Role Of Ambition In Ernest Hemingway's Mike Campbell

It so happens that ambition is a birthright for those born to less than ideal socioeconomic standings. Nothing instills the desire to reach new wealths and statuses in life quite like the absence of any at all. On the contrary, for someone born without a sense of hunger and want, there is nowhere to move but down from that highest rung of the ladder. For those with the unwavering promise of a healthy inheritance, there is no up or down — only an aimless pacing back and forth against the glass ceiling, often filling their interim existences with unhealthy decisions and self-destructive behavior. What is a cushioned life without pushing the limits of that landing pad? Such is the state of being for Ernest Hemingway’s Mike Campbell, who kicks

“The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down . . . the wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits ” (N.p.). This biblical passage from Ecclesiastes 1:4-7 captures the centripetal force of habit that ever compels the cycle of human nature as well. When habits turn destructive, they can be nearly impossible to unshackle from. Further, Ecclesiastes is fittingly authored by King Solomon of Israel, whose reign was tainted with immoral streaks of lust, worldliness, and self-deception that altogether brought upon his demise. Mike’s steady decline throughout The Sun Also Rises proves an eerie mirror image to this. In the Bible, God bestows unto Solomon boundless wisdom to govern his kingdom virtuously, which he takes advantage of and pursues the lavishness of royal life and earthly things (KJV Bible, 1 Kings 11:41-42). Mike’s medium of self-deception is not wisdom, but money. Left bankrupt after a failed business venture, Mike now operates off of allowances from his wealthy parents but still acts with the discretion of a deep-pocketed man, gambling away his last dollar — rather, his last twenty francs (233). Even so, finance is a subject of humor to him. How did Mike go bankrupt? “Two ways,” he says, “gradually and then suddenly” (141). Just as Solomon runs his kingdom into the ground with no sense

In a story that places value on passion, afición, and anything that can will a war-torn heart to keep beating, Mike’s character exemplifies the danger of living without this and details that damaging coping mechanisms only create an inescapable cycle of dependence. Hemingway establishes Mike’s character as an object of pity with no room to be mistaken for anything more. Ultimately, Mike provides an example of how not to live: purposeless without the desire for self improvement, because without this there is nowhere to go but