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 Vogue magazine. The lived in Key West, Florida for close to twelve

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.