About Josh Silverstein Expertise I will answer questions relating to Ernest Hemingway's life or literature. I can also help with quotation source requests. No homework questions please.
Experience Mr. Silverstein holds a B.A. in English Literature and has been studying the life and works of Ernest Hemingway for the past ten years. His major work on Hemingway is titled, "The Importance of Being Ernest: Hemingway's Truth in Fiction and his Fiction in Truth." He is also author of "Hemingway: Alive and Well Online," an article exploring Hemingway's presence and position in the online community. He is the founder of "Timeless Hemingway," an award winning web site devoted to Ernest Hemingway.
Question What are some examples of existentialism in the story The short happy life of francis macomber?
Answer Hello,
Existentialism is a major component of Hemingway's fiction. We see the focus on the strength and perseverance of the individual, the underlying theme that we create ourselves, existence before essence. It's the responsibility of Hemingway's characters to create their essence, to make their choices, to realize that if the world is meaningless, if it doesn't mean anything to be good or bad, if there are no heavenly rewards, if all is permitted, you can curl up (usually in a drunken stupor) and do nothing, let Nature take it's obvious course, let yourself succumb to your biological trap, or you can act as if something does have meaning and create a type of moral code. Many of Hemingway's so-called heroes attempt to create such a code, one which must be practiced and upheld with intense self-discipline, the legendary "grace under pressure."
What code has Francis Macomber created for himself? Or has his code been created for him? By who? How does Macomber try and live up to this code? Does he succeed? What is his wishful essence? What is his realized essence? Do these two conflict or comply with each other?
