Ernest Hemingway is a Great Writer, but....

Many years I read Ernest Hemingway's short story, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," as a school assignment. That was way back in 7th or 8th grade. I can't remember the story now, but I do remember that I enjoyed Mr. Hemingway's writing. This even though I tend to hate doing anything just because I'm told to do it.

Ten years or so later when I was in my twenties I became curious about his novels. I had hard much about how great an author he was. I read "The Sun Also Rises," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," and "A Farewell to Arms." I think that I read them in that order. Mr. Hemingway imagines epic stories, creates marvelous characters, and describes them in magnificent prose. I can well understand why many literary critics hail him as America's greatest author. Nevertheless, I stopped reading his novels.

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It became obvious to me why Mr. Hemingway committed suicide. He must have been clinically depressed starting early in his writing career and never recovered. I became concerned (truly, this is not hyperbole for effect) that reading his books would make me depressed, as well. I also fully understand why studios change the endings to make the stories palatable to viewers. Every novel ended like a Greek tragedy with an empty stage at the end. The few principal characters who do not die suffer devastating losses. The ending of every novel is dark and depressing.

John Steinbeck also wrote stories with sadness and loss, but he always (as well as I remember) included a ray of hope. Mr. Steinbeck would make the loss a moral lesson and include plot points that gave reason for the reader to believe that life would improve for the protagonist. Mr. Hemingway would not thoughts of such weakness. For him his hero needed to fight for the losing side, fail in his quest, lose his great love, and die, or wish to die at the end of the story.

All three of the Hemingway books that I have read were turned into movies and mini-series. The endings were changed for at least some versions. So, do not trust Hollywood for preparing you to read his novels. Too much of Mr. Hemingway's wonderful prose may cause you to despondently stare down the wrong end of a shotgun, too.