camp” Dr. Adams takes his responsibility as a medical practitioner seriously even though he is tending to a woman who isn’t in the same ethnic group as him. Sterilization was important in order to perform surgery and, “ into the water left in the kettle he [Dr. Adams] put several things he unwrapped from a handkerchief”(Indian Camp). The utensils brought by Nick’s father is baggage, used to help someone in need; concluding that in this case baggage is looked at as a positive symbol. On the other hand, Baggage is approached in a negative perspective
for it represents women and children in ‘Hills Like White Elephants”. The man in this story, “picked up the two heavy bags and carried then around the station…”(Hills Like White Elephants).