Hemingway tells a confusing tale of Nick in this short story. It deals with Nick going through post-traumatic trauma. He has suffered a head injury and is not fully recovered. Nick is suffering from the heat and a head injury, possible concussion. When I tried to understand this story, the first thing that I looked for was Nick in relation to Hemingway. Nick is an American that claims to know the Captain and has a quirky story to go along with his being there. When I thought about it more, I thought of Ernist Hemingway in WW1 as an American Cross volunteer. As part of the American Red Cross he was able to talk to people from the other side of the war. This is probably the background Nick has in the story.
Next, the major theme to look for in this story is identity. Nick is looking for his identity. This is evident in the story, but can be seen in every day life also. College is a major example of this. College is the place that many people across the world find their identity, find who they truly are and what they truly want to do. In my case, I am still looking. I have not found my perfect calling, but seem to have a little better grasp than last year. The great thing about college is that there are many opportunities to allow me to find myself.
This story hits home for me for one reason mainly. This reason is that my grandpa (grandfather) took part in WW2. The war talked about in the story is most likely WW1 seeing as how that is what Hemingway took part in, but it still related to me. My grandpa has experienced a lot in life and knows who he is. He has found his identity.
My grandpa told me a story one time about his best friend before they both went off to war. My grandpa was a fighter pilot and his best friend a soldier. They did their jobs and eventually returned back home after the war. When he got back his friends had changed a lot. They had seen the world through a different perspective and had changed. He said he had changed also. This is a perfect story when thinking about identity. People are lost at one point in their lives. Whether it is in college or in a war, people in one way or another need to find who they truly are. Before they do that they are just like Nick, confused and wondering around.
After reading your blog, I went back and reread "A Way You'll Never Be." As I reread this story I thought of family members who had fought in various wars and the story immediately became less abstract and more personal. Thank you for helping me find that connection.
ReplyDelete