Isolation of Hemingway.
Ernest Hemingway was and is one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century. The use of his characters not only allowed the reader to understand them but also was often created to expose those parts of the person people hide from one another, the flaws, the defects, the factors of being that create guilt and sorrow. He was not afraid to show the vulnerability of his characters, a vulnerability that was also considered strength. It was within this vulnerability that many of his character hid from themselves as well as from the reader. They closed off from the world that scared them and lived in their own way and in their own reality. Even when pushed to be different the characters rarely move out of their self-inflicted isolation and back into the world. Instead they just find a new type of isolation in which to live.
Two of Hemingways short stories show the aspects of isolation from different age perspectives, but on the same idea. The main characters are obviously isolating themselves from the rest, but even some of other characters are isolationists as well. The first story, Soldiers Home, focuses on Krebs, a young man who has just returned from Germany after World War I. The two male characters within this story show signs of their isolation for protection from the harsh realities of the world. The other story, A Days Wait, focuses on the relationship of a father and son and their need to not show the fragility, what would be considered feminine, but to pull through things on their own, alone and with only their own self.
Krebss world has been shaken on its foundations. He had joined the army to serve his country in World War I, but unlike most of the other soldiers from his town, he did not return from Europe right away. In fact, he returned two years later, and by that time, the fanfare and glorious returns were over, and it was just another day in his small hometown. He wanted to be like a hero, but all the stories of war had been told. He lied at times, but even then people still really did not want to hear. This alienation between him and the town in which he grew up created the self-inflicted isolation in which he put himself. He was no longer a part of the town. The town ignored him upon his return rather than giving him a heros return. To them he was home, but it was no big deal. The town did not care about him and so he was safe in his isolation. He even went so far in his own isolation that he could not let others in (McKenna Raabe). To prove this point, Hemingway has Krebs explain it the aspects of finding a girlfriend, but the world they were in was not the world he was in. He would like to have one of them. But it was not worth it. (89). The Army had taught him well to live in his own world and need for nothing from those outside.
The character of Krebs is symbolic of the soldiers who returned home, but could not readjust to normal life. These were the men who had found the routine of the military comforting even though they did not realize it. Krebs in this sense missed the military. He structured his day in the same way every day. He did not have room to grow emotionally, or spiritual. He existed. From the time he awoke to the way he spent his day, there were no changes. His world was static. Hemingway used Krebss point of view to show just how much he had isolated himself from the rest of the town. Hemingway used the fact that Krebs no longer found the small town exciting. He accentuated this with the fact that Krebs could not fit in like those young men whom he had gone to high school. They were settling down and starting their adult life. Krebs, however, decides that it is not for him. The descriptions Hemingway used to show Krebss isolation also showed that he had no real agenda, and only acted to have something to do, but the action was not normally associated with people or at least no one in particular. Krebs could not deal in the abstract as easily as in the actions of life.
He was repulsed by the thoughts of getting a job, caring for people, or settling down. For him, the life of isolation was finally giving him the necessary time he needed to re-evaluate his life and find what was missing or what needed to be done to make him comfortable again. The fact that he does not want to associate or care for people is shown in his view of girls, but again when he tells his mother I dont love anybody (Hemingway 92). At this juncture in his life, he does not love anyone and he is not ready to care (McKenna et al). Hemingway uses this symbolic theme of avoidance and the elimination of caring for other humans to accentuate the alienation that Krebss feels in relation to his return home from Europe. People he cared about were killed and the memory of death creates another reason to isolate and protect him from the world.
Another problem Krebs had was the fact that his isolation required him to lie. He knew that eventually his lies would be discovered and there would be one more scene before he got away (Hemingway 93). However, if he wanted to keep his own self safe, he needed to keep others out and the only way was to hide the truth. The morals of this young man are skewed, and Hemingway acknowledges this in the fact that he is a soldier coming home from war, but has a problem with lying. His values seem out of place, as well with the way in which he deals with his issues, and that is to leave rather than adjust and stay.
It would appear that the father lives in this way to a point as well. Everything the reader knows about the father is through the mother or Krebss memories from before the war. She tells Krebs that his father is worried about him, he wants Krebs to use the car in the evening, and he wants him to have a normal life. However, Krebs does not believe this of his father and neither does the reader. He goes so far as to tell his mother that this is all her and not his father, but she denies it. Both the father and Krebss are very static and refuse to change for themselves or others. The father hides in his own type of isolation so that he does not have to deal with things that scare him including his family. Krebs wants to leave and move to another city to keep his own isolation in tact. So it would seem that Krebs learned this not only from the war and the Army, but from his father as well.
The world in A Days Wait is much different. Only one character has a name and that is the nine year old boy Schatz. The rest of the characters do not have names mainly because only the child needs to be seen as an individual and that he takes his cues from this father. Hemingway uses this isolation of Schatz, by naming him and therefore, making him more than the rest of the characters. He will be the one who is most affected and the one who changes the most. The second character is the father who will also change, but only because Schatz makes him.
The father wakes to find his young son very sick. The doctor comes and diagnoses the child with influenza and states his temperature is one hundred and two (Hemingway L17). From this point on the child self inflicts his own isolation from his family, including his father. Hemingway uses the maturity of an adult in the childs illness. The child does not want others to worry, but he is sure he is going to die. Instead of acting as a child with crying and reaching out for parental love and guidance, he retreats into himself and takes it like a man. He tells his father that he does not need to sit at the foot of his bed. Schatz just lays there and watches his father, and eventually the father leaves. At this point, the story completely isolates the child by only focusing on the fathers quest for quail (Hemingway L45-60). The father out for a hunt is symbolic of Schatzs isolation within the house at the same time. When the father returns, the reader discovers why the child has isolated himself from everyone and refuses to let people in his room. From the point that the doctor diagnosis Schatz until the father comes back from hunting, the child is emotionally unraveled. He is isolated in his fear, and Hemingway uses this to build the suspense. The reader knows that something is wrong because the child has changed in attitude from the first scene. Finally, the suspense is drawn to a head when the father reenters the room, the child asks About what time do you think I am going to die (Hemingway L84). The reader cannot understand why the child would think he was going to die. Hemingway creates a climax that leaps to another suspense and climatic moment almost immediately. Only at this point does the reasoning for the isolation tell the reader that the child was afraid to die and that was why he isolated himself (Beegel). His father explains that he is not going to die and why he is not going to die. The child relaxes and starts to heal, physically and emotionally.
This story does not only show isolation but how isolation is taught from generation to generation especially through the masculine features of the men of the family (Beegel). The young boy isolates himself to keep from having to face others. He is terrified of his impending death and does not want to feel the need to comfort others. He wants to wallow in his fear and wait for the inevitable. Schatz seems to know even at the young age how men are to act in the face of fear. However, the reader is glad to see the child come out long enough to question his father about death and learn the truth. This shows growth in the characters of both the father and Schatz.
This male isolation is also prevalent in the father that left his sick son and decided to go hunting. There is no real need to go hunting in the ice and snow. Hemingway tells the reader that it was difficult to stand or walk on the glassy surface and yet he was out hunting. This use of the hunting scene would seem to say that the father was isolating himself from the fear as well. He did not want to have to worry and fear for his child so he left to take his mind off of reality (Beegel). Hemingway also allows the cold and winter setting to show a coldness that is part of the isolation of men. However, when he returns to the house, the warms reminds the reader that isolation is not required, because the young boy realizes that a loving family is more important.
The differences between these two stories are the changes or lack of changes that the characters go through and the predictive nature of one to the other. In Soldiers Home the isolation is well entrenched in the life of Krebs and his father. The mother as well is isolated from the two men, but in different ways. Krebs has learned his lesson from his father well. He plans to will leave the area and go to a different state to keep him isolated. He knows he cannot do it in his hometown, so escape is the only option. Schatz, in A Days Wait learns that it is alright to be scared and it is alright to be alone, but the most important thing is to have the facts, and to have the facts one has to not be afraid to ask questions. This is apparent when his father explains about the two types of thermometers.
The two stories show how the human existence is influenced by the family and culture around the person. The types of isolation are taught from father to son and while young the child still has some attachment as he grows older the men separate and isolate from one another. While many people create their own form of isolation, the basics are found throughout communities. The concepts of boys should not cry is a similar kind of response. This fact is taught to mean, hide the fear, stay into yourself, and dont let anyone get too close, because they will only hurt you. The reader can also see that while Schatz and his father are still able to communicate together, in time, their relationship will be more like Krebs and his father. They will learn to separate themselves from one another and will then focus on total isolation from those around them.
Two of Hemingways short stories show the aspects of isolation from different age perspectives, but on the same idea. The main characters are obviously isolating themselves from the rest, but even some of other characters are isolationists as well. The first story, Soldiers Home, focuses on Krebs, a young man who has just returned from Germany after World War I. The two male characters within this story show signs of their isolation for protection from the harsh realities of the world. The other story, A Days Wait, focuses on the relationship of a father and son and their need to not show the fragility, what would be considered feminine, but to pull through things on their own, alone and with only their own self.
Krebss world has been shaken on its foundations. He had joined the army to serve his country in World War I, but unlike most of the other soldiers from his town, he did not return from Europe right away. In fact, he returned two years later, and by that time, the fanfare and glorious returns were over, and it was just another day in his small hometown. He wanted to be like a hero, but all the stories of war had been told. He lied at times, but even then people still really did not want to hear. This alienation between him and the town in which he grew up created the self-inflicted isolation in which he put himself. He was no longer a part of the town. The town ignored him upon his return rather than giving him a heros return. To them he was home, but it was no big deal. The town did not care about him and so he was safe in his isolation. He even went so far in his own isolation that he could not let others in (McKenna Raabe). To prove this point, Hemingway has Krebs explain it the aspects of finding a girlfriend, but the world they were in was not the world he was in. He would like to have one of them. But it was not worth it. (89). The Army had taught him well to live in his own world and need for nothing from those outside.
The character of Krebs is symbolic of the soldiers who returned home, but could not readjust to normal life. These were the men who had found the routine of the military comforting even though they did not realize it. Krebs in this sense missed the military. He structured his day in the same way every day. He did not have room to grow emotionally, or spiritual. He existed. From the time he awoke to the way he spent his day, there were no changes. His world was static. Hemingway used Krebss point of view to show just how much he had isolated himself from the rest of the town. Hemingway used the fact that Krebs no longer found the small town exciting. He accentuated this with the fact that Krebs could not fit in like those young men whom he had gone to high school. They were settling down and starting their adult life. Krebs, however, decides that it is not for him. The descriptions Hemingway used to show Krebss isolation also showed that he had no real agenda, and only acted to have something to do, but the action was not normally associated with people or at least no one in particular. Krebs could not deal in the abstract as easily as in the actions of life.
He was repulsed by the thoughts of getting a job, caring for people, or settling down. For him, the life of isolation was finally giving him the necessary time he needed to re-evaluate his life and find what was missing or what needed to be done to make him comfortable again. The fact that he does not want to associate or care for people is shown in his view of girls, but again when he tells his mother I dont love anybody (Hemingway 92). At this juncture in his life, he does not love anyone and he is not ready to care (McKenna et al). Hemingway uses this symbolic theme of avoidance and the elimination of caring for other humans to accentuate the alienation that Krebss feels in relation to his return home from Europe. People he cared about were killed and the memory of death creates another reason to isolate and protect him from the world.
Another problem Krebs had was the fact that his isolation required him to lie. He knew that eventually his lies would be discovered and there would be one more scene before he got away (Hemingway 93). However, if he wanted to keep his own self safe, he needed to keep others out and the only way was to hide the truth. The morals of this young man are skewed, and Hemingway acknowledges this in the fact that he is a soldier coming home from war, but has a problem with lying. His values seem out of place, as well with the way in which he deals with his issues, and that is to leave rather than adjust and stay.
It would appear that the father lives in this way to a point as well. Everything the reader knows about the father is through the mother or Krebss memories from before the war. She tells Krebs that his father is worried about him, he wants Krebs to use the car in the evening, and he wants him to have a normal life. However, Krebs does not believe this of his father and neither does the reader. He goes so far as to tell his mother that this is all her and not his father, but she denies it. Both the father and Krebss are very static and refuse to change for themselves or others. The father hides in his own type of isolation so that he does not have to deal with things that scare him including his family. Krebs wants to leave and move to another city to keep his own isolation in tact. So it would seem that Krebs learned this not only from the war and the Army, but from his father as well.
The world in A Days Wait is much different. Only one character has a name and that is the nine year old boy Schatz. The rest of the characters do not have names mainly because only the child needs to be seen as an individual and that he takes his cues from this father. Hemingway uses this isolation of Schatz, by naming him and therefore, making him more than the rest of the characters. He will be the one who is most affected and the one who changes the most. The second character is the father who will also change, but only because Schatz makes him.
The father wakes to find his young son very sick. The doctor comes and diagnoses the child with influenza and states his temperature is one hundred and two (Hemingway L17). From this point on the child self inflicts his own isolation from his family, including his father. Hemingway uses the maturity of an adult in the childs illness. The child does not want others to worry, but he is sure he is going to die. Instead of acting as a child with crying and reaching out for parental love and guidance, he retreats into himself and takes it like a man. He tells his father that he does not need to sit at the foot of his bed. Schatz just lays there and watches his father, and eventually the father leaves. At this point, the story completely isolates the child by only focusing on the fathers quest for quail (Hemingway L45-60). The father out for a hunt is symbolic of Schatzs isolation within the house at the same time. When the father returns, the reader discovers why the child has isolated himself from everyone and refuses to let people in his room. From the point that the doctor diagnosis Schatz until the father comes back from hunting, the child is emotionally unraveled. He is isolated in his fear, and Hemingway uses this to build the suspense. The reader knows that something is wrong because the child has changed in attitude from the first scene. Finally, the suspense is drawn to a head when the father reenters the room, the child asks About what time do you think I am going to die (Hemingway L84). The reader cannot understand why the child would think he was going to die. Hemingway creates a climax that leaps to another suspense and climatic moment almost immediately. Only at this point does the reasoning for the isolation tell the reader that the child was afraid to die and that was why he isolated himself (Beegel). His father explains that he is not going to die and why he is not going to die. The child relaxes and starts to heal, physically and emotionally.
This story does not only show isolation but how isolation is taught from generation to generation especially through the masculine features of the men of the family (Beegel). The young boy isolates himself to keep from having to face others. He is terrified of his impending death and does not want to feel the need to comfort others. He wants to wallow in his fear and wait for the inevitable. Schatz seems to know even at the young age how men are to act in the face of fear. However, the reader is glad to see the child come out long enough to question his father about death and learn the truth. This shows growth in the characters of both the father and Schatz.
This male isolation is also prevalent in the father that left his sick son and decided to go hunting. There is no real need to go hunting in the ice and snow. Hemingway tells the reader that it was difficult to stand or walk on the glassy surface and yet he was out hunting. This use of the hunting scene would seem to say that the father was isolating himself from the fear as well. He did not want to have to worry and fear for his child so he left to take his mind off of reality (Beegel). Hemingway also allows the cold and winter setting to show a coldness that is part of the isolation of men. However, when he returns to the house, the warms reminds the reader that isolation is not required, because the young boy realizes that a loving family is more important.
The differences between these two stories are the changes or lack of changes that the characters go through and the predictive nature of one to the other. In Soldiers Home the isolation is well entrenched in the life of Krebs and his father. The mother as well is isolated from the two men, but in different ways. Krebs has learned his lesson from his father well. He plans to will leave the area and go to a different state to keep him isolated. He knows he cannot do it in his hometown, so escape is the only option. Schatz, in A Days Wait learns that it is alright to be scared and it is alright to be alone, but the most important thing is to have the facts, and to have the facts one has to not be afraid to ask questions. This is apparent when his father explains about the two types of thermometers.
The two stories show how the human existence is influenced by the family and culture around the person. The types of isolation are taught from father to son and while young the child still has some attachment as he grows older the men separate and isolate from one another. While many people create their own form of isolation, the basics are found throughout communities. The concepts of boys should not cry is a similar kind of response. This fact is taught to mean, hide the fear, stay into yourself, and dont let anyone get too close, because they will only hurt you. The reader can also see that while Schatz and his father are still able to communicate together, in time, their relationship will be more like Krebs and his father. They will learn to separate themselves from one another and will then focus on total isolation from those around them.
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