An Ecological Reading Of Hemingway’s Short Fictions

As one of the greatest writers of the20th century, Hemingway’s legendary lifestyle and unique writing style have always been the focus of critics’ attention in his lifetime. In an age notably short in memory, Hemingway remains a permanent force both in American literature and culture. His works have been studied from different perspectives, such as feminism, racism and postcolonialism. With the hope of arousing people’s ecological awareness, this thesis employs eco-criticism, the critical approach burgeoning in the late twentieth century that takes man’s relationship with nature as its primary focus, to explore the abstract ecological consciousness in Hemingway’s short fictions. The study of the ecological awareness in Hemingway’s short works is of considerable significance. In this way, it is of great possibility to probe deep into his short works. Hemingway undertakes a quest within his writing for a harmonious relationship between man and nature and between men and women. The aim of the dissertation is to arouse people’s eco-consciousness to protect our degrading environment so as to keep a good and harmonious relationship between man and nature.Ecocritics think that nature has an intrinsic value that cannot be reduced to the usefulness of human, human being is not the dominator of the nature. The relationship between men and nature should not be of dominance and hierarchy but interdependence and reciprocity. Hemingway is a writer with profound meditation on the interaction of nature and men. He suggests that man and animals should not be of hierarchy and dominance. Any attempt to destroy would only result in mutual defeat. Human being should show reverence and sympathy to non-human life. In An African Story, Davis witnesses the cruel way of killing the old elephant. The kid’s sympathy for animals and for non-human life is much stronger, purer and more innocent. At the same time, Hemingway shows his great concern about the destroyed landscape and the destructive effect of war on ecology. With the rising of new technology and means of transportation, human being loses control of the desire of the exploitation of the natural world. Especially Hemingway criticizes the reckless and predatory exploitation of the precious forest resources in Michigan. In Hemingway’s short fictions, he also exposes the alienation of modern man, including the effect of war and the industrialization of the society. Men are isolated from each other. Their lives become pointless and meaningless. WWI has a lifelong effect on Hemingway, who puts his personal experience into his creativity. He pays attention to the alienation between the two genders as well. Hemingway expresses his disgust at men’s indifference and marginalization of women. Women are monopolized by men as a way to set up their social image or a resource for pursuing physical pleasure. In the story Up in Michigan, the girl, Jig’s pure and romantic imagination of love is sharply contrasted with Jim’s selfishness and irresponsibility. Men’s marginalization of women and the indifferent attitude make the bisexual relationship a complete failure. By exposing women’s status in their interaction with men and by indicating the potential crisis in the exclusive male world, Hemingway believes that human society can be sustained only when the interdependent relationship is established between men and women.In the short story Big-Two Hearted River, Hemingway focuses on the value of nature as human being’s spiritual shelter. The protagonist Nick takes his experience in nature as a way to get rid of his predicament. Returning to nature and loving nature is the only way to deal with the alienation of modern society and the ecological crisis. Disregarding the laws of nature, the doomsday of human being will come one day when the destructed natural ecology is no more curable.In conclusion, in Hemingway’s short stories, it suggests that returning to nature and finding man’s identification in the non-human world is the only way to achieve the co-existence between human being and the natural world. Human being can not survive with out the natural environment. So it is of great importance to study Hemingway’s short fictions from the point of eco-criticism. It provides mankind with useful enlightenment on how to handle the relationship between man and nature in today’s ecological civilization era.