Hemmingway Essay, Research Paper
Ernest Hemmingway
Jessica Sheeran
Ernest Hemmingway was not only a great American writer but he was also a great
showman. His shameless self-promotion made him a celebrity beyond the world of
literature. Although his life was a normal one as a child, Hemmingway developed into a
great writer and with that he got recognition from the world, which he traveled
constantly. Despite his decent upbringing and success in life, in the later years of his life,
he broke down and ended his life.
The Oak Park neighborhood of Chicago was an average place to live and grow up
in. Hemmingway was born there on July 21, 1899, to his parents Clarence and Grace
Hemmingway. His father, a doctor by day and a hunter by season, passed on to the
young Hemmingway a love for the outdoor life. His mother, a strict Protestant,
continually tried to pursue her son to have the same beliefs as herself but he rebelled
against her and religion. His high school days were similar to many Americans at that
time and it was not until later in his life that he was anything more than average.
In the meantime, World War 1 was on the minds on many Americans, including
Ernest Hemmingway?s. He decided to serve his country and help but when he went to
register, he was rejected due to his poor vision. This incident did not prevent him from
being included in the war, he found an opening as a Red Cross worker and took
advantage of that, abandoning his job at the Kansas City Star. While he was on duty, he
was injured and brought to a hospital where he met his first love, nurse Agnes von
Kurowsky. After the war, he returned home and began writing again. He then met
Hadley Richardson and married her in 1921. The couple then moved to Paris in order for
Ernest to write for the Toronto Daily Star. In Paris, he wrote his first well-known novel,
The Sun Also Rises. Along with his new book, he also married a new wife, Pauline
Pheiffer, editor of V
years and while they were they Hemmingway produced novels such as A Farewell to
Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls. In 1932, Death in the Afternoon was published, a
novel about Hemmingway?s new interest, bull fighting. He felt his life needed some
excitement in it so he felt an African safari was the answer. A divorce from Pauline and
a marriage to Martha Gelhorn was the next step. However, this did not last very long, in
fact, a short while later, Hemmingway married again to Mary Welsh, making her his
fourth and final wife.
?Grace under pressure?, Was a motto that was well respected by many at the time,
including Ernest Hemmingway. In fact, it was the motto that Hemmingway based his life
on. After traveling around the world and participating in many ?manly? activities, he put
together a short story entitled Old Man and the Sea. This piece became an instant hit to
the public, placing Hemmingway back in the spotlight that he so much adored. Not only
did he enjoy writing literature, he also had a hobby of creating images of himself for the
public by writing columns in men?s magazines, portraying himself as a man?s man. The
public took well to him, awarding him the Noble Prize for literature in 1954, an event
which no doubt boosted his ego. While he was living in Florida, he was informed that his
father had killed himself. This, to Hemmingway was a disgrace to his motto, ?Grace
under pressure.? In the end however, Hemmingway also broke down and did the same
thing. The later years in his life, showed Ernest as a different character, or in unusual
moods and facing depression, which may have led up to this event.
To most, Hemmingway will be remembered as an outstanding writer with a
sparking personality. His many classic novels will be read in classrooms everywhere for
a long time to come, proving his achievement. Even though he painted himself black at
the end, his work is still shining.