Masculinity In Hills Like White Elephants, By Ernest Hemingway

Throughout the stories we have read in this course, Hemingway portrays men struggling to appear masculine or macho. This struggle reflects the societal expectations and norms of the time period in which Hemingway was writing. The 1920s and 1930s were marked by a shift in traditional gender roles, with women gaining more independence and freedom, which threatened men's sense of masculinity. To Hemingway, being masculine meant embodying qualities such as courage, stoicism, physical strength, and emotional control. His male characters often express their masculinity through displays of physical prowess, such as hunting or bullfighting. They also strive for emotional detachment and avoid vulnerability at all costs.

This masculine identity crisis

They feel compelled to engage in risky behavior or seek out dangerous situations as a way to prove their manhood. For instance, in "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," Francis feels emasculated after showing fear during a lion hunt and seeks redemption by facing down the lion again. However, Hemingway's portrayal of masculinity is not limited merely to physical prowess but also includes emotional restraint and stoicism. In "Hills Like White Elephants," for example, the male character exhibits an emotionally distant persona while dealing with a difficult situation. This reinforces the idea that men must maintain control over their emotions at all times. Moreover, Hemingway's use of the masculine identity crisis in his characters reflects his personal beliefs about what it means to be a man. Growing up in a culture where traditional gender roles were strictly enforced, Hemingway struggled with his own sense of masculinity. His experiences as an ambulance driver during World War I further influenced his belief that true bravery was found in confronting death head-on. Overall, Hemingway's use of the masculine or macho role reflects both societal pressures on men during his time period and his personal beliefs about what it means to be a man. His male characters' struggles with their masculinity demonstrate the complex relationship between individual identity and

Women began to demand more rights and freedoms, leading to a breakdown of traditional family structures. Men who had been raised with the belief that they were supposed to be breadwinners and head of household suddenly found themselves unable to fulfill those roles. As a result, many men struggled with their masculinity and felt emasculated by society's changing expectations. Hemingway's male characters reflect this struggle with masculinity in different ways. For example, Harry in "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is paralyzed by fear after he realizes he cannot write anymore due to an infection. He feels like a failure because he can no longer fulfill his role as a writer, which he believes is essential to his masculinity. Similarly, the soldiers in "In Another Country" feel emasculated by their injuries and inability to fight on the front lines. According to Hemingway, being masculine means being strong and brave in the face of adversity. It means not showing weakness or vulnerability, especially emotional vulnerability. His male characters often try to hide their emotions or bury them deep inside so as not to appear weak or feminine. This idea of masculinity comes from Hemingway's own experiences as a soldier and war correspondent. He witnessed firsthand the horrors of war and believed that men needed to be tough enough to endure these experiences without breaking down emotionally.