The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway

836 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Hemingway's symbol of death in the snows of Kilimanjaro

He was sick; he has on the brink of death as his life began to catch up with him. Harry, the main character in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” by Ernest Hemingway, lays on a cot at the plains of Kilimanjaro dying from gangrene due to a self-inflected wound he never took care of. While on the edge of death, his true identity as a person begins to shine through. Is Harry a good man merely preparing for death in a terrible way? Or was his truly deceptive and abusive personality shining through at his last moments of life? While these questions are highly debated, there is evidence to prove that Harry was, indeed, a terrible man receiving his punishment for the life that he had lived. Harry was a con, a thief, an abuser, and a sluggard and was now receiving his poetic justice.
As he lies on his cot waiting for the plane that will save his life, his true character and identity begin to shine through. As he is sits and reminisces on all of his regrets, he becomes bitter towards his wife’s, Helen’s, money. He believes that because her money has allowed him to live luxiously, it has made him lazy towards his writing and art. He says, “Your damned money was my armour. My swift and my Armour” (Page 830). Though he blames her money for this character flaw, he does acknowledge that he is, indeed the blame for his lack of writing. As he continues to rant against Helen’s inheritance, he then admits that he never truly loved her. “It was strange, too, wasn’t it, that when he fell in love with another woman, that woman should always have more money than the last one” (Page 832)? This statement, though does not out rightly say so, it implies that he is suggesting that he only married Helen for her money; and if it wouldn’t have been Helen, it would h...

... middle of paper ...

...ad decided to take the trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro as a way to end his laziness with writing and to become inspired. While on his way there, he cuts his leg and contracts gangrene at the bottom of the mount. As he passes away, his soul is taken to the top of the mount which is considered the “House of God” where a leopard’s dead body has been preserved. “When Harry looks at Kilimanjaro, he sees it as a symbol of truth, idealism, and purity. When he dies, tragic irony exists. The leopard died in a high, clean, well-lighted place; Harry, in contrast, dies rotting and stinking on the plains, lamenting his wasted life and his failure to complete his desired projects.” (Cliffnotes). This death signifies the punishment for the life he has lived. Though many argue it was a symbol for his lack of writing, many others argue it was because of his abusive and conning behavior.

Show More
Related

  • Does Tom Outland Symbolize In The Professor's House By Willa Cather

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    It’s like Tom Outland’s death stirred up turmoil for the family. Everyone became at odds with each other. Before Tom died, Mrs. St. Peter had a grudge of jealousy towards him because of the bonding relationship he and her husband, Professor, St. Peter had formed. Rosamond and Kathleen have a grudge against each other because both girls were fond of Tom but Tom loved Rosamond. Tom left all his money and inventions to Rosamond and it was a large sum that provided her with the enablement to live comfortably. Kathleen feels like Rosamond flashes the money in her face and finds it preposterous. ““I can’t help it, father. I am envious. I don’t think I would be if she let me alone, but she comes here with her magnificence and takes the life out of all our poor little things. Everybody knows she’s rich, why does she have to keep rubbing it in”” (69)? The Outland holds bitterness and unresolved

    Read More

  • Into Thin Air: A Story of Survival by Jon Krakauer

    1359 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cross country runners spend weeks to months training for that one moment, the moment they will lean across the finish line. Crossing the finish line only lasts for only a split second, but the impact is significant. People often ask why, why spend so much time training for that one moment? Well for me it’s simple. The feeling I have when I cross that finish line is like no other I’ve ever had; it is a unique combination of pride, pain, relief, and an indescribable sense of accomplishment. After reading Into Thin Air, I realized how similar climbing a mountain actually is to running a race. Climbers, just like runners, spend months training for those few glorious minutes on top.

    Read More

  • A Feminist in Action in The Yellow Wallpaper

    1794 Words  | 4 Pages

    As the story begins, the narrator's compliance with her role as a submissive woman is easily seen.  She states, "John laughs at me, but one expects that in marriage" (Gilman 577).  These words clearly illustrate the male's position of power in a marriage t...

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The River

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    To some this story might seem like a tragedy, but to Christians this is a beautiful story. Although young Harry dies at the end, he is accepted into the kingdom of God, which is far superior to anything on Earth. A non-religious family raises him and the first taste of Christianity he gets makes him want to pursue God. In Flannery O’Conner’s short story, The River, the allure of Gods grace and the repelling of sinful ways are shown heavily through Harry.

    Read More

  • Snows Of Klimanjaro And The Love Song Of J Alfred Prufrock Analysis

    1404 Words  | 3 Pages

    He discusses demise in the primary sentence, saying, “The marvelous thing is that it’s painless” (Hemingway 826). As the story creates, Harry as often as possible specifies his desire to pass on or the way he feels that passing is close now. “You can shoot me.” (Hemingway 826) and “I don’t want to move” (Hemingway 827), and “There is no sense in moving now except to make it easier for you” (Hemingway 827) and “Can’t you let a man die as comfortably as he can without calling him names? “ (Hemingway 827). It sounds as though Harry is surrendering, not so much, since he is a weakling, despite the fact that his wife calls him that, yet more since he feels that, it is more agreeable for him right now to set down and pass on as opposed to sitting tight for a truck or plane that will most likely never arrive. During the rest of the story, Harry has several moments when he feels the proximity of

    Read More

  • Zero and Asylum in the Snow by Lawrence Durrell

    2092 Words  | 5 Pages

    What is madness? Is madness a brain disorder or a chemical imbalance? On the other hand, is it an expressed behavior that is far different from what society would believe is "normal"? Lawrence Durrell addresses these questions when he explores society's response to madness in his short story pair "Zero and Asylum in the Snow," which resembles the nearly incoherent ramblings of a madman. In these stories, Durrell portrays how sane, or lucid, people cannot grasp and understand the concept of madness. This inability to understand madness leads society to fear behavior that is different from "normal," and subsequently, this fear dictates how they deal with it. These responses include putting a name to what they fear and locking it up in an effort to control it. Underlying all, however, Durrell repeatedly raises the question: who should define what is mad?

    Read More

  • Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ is a short story authored by Ernest Hemingway about an American and a girl named Jig. In the story, the two are sitting in a train station waiting for the train to Madrid. While they wait, they have an intense ongoing debate on whether or not to abort Jig. At the end of the story, the train is about to arrive and the man carries luggage on the tracks as they prepare to leave. The end of the story does not clearly define the outcome of its decision. She said I feel good at the end of the story - happiness is a central theme of the story, but we wonder if she went through with the operation. The paper discusses the manner in which symbolism has been employed in the story to communicate about an abortion, the couple is considering to go through.

    Read More

  • The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber

    2427 Words  | 5 Pages

    Ernest Hemingway was an intricate and dedicated writer who devoted a significant portion of his life to writing multiple genres of stories. Throughout his stories, the similarities in his style and technique are easily noted and identified. Two of the short stories he wrote contain themes and motifs that specifically explain the plotline. The first story, “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” sets its scene in the depths of a desolate area in Africa, where the main characters, Harry and his wife, decide to make their home. After living there for a few years, Harry ventures out and falls into a thorn bush, thus infecting his leg with gangrene. A few weeks later, he finds himself on the brink between life and death, unable to treat such a severe infection. Throughout the whole story, his life is flashing before his eyes as he recalls all of the major events that occurred in his past. By nightfall, Harry is acting unusual, and he begins to feel as if life is not worth living anymore. After he drifts off to sleep that evening, his wife goes to check on him and discovers that her husband has passed away (Hemingway 52-77). The second great work of Hemingway, “The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” is also set in a deserted section of Africa. Francis and his wife, Margot, are on a safari adventure along with their tour guide named Wilson. The way these three characters interact with each other creates tension and provides an adequate plot for the story. The trip begins with the couple intending on hunting big game. At first they track down a lion that continuously roars throughout the night, and later decide to chase after buffalos. To add to the complications of the trip, Margot has an intimate relationship with their tour guide. The story c...

    Read More

  • Theme Of The Chrysanthemums And The Yellow Wallpaper

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Said he, ‘I beg of you, for my sake and for our child’s sake,as well as for your own, that you will never for one instant let that idea enter your mind!’”(Gilman, 774) shows John begging her to withhold all feelings to save herself, him, and their child from any further pain. This suppression of feeling caused the mental confinement that the narrator felt. He hadn’t known in asking her to do so, it would cause such a reaction. While, Brently Mallard’s consistent pressure of being a perfect wife on Mrs. Mallard caused her conflicting ideas on his death as her being set free. “And yet she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not.” (Chopin, 785) shows Mrs. Mallard's rethinking of her feelings towards her husband. The release of pressure caused by her husband death caused her to rethink and find her true feelings towards him. Mr. Mallard had unknowingly applied this pressure upon his wife because it was simply what he had always thought a woman should be which is learned from society. Meanwhile, Henry Allen consistently ridicules and rejects Elisa’s ideas of breaking free of the set standards of what a woman should be not knowing the effects it had on her. “Oh, sure, some. What’s the matter, Elisa? Do you want to

    Read More

  • The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

    364 Words  | 1 Pages

    openly. In fact, he says he likes Cohn. It is in his subtle critique of

    Read More

  • Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Hills Like White Elephants” is a one-of-a-kind short story. Hemingway clearly felt the need to be straightforward and direct stylistically, a trait that is said to have carried over from his work in journalism . In this story, he decided to use the third person objective point of view, making the plot both thought-provoking and confusing. One might ask, was it really necessary for Hemingway to use such a detached and vague narration? Is the third person objective point of view crucial to the story? The third person objective point of view was absolutely necessary for the story: without it, the story would cave in on itself.

    Read More

  • Persuasion Written by Jane Austen

    1271 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...an only find true happiness in marriage with someone who shares similar manners and treasure people’s qualities over their look and status. This is when Anne’s sensibility allows her to disregard her family’s persuasion and become determined to fulfill her love with Wentworth.

    Read More

  • Feminism, Love And Death In Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

    2091 Words  | 5 Pages

    As a young girl, J.K.Rowling was always closest with her mother whom she dearly loved. When her mother later died the author was heartbroken ad stricken with grief. The death of Anne Rowling had a huge impact on the themes of the Harry Potter series and most evidently Deathly Hallows. Due to her mother’s death and her own depression, Rowling needed to find an outlet to accept the death of loved ones. She created an outlet through her written work. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, many beloved characters meet their end. The real magic of these deaths was not the death itself but the way the characters who loved the dead dealt with the loss. Each went on to learn to accept the loss and live a happy life without the ones who they had once loved. This is clearly shown in the way Harry learns to live with himself. The scene in which Harry is charging forth to confront his own death and prevent the death of his loved ones displays this well. He extracts the resurrection stone and is greeted by his family and friends who are already dead. Readers at this point in the novel are clearly shown exactly how many people Harry has lost and that he has accepted this and is ready to confront his own fate because of his love for them. Just like Rowling, Harry later finds happiness in life, and even provides comfort for Teddy Lupin who was orphaned early in life just as Harry

    Read More

  • Pride And Prejudice Parenting Analysis

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... they were able to marry off three out of their five daughters. However, only two of these marriages were based on love and adoration. Jane and Elizabeth both found men that treasured and respected them. They lived comfortable lives financially and were very happy with their lives. Lydia’s marriage with Wickham was not as strong as that of Jane and Elizabeth. They lived uncomfortably because they were not able to support their extravagant spending habits. Eventually their love died for each other. “His affection for her soon sunk into indifference; her’s lasted a little longer” (366). Mr. Wickham started to resent Lydia and ultimately she began to feel the same towards him. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were able to raise two daughters who were sensible and well respected in social atmospheres. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet only wanted what was best for their daughters.

    Read More

  • Theme Of The Snows Of Kilimanjaro

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    The themes of love, writing, and anger are explored in Hemingway's short story, “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.” When Harry, the main character, contracts gangrene from a scratch on his leg, he finds himself at death's door full of regrets, mourning the inevitable loss of the only meaningful relationship he has left, his relationship with writing. The loss of his relationship with his wife, Helen, does not appear to upset him nearly as much as losing the ability to share all of the experiences he had left to write about, which clearly demonstrates his attachment to writing and his inability to truly love his wife. For Harry, writing comes first.

    Read More

More about The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway

Open Document