To preface, I don’t know much about Ernest Hemingway outside
of the introduction in the Norton
Anthology. “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is now, I think, his only work I’ve
even read. So, my speculation here could be entirely pointless, but I couldn’t
help but make a connection between the author profile and the story. The
profile states that when Hemingway’s father committed suicide, he blamed his
mother. (1019) Central to “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is Harry’s recognition
that he has wasted his talents and, ultimately, his life procrastinating and
enjoying a luxurious lifestyle rather than achieving his ambitions,
particularly related to his writing career. While he eventually assumes
responsibility for his own regrets, he initially lashes out at his wife,
blaming her wealth for his predicament, as if her presence in his life was a
debilitating poison for which he had no antidote.
So, I wonder if the two are related. Even further, it’s
intriguing to ponder whether such a connection is intentional, or a
subconscious expression. Does Harry’s eventual realization that he has nobody
to blame but himself for the state of his life indicate a similar change in
Hemingway’s perception of the events leading to his father’s death? Was he
trying to implicitly acknowledge that through the story, or did it perhaps
materialize without his intention? I believe people can learn a lot about
themselves by analyzing their own actions, especially with hindsight, so the possible
connection between Hemingway’s father and the story interests me. If he wrote
“The Snows of Kilimanjaro” without thinking about his father’s death, but then
noticed the connection in a similar manner as myself and consequently
re-evaluated his thoughts regarding his father’s death, the story is infinitely
more interesting to me. However, for all I know, he could have forever
maintained the belief that his father’s death was his mother’s fault, making
the similarities between that situation and the story purely coincidental, if
not a figment of my imagination.
Anyone who knows Hemingway better than me care to chime in
on the likelihood of the connection?
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