The Defamiliarization Of Death In The Snows Of Kiliman

Now, it is apparent from the beginning that Harry going to die because of the gangrene, even though Helen insists that he isn’t. He comes to accept death because he replies, “Don’t be silly. I’m dying now. Ask those bastards” (1022). From the way Hemingway described the birds, it is apparent that they are vultures. They don’t kill for their food, but they are scavengers that look for dead or rotting animals to eat from. It’s as though they sense Harry is dying, but they will have to wait a while. The vultures represent the fact that Harry is dying, but it will be slow and agonizing. After Helen gets a gazelle and they start to drink again, is when the hyena shows up. The line states, “That bastard crosses there every night,” the man said. “Every night for two

It is then that Harry realizes, unexpectedly that he is going to die, soon. The story describes it as, “It came with a rush; not as a rush of water nor wind; but a sudden evil-smelling emptiness and the odd thing was that the hyena slipped lightly along the edge of it” (1029). In the article, “The Defamiliarization of Death in Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,”” the author states that, “The hyena is perhaps death’s emissary and the “rush” is its warrant of arrest. Regardless of the interpretation, this brush with the hyena cements Harry’s awareness of his impending death” (Hartman). I agree with the notion that the hyena becomes the symbol of imminent death, considering that the vultures have completely vanished from the rest of the story. When Harry talks with Helen for the last time, he tells her, “Never believe any of that about a scythe and a skull. It can be two bicycle policemen as