The Epiphany of Love When Faced With Death

The Epiphany of Love When Faced With Death

The institution of marriage, meant to be held by two people who love each other beyond condition, is a very fragile affair. Through death, divorce, or a combo of both, marriages can very easily be deviated from their original course. Yet, is this better than existing in a marriage where both parties are unhappy; where one person may be bullied, or may not be content with that quality of life? Unfortunately, marriages like this do occur, and often end in death and sadness. But, people may not realize the seriousness of this situation until they are staring death in the face, when they begin to re-examine their marriages that they may have held throughout their lives. Many of these people do find fault and question their marriage, especially in Hemingway's historically sullen and bleak works. "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," and "In Another Country" are all prime examples of this trend. In this collection of short stories, Ernest Hemingway shows that in the face of death, people take more time to reexamine their marital affairs, finding faults and often questioning their choices.

Considered to be one of Hemingway's greatest short stories, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," opens with the main character, Harry, who is slowly dying from an infected wound, which he received while in the jungle in Africa. While on his death bed, Harry begins to discover that he has issues with his wife, Helen, whom he begins to verbally abuse and state his true feelings. "You said you loved it,” Helen said, “I did when you were all right. But now I hate it... What have we done to have this happen to us?" (Hemingway 55). In this excerpt, the couple is discussing Har...

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...arles Scribner’s Sons, 1938. N. pag. Rpt. in The Short Stories. By Ernest Hemingway. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1955. 52-77. Print.

Milne, Ira Mark. “In Another Country.” Short Stories for Students. Vol. 8. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. 120-138. Rpt. in Gale. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. .

Smith, Jennifer. “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.” Short Stories for Students. Vol. 11. Detriot: Gale Group, 2001. 243-255. Rpt. in Gale Virtual Reference Library. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. .

Wilson, Kathleen. “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.” Short Stories for Students. Vol. 1. Detriot: Gale, 1997. 211-227. Rpt. in Gale . N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Mar. 2010. .