What is your opinion of Hemingway's fascination with specific themes, which are most commonly used by him?

Question

Were the themes reflected in his life as well as in his writing? Explain w/ examples.

Answer 1

I did not like Hemingway until I read "The Sun Also Rises," and now I adore his work. As far as themes...he dealt alot with mythopoeic symbolism, masculinity and what is considered masculine, he tends to deal with the bonds between men and women, and the friendship bonds between men, and-to a certain extent- his work deals with men's feelings, something not a lot of male writers do. No one writes like Hemingway. He keeps things very sparse, which is important because if there is ever a lot of detail it means we should pay close attention to it. He wouldn't write it if it weren't significant.

As far as the themes being reflected in his own life- absolutely. Writers write about what they know. Hemingway knows all about masculinity and people questioning that. Take a quick peak at his biography and it will become aparantly clear. For instance, in "The Sun Also Rises," Jake (main character) is dealing with the fact that he can't be intimate with the woman he loves because of a war injury. While the injury Hemingway received in WWI did not make him impotent (by all accounts) it did effect his ability to be emotionally close with people. "The Old Man and the Sea," while about a guy catching a huge fish, is really more about man struggling with the one great obstacle in his life...the one thing he wanted to accomplish before he died. For Hemingway, that one thing was writing the perfect sentence-at least in his professional career. I can't comment on his goals in his personal life, because there just isn't that kind of information out there about him. Also, "The Old Man and the Sea" has a lot of mythopoeic symbolism in it as well, which link the book back to Hemingway's love and deep respect of nature- as does "The Sun Also Rises." There is so much here that I could go on and on. I'm currently working on a research paper about Hemingway. If you need more information for this question, feel free to e-mail me:
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Answer 2

Well, i havent read much of hemmingway, or at least it was a long time ago, but he seems to write about human nature. How life is tragic and unfair...and how war is harsh...sorry thats really all i can remember...but he wasnt juvinile

Answer 3

He must have really loved fishing to write "Old Man of the Sea" which I thought was the most boring longwinded piece of trash I have ever had the misfortune to have been made to read.

Answer 4

I think his writing is boring and juvenile. Blah blah blah....