Free Literary Analysis Of In Another Country By Ernest Hemmingway Literature Review Example

War often brings with it loss, sadness and emptiness especially on the part of those directly involved in it. In the short story In Another Country, written by Ernest Hemmingway, the reader is introduced into the lives of former war soldiers, who are grappling with the realities of the aftermath of the First World War. At first glance, the reader gets the impression that the narrator is in a different country away from their home. And indeed the story is written in the setting of Milan, where an American soldier and five other Italian soldiers who were wounded in the war are receiving treatment in a hospital. Some of them are a symbol of hope and optimism while others are hopeless and do not seem to find meaning in life. But all the same, Hemmingway uses different literary devices to present the story in a rather interesting manner through which the reader gets into the lives of the characters in an effort to understand them and their predicaments.
Hemmingway presents the thoughts of some of the characters and depicts them as different from each other in character. He lets the reader know the inner thoughts of these characters as well as their daily activities, and that helps create and understand their personalities. For instance, Hemmingway presents the doctor as a very optimist person, who encourages the narrator and the major about their present condition and that they will get better someday. For instance, the doctor tells the narrator that he “will be able to play football again better than ever” (Hemmingway 5). The major, on the other hand, is very pessimistic as seen through his conversation with the doctor. When the doctor asks him whether he is confident, he blatantly says no. Such are attributes possessed by different characters that help in understanding how different people treat or go about their situations.
The setting of the story also presents a perspective through which the reader can understand and even get into the minds, thoughts, feelings and attitudes of the characters. The setting is post-war and much of the activity surrounding the effects of accidents encountered during the war. In the hospital, the therapy machines are supposed to help these war veterans recover from the injuries they suffered during the war. The fact that they are in a hospital and have to go there for physical therapy present the emotional and physical burden of the war, especially seen through their conversations, inner thoughts and their daily routine that is supposed to help them become better or heal. In as much as they want to recover, they are burdened by the fact that they are incapacitated and would want to become better and valuable members of the society.
Symbolism in this essay can be seen through the hospital, the doctor, and the machines. Naturally, a hospital symbolizes pain and suffering. No one will go to a hospital if they are physically, emotionally and psychologically fit. It, therefore, carries the burden of the suffering that these soldiers are suffering. It is at the hospital that the major receives news of the passing on of his wife, and it is here that he does not see any hope of ever getting better. The soldiers have to travel again from different places and cross a bridge in order to get to the hospital. The bridge, in this case, is symbolic of the war as the way through which their lives have been transformed. The hospital is one place that keeps reminding them of whom they are and, that remind them of their physical inabilities. The hospital and machines, therefore, symbolize pain, suffering and death.
The soldiers have to grapple with the consciousness of the war because it is both a challenge that they have faced in life and a threat to their mere existence. They have come face to face with death but managed to survive when it is obvious that some soldiers die at war. All of them have their different ways and mechanisms of dealing with their loss. Whereas some are optimistic and brave, others have lost hope in life and do not see anything good coming out of their treatment. But one person who stands out by the way he deals with his loss is the major, who regardless of his situation is willing to keep trying and also copes very well with the loss of his wife (Waldhorn 221).
This short story tells the story of the predicaments of wounded war soldier and how their injuries affect their lives long after they leave the war or even after the war is over. But at the same time, they are men of honor whose stories tell of great courage and sacrifice for the sole reason of fighting for their country. But all the same, there is a need for them to adapt to life after the war regardless of their situations, something that is possible only by changing their perspectives about life, in general. There are those who are optimistic while others are not. A somber mood is seen throughout the story because the characters have to deal with some loss or a physical body part and purpose as a result of the war.

Works Cited

Hemmingway, Ernest. In Another Country. PDF File
Waldhorn, Arthur. A Reader’s Guide to Ernest Hemmingway. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2002. Print