The Cornerstone Of Hemingway's Success

Ernest Hemingway is the acknowledged representative writer of the Lost Generation, a Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 1954. In Our Time is his first major book, but scholars in and abroad have paid little attention to these short stories without much affirmation. In view of this, the article tries to explain the theme of the book, its character, craftsmanship and Hemingway's attitude towards women, proving that In Our Time betokens Hemingway's aesthetics thought, striking style and unique writing technique which can all be found in his later works. In Our Time is the cornerstone of Hemingway' s success.First of all, In Our Time distinctly reflects Hemingway's lifetime subject: war, bull-fighting, violence and death. It's safe to say that most of the later works of Hemingway are a repetition of this theme. All his life he lived with it emotionally and continued to write about it. In a sense, Hemingway wrote all his life about one theme:the death. The aesthetic value of his death awareness lies in Hemingway facing death inflinchingly, standing aloof. This bighearted mood shows his good sense to human destiny . Secondly, a Hemingway embryonic hero appeared on the scene here to live in grace under pressure. Nick Adams is Hemingway's earliest autobiographical protagonist. He is the first Hemingway hero. The image of Nick Adams finds newer and fuller dimensions in more of Hemingway's outstanding characterslike Jake Barnes, Frederic Henry and Robert Jordan, helping us to grasp the essence of his heroes. Thirdly, Hemingway showed a tendency to weaken female characters in this book, revealing his peculiar point of view on women. From these short stories, we can see how Hemingway ignored his woman characters, and that's why we can hardly see a heroine of sound mind and body in all of Hemingway's works. Finally, the essay expounds that In Our Time characterized by Hemingway' s three main artistic features which he developed them to the full in his later works. They are vivid colloquialism, short and terse sentences, simple diction often filled with emotion and particularly the simplicity of his laconic statements, suggesting. Obviously, Hemingway gave expression to the idea of his literary innovation here.Containing and embodying the contents and characteristics of Hemingway's later works, In Our Time takes an indispensable part in Hemingway's whole production, laying a foundation for his great success.