The Snows of Kilimanjaro

The Snows of Kilimanjaro is a short story by Ernest Hemingway, first published in Esquire in 1936, and later included in his collection of short stories, The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories. The story revolves around the life of Harry Street, a writer who is on a Safari in Tanzania with his wife, Helen, and is dying of Gangrene. The story explores themes of love, death, and the human condition, drawing parallels with the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy. The narrative is also reminiscent of Hemingway's own experiences as a Big game hunter in Africa, as well as his relationships with women like Martha Gellhorn and Mary Welsh Hemingway.

Introduction

The story begins with a description of the mountain Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, and the snows that cap its summit, which can be seen from the Serengeti National Park. The narrative then shifts to the protagonist, Harry Street, who is on a Safari with his wife, Helen, in the company of a Kamba guide and a Maasai cook. The story is a reflection on the life of Harry Street, a writer who has been unable to produce any significant work, and is now facing his own mortality, much like the characters in the works of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. The themes of the story are also echoed in the works of William Faulkner and T.S. Eliot, who explored the human condition in their writings. The story also draws parallels with the lives of other famous writers, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and James Joyce, who struggled with their own personal demons.

Plot

The plot of the story revolves around the life of Harry Street, who is dying of Gangrene in his leg, which he believes is a result of his own neglect and lack of care. As he lies on his cot, he reflects on his life, his relationships, and his writing, which he feels has been unfulfilled, much like the characters in the works of Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster. He thinks about his wife, Helen, and their relationship, which he feels has been strained, and he also thinks about his past loves, including a woman named Margot Macomber, who was the inspiration for his story The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber. The story also explores the theme of death and the afterlife, which is a common theme in the works of Dylan Thomas and W.H. Auden. The narrative is also interspersed with descriptions of the African landscape, including the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Lake Manyara National Park, which provide a backdrop for the story.

Background

The story was written by Ernest Hemingway in 1936, during a time when he was living in Key West, Florida, and was heavily influenced by his own experiences as a Big game hunter in Africa. The story is also believed to have been inspired by the life of Hemingway's friend, Harry Crosby, who was a writer and a Bon vivant, and who died under mysterious circumstances in 1929. The story also draws parallels with the lives of other famous writers, such as Gertrude Stein and Ford Madox Ford, who were part of the Lost Generation. The narrative is also influenced by the works of Ezra Pound and T.E. Lawrence, who explored the themes of identity and belonging in their writings. The story also reflects the cultural and historical context of the time, including the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, which had a significant impact on the lives of writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald.

Adaptations

The story has been adapted into several films, including a 1952 film directed by Henry King, starring Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward, and a 2015 film directed by Robert Guédiguian, starring Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Ariane Ascaride. The story has also been adapted into a play, which was performed at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2011, and has been translated into several languages, including French, Spanish, and German. The story has also been influential in the development of Literary fiction, and has been cited as an inspiration by writers such as Cormac McCarthy and Don DeLillo. The narrative has also been explored in the works of Film noir directors, such as Billy Wilder and Fritz Lang, who explored the themes of mortality and the human condition in their films.

Themes

The story explores several themes, including the human condition, love, death, and the search for meaning, which are common themes in the works of Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter. The narrative also explores the theme of identity, and the search for one's true self, which is a common theme in the works of James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. The story also reflects on the nature of relationships, and the complexities of human emotions, which are explored in the works of Jane Austen and George Eliot. The narrative is also influenced by the works of Philosophy, including the ideas of Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger, who explored the themes of existence and being in their writings.

Reception

The story has received widespread critical acclaim, and is considered one of Hemingway's greatest works, along with The Old Man and the Sea and A Farewell to Arms. The story has been praised for its concise and powerful prose, which is reminiscent of the works of William Carlos Williams and Wallace Stevens. The narrative has also been praised for its exploration of the human condition, which is a common theme in the works of Doris Lessing and Nadine Gordimer. The story has also been influential in the development of Literary fiction, and has been cited as an inspiration by writers such as Raymond Carver and Richard Ford. The story has also been explored in the works of Literary criticism, including the writings of Harold Bloom and Terry Eagleton, who have analyzed the narrative and its themes in detail. Category:Short stories by Ernest Hemingway