Analysis Of Female Features In Hemingway's Works

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) is one of the most famous writers of the twentieth-century. He won the Nobel Prize for his'mastery of the art of modern narration.'He developed a clean, terse style characterized by short sentences, simple words, and emotional understatement. Hemingway's approach to the craft of fiction is direct, but never or just plain simple. His style gives his novels and short stories a distinctive accessibility that is immediately identifiable with the author. He accomplished a revolution in literary style and language. His lean, economical style had an immense impact on his contemporary writers in America, England and other European countries.Hemingway not only forged a startling original literary style, he also created "the Hemingway hero." Hemingway's novels and short stories emphasized the reactions of characters to a world which is not too kind. A recurring theme seen throughout Hemingway's stories is that a real man does not whine or complain when put into a position of pain, but takes his downfall with a sense of grace and dignity. Thus Hemingway is often stereotyped as a machismo writer. Critics once declared that Hemingway could not depict women or that he was better at depicting men without women. It became common for critics to divide his fictional women into castrators or love-slaves, either'bitches'or helpmates-the simplicity of dichotomy.What I hope to show in this thesis is that his depiction of women and of gender issues may be fruitfully approached by placing it in its historical and biographical contexts. His Fictional females reflect his responses to the ongoing reformulations of gender in the culture at large and to such specific manifestations as the rise of women within the literary world. The thesis is intended to comment on Hemingway's characterization of women based on the analysis of his two novels The Sun also Rises, A Farewell to Arms,For Whom the Bell Tolls and one short story The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.The thesis is divided into six chapters.Introduction gives a panoramic view of Hemingway's life, literary style and his literary position. Hemingway's remarkable position in American literature and the outstanding contribution he makes to the development of American literature are indisputable. However, the female characters in Hemingway's works, in other words, Hemingway's attitudes toward females as a writer, have been the points at issue. A considerable amount of critics hold the view that Hemingway is a writer of androcentrism who looks down upon females. That seems to explain why there are only "tough men" in his works in the eyes of these critics. Some critics dichotomize Hemingway women, generalizing that Hemingway women are either'angels'or'demons'. Hemingway is in favor of "tough men", but it doesn't mean that he is disgusted with women. His works indeed embody the strong consciousness of females and his works are the authentic records of his times in which Hemingway women live.Chapter one is a general introduction of current critics about female characters in Hemingway's works.Chapter Two discusses how the female characters in Hemingway's works are influenced by society transformation, home environment, and personal experience. In Chapter Three, I go into detailed discussion of the portrayal of Brett Ashley in The Sun Also Rises.In Chapter Four I look at Margot, the heroine in Hemingway's short story The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber-in term of her characterization to the events and experiences in Hemingway's own life.Chapter Five is devoted to detailed discussion of the portrayal of Catherine Barkley-the heroine of A Farewell to Arms, and the heroine of For Whom the Bell Tolls-Maria.Conclusion points out that Hemingway, as a writer with creative power and unique style, is not only an expert in depicting man facing life and death with courage, hope, and wisdom, but a man with full understanding of different categories of women. Hemingway leaves us his profound reflection of human society. With dauntless spirit and refined manner, Hemingway reveals what exists in human society, in the inner world of human beings, and between man and woman. His lasting pursuit of reciprocity between man and woman in his career has the power to present us, what human needs and aspirations are in his time and the new century today. And we, the modem men of the 21th century, are made to speculate upon how to establish and cherish a deep, meaningful relationship built on mutual respect and love in a fast changing society undergoing unprecedented political, economic, scientific and cultural transformation and ideological, moral and spiritual changes.