Earnest Hemingway Ernest Hemingway May Not Have

Earnest Hemingway Ernest Hemingway may not have been a deliberate or conscious chauvinist but the manner in which he presented his characters suggests that the "Hemmingway hero" is the focus of all his stories and the 'heroine' is somewhat lost in the aura of the man. Though the women in his books re represented as having strong characters there is an inherent division between the two genders that identifies the hero as struggling for survival in hard world while the woman is merely a shadow in the background.

In a rapidly changing world it has been seen that Hemingway is treated as a misogynist as his woman are presented as a mere reflection of the men. Their characteristics come out when the men need the support and they develop through the experiences of the men. This suggests that Hemmingway did not support feminism. Yet, this statement could be wrong as we realize that maybe Hemmingway merely kept his novels focused on the men as the times in which he wrote were definitely patriarchal.

That is why Frederick Busch has said that Hemmingway has lost his popularity in this era of equality and Women's Rights. "His women too often seem to be projections of male needfulness" (1). When we look at and study the characters in Hemingway's novels we realize that Busch is to some extent true. The female protagonists in the stories are stereotypes of the docile and loving women that live at home and come to the fore only when their men are in need.

This creates a submissive picture of women that is not necessarily true. Yet, Hemingway's depiction may merely be a tactic so as to ensure that the personality of the male protagonist stays in focus rather than fading out in lieu of the woman's. Jeryl J. Prescott in "Liberty for Just (Us): Gender and Race in Hemingway's To Have and Have Not (2) argues that ". Hemingway exhibits uncensored male perceptions of females perhaps as a partial explanation for why women occupy subjugated positions in American society" (180).

He concludes by stating that "… Searching within the abyss of nada for meaning, people must first reform and embrace each other before they can reform and embrace the world." (188) Through these words we realize that maybe the critical belief that Hemingway created an image of women that was submissive could be wrong. It could be that he was merely showing the two genders the way to get together and operate in a cooperative environment. However, this is presenting Hemingway in too positive a light.

Considering the times in which he lived and the social environment it would not be far fetched accusing him of being a chauvinist. His women are depicted as the typical docile creatures. Though a reader could not actively object to the portrayal as they are shown, as they do have strength the manner in which the representation is made is open to criticism.

In an era when the masculine gender was omnipotent it was hard to find an audience where a protagonist who is a woman with power would be accepted. Hemingway chose to take the male and show him as a person struggling to survive. It is said that the author of a book uses his own life experiences in the books in order to make the stories more personable and the characters more human.

Thus, when we study the life of the author we can state that the male characters showed himself, as a person. Reading about Hemingway we see that he was completely male. He was arrogant, vociferous about his likes and dislikes and was brave as seen by his war records.

His experiences were symbolized in his books of war and most of the activities that he undertook were usually seen as a man's domain like "boxing and drinking and bullfighting."(3) Reading A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Garden of Eden. When writing The Garden of Eden the reader acknowledges the changing roles of the sexual conflict within the themes.

Yet, it must be realized that to Hemingway the "hero" always came first and his life was the focal point for the story, the other interactive themes merely upheld the story and gave it color. The women may have been strong but the actual context came from the man and without the latter the woman lost her characteristic. Such genderization created a furor as women gained independence. By writing on stories that cover the male world he has set aside the female.

Through the transition of time we see him develop his protagonist on a strict moral code, which is predominantly a male order. Women take the back seat regardless of their contribution to the heroes' life. Basically it can be said that though Hemingway understood the path of change that the women were taking there was a refusal to accept the actual change through a prominent and active role. He knew the strengths of women but instead of highlighting them he allowed his stories to pivot on the men.

The Sun Also Rises gives Brett a strong character but it is lost amidst Jack's story as she does not fit in the typical woman's role, then we see how Catherine becomes the epitome of a 'virgin mother' in A Farewell to Arms. He thus, tends to focus on the traditional rather than the radical. Conclusion To give Hemingway his due he was a product of his times.

No matter how critical the reader gets the fact is that Hemingway's women had more character than many others portrayed during his time. The woman may adhere to the traditional scenarios and Hemingway may have focused on the male protagonist more in comparison but truth be told that was his prerogative. It is not necessary for him to be a woman hater just because he writes a story about a man. The scholar's, men and women alike have agreed that women have their place in the Hemingway novels.

The men are not complete without.