Ernest Hemingway Soldier's Home Essay

Hemingway believed that “a writer’s job is to tell the truth…” (Baker 1). He strived to achieve this goal in all of his writing and did so through the application of various writing techniques to employ the “iceberg principle”. The most significant way Hemingway utilizes the iceberg principle is through the use of literary devices. In order to begin to deconstruct his writing and understand Hemingway’s purpose and meaning, one must have a vast knowledge of how he manipulates his words to shield the meaning amidst symbols, language, dialogue, rhetoric and many other devices. In In Our Time, Hemingway crafts the text to reveal purpose and meaning in each individual story by using countless literary elements, including diction, syntax,

and imagery.
Hemingway uses diction to reveal purpose and meaning; diction is often used to develop style through the elucidation of an author’s tone and point of view. His intelligent word choice is imperative, as words not only convey tone but can also construe author’s bias, something Hemingway attempted to avoid in order to remain truthful. One of the ways Hemingway avoided bias was with “…restricted choice of adjectives, and the heavy load of subjective implication carried by such uncertain mono-syllables as ‘fine’ and ‘nice’” (Levin 9). Therefore, his writing becomes more subjective, and it is up to each reader’s interpretation. He regarded “the adjective as a luxury, decorative more often than functional…” (Levin 10). Hemingway’s removal of all excessive adjectives was “…neither teeming undergrowth nor its verbal equivalent” (Baker 3). Across all of Hemingway’s work, “…adjectives are not colorful and his verbs are not particularly energetic” (Levin 11). Because he “eliminate[d] every superfluous word” (Kansas City Star 1), Hemingway had to ensure the words he did use were free of any connotation that might influence the opinion of the reader. Hemingway wanted the reader to make their own assumptions and use their imagination to create the story, so it was important that he employ a neutral tone through words with simple denotations that have black and white definitions.
Syntax is arguably Hemingway’s most valuable asset in revealing purpose and meaning.

The way in which he crafts the structure of his writing --which varies with each story-- helps to illustrate meaning in the subtlest way possible. Variation of sentence structure helps to enhance his style. In “Soldier’s Home”, Hemingway’s sentences are longer; composed of more clauses, and are all very similar to emphasize the repetitiveness and dullness of Krebs’ live after the war. In “The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife”, however, he uses many declarative sentences in order to reveal the tension and unhappiness rife within the relationship. Another way Hemingway uses syntax to his advantage is through juxtaposition. Levin writes that what Hemingway “…lacks in structure he makes up in sequence and carefully ordering visual impressions as he sets them down and ironically juxtaposing the various items on his list and inventories” (Levin 12). By positioning two situations, characters, or settings side by side in a sentence, it highlights their differences and brings to light the hidden meaning in Hemingway’s works. He also frequently employs “sequence of motion and fact”, which is “…where the expletive takes the place of the observer and his observations are registered one by one. Hence, for the reader…’you…feel that all that happened to you” (Levin 11). This method is important in how Hemingway crafts the text because it helps the reader to be able to relate to the story and sympathize with

the characters. He also puts emphasis on the nouns, connecting them through conjunctions, in order to explain how an event happened, which, combined with his elimination of excessive adjectives, explains to the reader how something happened simply, in order to help them understand and make their own inferences on the story. Polysyndeton is another form of syntax Hemingway uses. As previously described, he uses many conjunctions in order to connect nouns, and this excessive use almost makes up for the scarcity of adjectives. His use of basic words is how he coaxes the reader to discover the true meaning of his writing, by using colloquial language that is easier for the reader to comprehend.
Hemingway uses imagery, which is often synonymous with symbolism, to explain hidden meaning within In Our Time.

Specifically in In Our Time, Hemingway uses imagery to reveal meaning, such as in “The End of Something”, when Hemingway writes “The one-story bunk houses, the eating house, the company store, the mill offices, and the big mill itself stood deserted in the acres of sawdust that covered the swampy meadow by the shore of the bay. Ten years later there was nothing of the mill left except the broken white limestone of its foundation…” (Hemingway 31), and this deserted town he describes serves as a symbol of Nick and Marjorie’s relationship, which was once full of life and happiness, but now there is nothing left. This comparison reveals Hemingway’s purpose in illustrating his belief that human relationships are complicated and often do not work out. This theme of failing human relationships is prevalent across many stories in In Our Time, including “The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife”, in which Hemingway illustrates their rocky relationship through his description of the wife’s belongings that includes an excessive number of pronouns, for example, “She was a Christian Scientist. Her Bible, her copy of Science and Health and her Quarterly were on a table beside her bed in the darkened room” (Hemingway 26). This distinction between his and her belongings reveals the lack of intimacy and connection between the couple. Hemingway also wrote about strained relationships in

“Cat in the Rain”. The cat, struggling to stay dry amidst the pouring rain, represents what the woman so desperately wants in life. When she goes out to get the cat, however, it is not there. Later the maid brings her a cat, saying “the padrone asked me to bring this for the Signora” (Hemingway 94). This symbolizes how her husband did not give her her greatest desires, but another man could.
Hemingway’s style is incredibly individualistic. He has a unique style that stands alone amongst other authors. He used specific words and sentence structure to elicit from the desired response from the reader. Understanding the literary elements in the stories is key in beginning to uncover the true meaning and purpose of Hemingway’s writing. His goal was to “...by the power of the written word to make you hear, to make you feel-- it is, before all, to make you see” (Baker 20) the truth through simplistic syntax, colloquial diction, and descriptive imagery. Ultimately, Hemingway’s standard style was to write in a way that employed basic language and syntax and imagery in order to give the reader the “...liberty to insert his own uniqueness-- as many or as few as his imagination may supply’ (Baker 4) so that through this, the reader can discover the truth relative to his work-- something that is different to every individual.