Symbols and Symbolism - Light and Dark in Hemingway's Indian Camp Indian Camp Essays

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Light and Dark Symbolism in Hemingway's Indian Camp The thematic usage of light and dark throughout "Indian Camp" symbolizes racial prejudice as well as the personal growth of the protagonist. The narrative showcases a world of Indian oppression and bigotry that degrades Indians to the role of dark ignorant stereotypes. The white men, on the other hand, seem to live in a self-made utopia of light and understanding. This concept of the lighter skinned white man holding supremacy over the darker skinned Indian permeates throughout the entire narrative. These themes of light and dark are not merely limited to the skin tone of two clashing cultures, but are also symbols of understanding and unenlightenment that affect both the Indians and the story's young protagonist, Nick Adams. "Indian Camp," much like the boat that takes Nick Adams to shore, starts "off in the dark" (1). This dark engulfs Nick Adams as he begins his journey on an unknowing night that parallels his own lack of awareness. Not sure of where he and his father are being led, Nick is rowed toward his future by an Indian guide. By the end of the narrative the light of a new day rises, and with it an epiphany within Nick. Nick's experiences within the Indian camp have caused him to grow as a person and Hemingway's usage of light symbolizes this new understanding gained by Nick. As Nick and his father arrive at the shore, Uncle George is smoking a cigar that burns like a faint beacon in a sea of darkness. The cigar is able to produce a light in the darkness that intertwines the symbolism of understanding with the decadent world of white men. After being rowed to shore, "Uncle George gave both the Indians cigars" in an attempt to share the wisdom of his world (2). In another example of Hemingway's symbolism, an Indian carrying a lantern leads the way to the Indian camp and as they reach the logging road the Indian blows out his lantern. The logging road metaphorically represents the progress of white men, and as the Indian reaches the road he no longer needs a light because he is no longer in the dark. The Indian has reached the world of his oppressor - a world where a greater gleaming is available to him and the lantern is no longer needed. The light of lanterns guides the group to their final destination, the birthing shanty. As Nick and his father arrive, the Indian "men had moved off up the road to sit in the dark" and hide from the light of the lanterns and the white man's knowledge to save lives(2). The Indians wait in the shadows, while Nick's father prepares to perform a crude cesarean on the pregnant Indian woman. Shortly thereafter Dr. Adams discovers the Indian woman's dead husband and unsuccessfully tries to shield Nick from the reality of death. In one night Nick witnesses the entire circle of life and is changed. As Nick leaves the Indian camp with his dad, he begins to question his own mortality. The young protagonist reaches a moment of higher understanding as he and his father leave the Indian camp in the light of a new day. In "Indian Camp" light subjugates dark just as the light skinned men subjugate the darker skinned Indians. The metaphoric usage of light and dark heightens the clash of two opposing cultures. This symbolism also strengthens Nick's own personal growth in terms of imagery. Through these symbolic conventions Hemingway is able to add great depth to the racial bigotry and personal growth that his short story highlights.

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