Hemingway Writes "The
Snows of Kilimanjaro"
Why Foreseen Death Was Just Attention To
Detail.
by Ronald Borst
Was
it just "good writing?" Very good writing indeed. Was it a
story about the future? Did Earnest Hemingway write about his death,
long before it actually happened?
The
words in "Kilimanjaro,", a penchant for deplorable
characters, are both accurately ficticious and disturbingly real. The
main character in "Kilimanjaro" and the Hemingway character
himself, show us a bitter side of human catastrophe, and a view of
mankind that is not at all worthy of any acknowledged praise. The character is nauseatingly despicable, and is easily disliked, if not hated.
But
the words on paper is what matters, and the banter in this story
about dying helplessly alongside a spouse, are cutthroat and
eloquent, unforgiving and soul-searching, and ultimately- unnerving.
And
beatifully crafted. The tragic beauty of this story, never lets up,
and takes the reader from Italy to Paris to Africa and Germany. The
scenes are vivid, and the conversations are painfully real.
The
fiction short starts out with "The marvelous thing...," and
in dramatic fashion ends the reader-gripping opening, "...is
that it's painless. That's how you know when it starts."
The
tension here grabs the reader, blanketing him with no details and
heavy drama. Painless, we are about to see, is far from marvelous.
Hemingway wrote this story with inspirations drawn from a safari to
Africa in the early 1930s, and the combination of scene and style,
Hemingway zeroes in on both the dramatic story and the reader. The
peaks(under a Memosa tree) and valleys("the day the truck broke
down) sway back and forth with the zest of a storm blown tree, with
tension and detail, clarifying the scene and the emotions of the two
main characters.
In
all of its scenery, some credit is due to the experience of being on
safari, as it is doubtful I(or anyone) could write about things I do not know.
Harry,
our dying and bed-ridden main character, and his successful actress
wife, engage in the dying conversation, on the plains of Africa,
after a devastating end to a safari vacation. Her spirit and demeanor
is one of optimism, as she never loses faith that help will come. And
from her opening statement, "I wish you wouldn't," her
character is in constant conflict with our dying victim, the
alcoholic and sexist, failed writer, whose brashness clashes with her
faithful and naive hope.
The
story, told in alternating views, first and third person, with the
scene set under the shade of an oasis-like desert tree and in Harry's
"writings"(thoughts), calmly progresses through Harry's
on-again-off-again cohesiveness, as he struggles against the spread
of infection and the realities of death. Delusions of "death"
itself are alongside reminiscing memories of Harry's and his wife's
history together. Magnificent and tragic stories of war and death are
intermingled with reflections of self. Harry analyzes his marriage,
his writing and lack thereof, and dreams about his dreams.
Where,
if Hemingway committed suicide in the 1960s(30 years after
"Kilimanjaro"), is the connection? And is it even possible
to assume that the vision was in fact, death. The story itself, is
layered with death and scenes of dying. Hemingway tells us of Harry's
wandering, deathly thoughts and introduces the reader to
"Williamson," a soldier who gets "hit by a stick
bomb," and dies in his sleep, but not before begging to be
mercifully shot.
The
theme is obvious, and the scenes are vivid, with the reader knowing,
with crisp clarity, that Harry is for sure going to die, and that at
this moment, Harry has regrets.
Hemingway's
public history is well documented. His blatant discrimination towards
women and his pursuit of extreme adrenaline in personal endeavors,
are known best. What isn't so talked about is the Pulitzer(1952) and
Nobel(1956) winner's family history, or Hemingway's own experiences
in war.
Hemingway
entered World War I at an early age, nineteen, after seeing a Red
Cross advertisement. Stationed in Italy, he won the Italian Silver
Medal of Bravery, for carrying an Italian soldier to safety. Wounded
himself by shrapnel, Hemingway was forced to learn the realities of
battle, firsthand. He would later report on the Spanish Civil War and
World War II.
Hemingway
often used his real-life experiences to frame his writing, and
"Kilimanjaro" is no different. With his second wife, the
writer went to Africa and during that expedition, Hemingway became
ill and was evacuated by plane, which served as the inspiration for
Kilimanjaro. But in Hemingway, it was more. His personal history
tells of multiple "close calls" and a sort of daring and
swash-buckling persona. One that survived many trials of adversity.
His marriages attest to that, as well as his philandering. To his
credit, he did finally end up with one long standing marriage.
In
his sometimes apologetic reflections, Harry seems to mimic what would
be a natural parallel to the author. Hemingway's treatment of women
and maybe his own women as well, show up in Harry's foggy and dying
ramblings.
And
maybe, given Hemingway's own family history(multiple suicides in
immediate family), the story about dying on an African savannah , is
in fact a prelude to Hemingway's own death, in Ketchum Idaho, 30
years later.
Throughout
the story, the initial tension about "talking," keeps its
momentum, with Harry in a constant state of judgement and vile.
Early, the reader listens as Harry tell his wife to "shoot off"
his gangrene leg, and later, in his rantings, we see Harry's
contempt:
"She
shot very well this good, this rich bitch, this kindly caretaker, and
destroyer of his talent."
When
Harry awakes from a nap, and the two have a drink, the banter is much
more forgiving, polarizingly nicer. It is this reflection,
accompanied by the rage of regret, that we see this story become an
intense study of both people, and a life in the balance. The
allegorical black and white, is clear, in times of loving
conversation as well as times of bickering, and one cannot help but
to gravitate towards an actual admiration for the character, and for
Hemingway. He is human, and the whole point is that Harry is human,
however despicable.
Second
chances are indeed real, and much thought(from me), has led to this
conclusion: Hemingway did in fact, write about his own "dying,"
but from a differing perspective than you may think.
It
is as much his own past as it is all men's pasts. It is simply a
story of regret, and of a last battle with the finalness of death. In
our regret, we consider decisions previous, especially the most
damaging and consequential ones. We live and die by our regrets, and
the worst regrets, make you wish you were not alive.
But
the reader also gets to see the wife's regret, "'I wish we'd
never come,' the woman said. She was looking at him, holding the
glass and biting her lip." And what a line it is. Her
nervousness and definite regret, albeit only short-term, are
palpable, and I could feel the slinking down in a chair sort of feeling here.
Moments
later, the scene is at its peak, when she asks if he loves her, and
he replies, "No. I don't think so. I never have."
It
is this scene, that the reader feels not so much sympathy for her,
but instead contempt for Harry. The tension and conflict is so great,
the reader might ask if Harry is even a likable character, or even
further, should we hasten his impending death?
The
scenes are fluid, and the shade of the Memosa tree with its backdrop
of vultures and hyenas, lend a sort of hanging over feel to the
story, like a see-through fog that isn't going away. Much like the
vultures and hyenas. Death is not going away.
And
that brings us to the crucial part, the Hemingway's descriptive
portrayals of death, both in human view, and in an imagined grim
reaper, which Hemingway described as, "Never believe any of that
about a scythe and a skull." What a definitive line, and in my
first impression, the line was a metaphor of what men think about as
they get old, and especially when facing imminent death. To me, it is
saying, "Be careful what you wish for, and what you trust as
fact."
The
end, according to Harry, and much like his general attitude, also is a “bore,” and the reference from Harry, that all
this dead, has made the whole process quite a bore, is a testament to the tiredness of a wildly active mind. It is this
allegorical theme repeated, as Hemingway counters every story
progression with a sort of tension filled cat and mouse.
And
deep in the darkest parts of our thoughts, we know undoubtedly, the
cat always gets the mouse.
The
beginning of this fiction short contains a foreward about the peak
itself, Kilimanjaro, and a reference to a leopard carcass, frozen in
the 20,000 foot snow caps, simply states that, "No one has
explained what the leopard was seeking at that altitude."
And
maybe no one of us, can explain death. The theme of suicide is even
less explainable. And in Hemingway's family history, almost one-half
dozen in the last 70 years has committed suicide. Hemingway's
alcoholism and exposure to war, probably helped to facilitate those
traits in the finals days of his life, a life of awards, failures, conquests,
women, public writer spats, and depression.
In
the midst of all the tragedy, Hemingway was often very highbrow and
sporting. He traveled the world as a journalist and then again as a
writer. Even the rich, it would seem, are haunted by what they lack.
In
the end, Hemingway's suicide, his escapades in Cuba(he once aimed to
destroy German subs with his private boat), his love of many women,
and his library of travel details, Hemingway was able to write
extraordinary stories.
“The
Snows of Kilimanjaro” is no different. It is a story of a man, an
adventurous and luxurious man, a man with many regrets, and quite
honestly, it is about a man that in spite of all his detestable
traits, Harry is a likable sort.
And
that fact is also a deathly sort of finality. Hemingway, at times,
is an entirely likable guy. I like to think, that he would like us
too.
Highly
recommended, “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” by Earnest Hemingway.
Attribution:
Jed
Wyman Handout of “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” by Earnest Hemingway
Wikipedia,
“Earnest Hemingway”
Other
stories about death, including “The Lottery”(Shirley Jackson) and
“For Esme- With Love and Squalor”(J.D. Salinger) and the novels "The Road"(Cormac McCarthy) and "Memories of Running"(Ron McLarty)
Personal
experience with suicide, and depression.
