The Development of Hemingway and His Heroes Through Para
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THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEMINGWAY AND HIS HEROES THROUGH PARA- RATIONAL DISCOVERY: MATADORS, MYSTICS, AND MADNESS ____________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University Dominguez Hills ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Humanities ____________ by Joelle Bruce Swenning Fall 2018 Copyright by JOELLE BRUCE SWENNING 2018 All Rights Reserved In loving memory of Americo and Terry Ann Bruce iii PREFACE I was a fifteen-year-old junior in high school when English teacher Willetta Fritz dropped a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises on my desk. It was the first time a teacher had given me, what I considered, a piece of adult fiction, and reading it made me feel worldly and beyond my years. In the six weeks that followed, class discussions regarding “Code Heroes,” love, isolation, and disillusionment resonated with the awkward teenager I once was. I remember being impressed with Lady Brett Ashley’s strength and free spirit. Soon after, I devoured all that was Hemingway. Five years later when I boarded my first plane to Europe, I do not recall if Hemingway or even Brett had consciously crossed my mind, but their influence had certainly followed me. First to Italy, then to Africa where I lived and worked for years as an expatriate hoping to always make my life abroad. I believe there are several generations of us, lost or not, who read something in The Sun Also Rises that resonates with us and connects us to Hemingway’s world view. His need to expand his experience outside of his inherent homeland is, for me, a searching that goes beyond geography and into the realm of understanding the soul. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my thesis mentor, Dr. Lyle Smith, who was always quick to provide me with valuable feedback and guidance. His encouragement and the generosity he showed by gifting me with so much of his time made this daunting task seem less intimidating. In addition, my experience in his courses peaked my curiosity and focused my path. My appreciation also extends to all of my professors at California State University Dominguez Hills, and the HUX Department. Dr. Debra Best and Dr. Patricia Cherin deserve special thanks for their rewarding courses, for serving on my thesis committee, and for their quick response to participate in my academic journey. I would like to express much appreciation to the many students I have encountered over the years. Their wide eyes and fresh perspectives continue to remind me every day that my passion for teaching began with wild curiosity. Additional thanks to Laura Vallenari for sharing her expertise. The Literature Matrix technique provided clarity to an overwhelming task. Finally, to my best friend, biggest fan, and adoring husband, John Swenning, I am in awe of your calming patience, generous spirit, and capacity for encouragement. Thank you. v T ABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE TITLE PAGE…………………………………………………………………….…….......i COPYRIGHT PAGE………………………………………………………………...........ii DEDICATION……………………………………………………………...……….........iii PREFACE…………………………………………………………………………...........iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………….........v TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………...…….................vi ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………..vii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION…………………….……………………………………………......1 2. JAKE BARNES…………………….…………………………………………………..9 3. ROBERT JORDAN………………….………………………………………………..27 4. SANTIAGO…………………………………...……………………………................45 5. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………..65 WORKS CITED…………………………………………………………………………69 vi ABSTRACT This thesis explores the artistic and personal development of Ernest Hemingway through the portrayal of three of his most compelling heroes: Jake Barnes in The Sun Also Rises, Robert Jordan in For Whom the Bell Tolls, and Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea. These heroes help present a chronological analysis of both Hemingway’s work and his persona that distinguishes him among other writers of his time. The existential crisis that World War I and modernization imposed on Hemingway accounts for his lifetime struggle to resolve his disillusionment through his work. There is a distinct intensification in the remedies Hemingway employs throughout his life that point to various para- rational influences. His reverence for the aesthetic beauty found in nature, Catholicism, and mysticism dominate the growth and worlds of his heroes, while also revealing insight into his personal struggle to reconcile the heart-head dilemma. 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Ernest Hemingway’s writing has garnered him world-wide respect as one of the greatest American authors of the twentieth century. His crisp, staccato style is recognized for its precision in shaping the characters and heroes of his novels through narratives that abandon self-indulgent commentary in order to propel his storylines through methods that employ rich dialogue and favor action over exposition. His modernist techniques provide the reader with a depth of understanding and insight into the often tragic nature of his subjects without infusing unnecessary flourishes. Hemingway called it the “iceberg” technique, the dignity of which exposes only one- eighth of the entire picture yet still provides the reader with all that is needed to delve deeply into the world of the code hero (Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon 192). While Hemingway’s heroes range from the disillusioned Jake Barnes in The Sun Also Rises to the resolute Robert Jordan in For Whom the Bell Tolls and finally to the persistent Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea, they all share a code that promotes living an impassioned life despite the detrimental influence and repercussions that war and tragedy have infused upon them and modern humanity. In fact, if examined as a progressive composite, Hemingway’s heroes also tell a deeper story exposing the life of the artist plagued by his own spiritual dilemmas. There is a yearning found within Hemingway and his greatest heroes that is constantly striving to attain a deeper understanding or purpose through his art. Whether it be fishing, bullfighting, writing, or blowing up a bridge, these 2 individuals seek to transform the chaos of the modern world through dedication to individual skill and integrity, which empowers them to remain faithful to their personal art and code. Despite a celebrated individualism, the Hemingway hero often encounters outside forces including chance, spiritualism and faith. In fact, by analyzing the development of some of Hemingway’s most notable heroes throughout his career, an evolution can be traced that coincides with the author’s own para-rational1 discoveries. The sterile and stoic narration of Barnes and the young Hemingway imply a repressed and discarded romantic notion of the world that must be approached by other means. Certainly, that Hemingway rejected his traditional Oak Park, Illinois, upbringing in 1920, shortly after he returned from World War I, holds its own significance. While most American writers, like Steinbeck and Faulkner, spent their careers revisiting and recreating their hometowns in their fiction, Hemingway repudiated his, abandoning Oak Park and the traditional ideologies it represented for the life of an expatriate living out most of his days in foreign lands. It is no surprise that Hemingway himself was consumed by insecurities and self- doubt his entire life, which is a reflection of the sentiment of an entire generation regarding the human condition and the heroes he constructed within it. Gertrude Stein famously stated, “You are all a lost generation,” and no better quote can illuminate the disillusionment that the Hemingway hero faces in reconciling 1 “Para-rational” refers to Michael Mahon’s coining of the term that forms the basis for the course HUX 542, The Para-rational Perspective. In his essay, Mahon defines “para-rational” to encompass three perspectives: the non-rational, the visionary, and the mystical/religious. These perspectives are explained as tendencies towards interpretations of the world that favor the heart over the head, emotion over thought, and the para-rational over the rational. 3 himself among a society where war has destroyed the myths and identity of humans through the context of the World War I. His own Oak Park upbringing sent conflicting messages to the youth of Hemingway’s generation. First, young men were criticized for their perceived apathy, and then they were extolled when they were sent off to war. Those at home had very little understanding of the predicament of the soldiers who returned damaged and maimed by confronting the violence of death. Today, almost one hundred years later, the Hemingway hero, his code, his successes and his failings still resonate with readers because these themes and this searching possess continued relevance that has reverberated throughout successive decades and conflicts. “Without a commonly accepted myth all members of the community are turned in upon themselves by Prufrockian anxiety over the ‘overwhelming question’ of apparently purposeless human endeavor, and no one else is of any use to anyone else” (Sylvester 73). It is the familiar internal struggle that Jake Barnes, Robert Jordan, and Santiago contend with that continues to draw audiences to Hemingway and the mythology of his heroes. What’s more, because the Hemingway hero is often characterized as someone who has developed a stoic and practical nature that is often marked by self-absorption and a detachment from mainstream society, the inherent