Brunhilde’s Comments (group member since May 31, 2012)

Brunhilde’s comments from the The Importance of Reading Ernest group.

What I love about Hemingway is he tells you a story you understand perfectly without perfectly telling you the details. But then sometimes I feel like he is maybe telling us something and I miss an important part and then miss the story.

We don't really know the age of the boy. One thought I had was that he was younger and experiencing his member getting hard and not liking it or knowing what to do about it. So then that made me thought that at the end when the two doctors are talking and making a big deal about the one being Jewish, if it could some how imply that if he just circumcised the boy it could put his mind at ease.
Or of course the idea that it is an older boy and dealing with sexual desire and seeking a way to remedy it. And the talk at the end just pointing out "ridiculous religion and its false ideas."
Sometimes I think I want to make Hemingway say more than he does. And sometimes I miss entirely what he is saying. But all of it is thoroughly enjoyable for the brain.

Gary wrote: "This is a story every Hemingway fan should read....great to read at Christmas time, after singjing the carol of the same title beforehand........... and yes .... there is a ,Comma, in the story titl..."

Okay, I am willing to discuss. I am just a little curious if at the end we are to assume that jewish doctor should have just performed circumcision on him and put the kid's mind at rest for a little while. Maybe I am totally missing it completely.

Gary wrote: "I have a copy of Hemingway and His Boat. Have seen wonderful reviews,and anyone that has read it says it's great. It's on my list for July around Papa's birthday.

:-)"

Just ordered it from the library. Should be in my hands tomorrow.

I will try to find it today. I am currently reading Hemingway and His Boat. It is non-fiction and I can't put it down. There really is just something about him. I can read is simple short sentences over and over and over again and just marvel.
I am deeply fascinated by his suicide and I don't know it that makes me evil and twisted.

Gary wrote: "However, I always assumed Jake had nothing down there, but felt Psychologically impotent,and thought he needed sex but couldn't get it..... like that old saying... 'absence makes the heart grow fo..."

This is so what I love about Hemingway. We aren't told for sure. We all think we know. We all know slightly differently. We all have the general idea. We all have our own details. I just love it.

Hills Like White Elephants is like that to for me too.

Newengland wrote: "I'll have to hunt it down, but I'm almost sure Hem rewrote the beginning of this book based on feedback from Fitzgerald. I believe Brett played a featured role in the first start, whereas Jake doe..."

Paul Hendrickson addresses this in his book Hemingway and His Boat. It is very good.

I am very happy to find people who like Hemingway. I was the only one in college who read him for pleasure. And even now no one I know reads him but me.

Could we talk about Jake's "problem"? What I love about Hemingway is that he says so much without saying it but sometimes I need things a little more spelled out.
I am under in impression that he is impotent. But do we know more about that?