Kevin J.’s Comments (group member since Jan 31, 2009)

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

I've always thought the REAL hero of this book was the Earth itself: "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth forever . . . " I think Hemingway was saying that we muddle through as best we can before the eventual, inescapable end, searching desperately for some kind of meaning, or possibly not, and that our lives are temporary and ephemeral, while the the earth itself is the only true constant. It's pretty amazing that such a young man could explicate such a complex theme so simply at such a young age.

There's a lot of hidden dynamite here, too, especially in the contrast between the highlands and the lowlands . . .

You know, Hemingway respected Stevens too much as a poet to speak publicly about the fight; I think his making the character in the book a barrel-chested business executive was his kind of tongue-in-cheek comment on it. And by the way, the fight scene itself was a take on one of Hemingway's favorite pastimes in Bimini: he would promise to pay anyone who could last three rounds with him on the dock $50. He never had to pay. ;-)

Cool, thanks for starting this thread, Brad. I've always thought this one was really underrated. It's intensely autobiographical, too, especially the scene on the boat early in the book, when the guy on the neighboring yacht comes out with a shotgun to threaten Roger. That's a nod to a fight Hemingway had with Wallace Stevens on the dock at Bimini. (Maybe not the smartest thing Mr. Stevens ever did.) There are tons of things like that in this novel.

By the way, I made the mistake of picking this up the weekend before Finals Week in the Spring of my sophomore year, and ended up having to cram for all of my exams because I couldn't study until I finished the book. And it's a BIG book. *lol*

Absolutely, Brad. And he admitted as much: Nick Adams, Jake Barnes, Robert Jordan, and Thomas Hudson were all "him" at various stages of life. And his other characters were "all just like they really were, except invented", as he said--tongue firmly in cheek, of course. But I think every writer writes themselves into their characters (it's almost unavoidable); Hemingway was just more honest about it.

I'm currently in the foothills of the Adirondacks, halfway between Saratoga Springs and Albany NY, in a town called Clifton Park. It's a beautiful area, although I don't know how much longer I'll be here. Anyway, Russell Banks is from farther north, in the heart of the Adirondacks. (The Adirondack Preserve is enormous, by the way--the five biggest national parks can all fit in it together.) Parts of it, even parts very close to where I live, are quite rugged; I can go from a typical American suburban neighborhood to a pretty strenuous hike in a 45-minute drive. But the winters are COLD. *lol*

Done, Gary. And yes, I'll be catching up on posts very soon. It's a busy time until Labor Day (I tend bar part-time in Saratoga, NY, but it becomes very much full-time for the six weeks of racing season!), but after that I expect to get back into my usual routine. I look forward to our conversations!

Wilson was actually based on one of Hemingway's good friends, a white hunter named Philip Percival. Hem disguised him by arming him with that .505 Gibbs (a cannon which Hemingway had seen once at Abercrombie and Fitch in NYC, but he knew Percival had never owned). There was no question of Percival ever bedding his clients; he was a both professional and a devoted husband. But it made for a better story. Francis Macomber is supposedly based at least in part on another good friend, Gerald Murphy, but was likewise imbued with some unsavory characteristics to make for a better story. No one knows for sure who Margot was based on, except that Hemingway thought she was "the most attractive and worst bitch I had ever met"--having her murder her husband like that was a wonderful act of revenge. And I think that means Steven was right: for whatever reason, it was Francis with whom Hemingway identified (although one could always argue that all of his characters were him, and he, them).

La Floridita. Hemingway immortalized it in Islands in the Stream by having Thomas Hudson set a personal record for daquiris (sans sugar) at a bar in Bimini after he learns of the death of his son in the war. He almost always drank daquiris at La Floridita, but the bar itself in that scene was modeled after Sloppy Joe's.

Hey everyone! My name is Kevin, and people call me, well, "Kevin". *lol* I've actually been a silent member of the group for quite some time--it's been a very busy summer--but I'm looking forward to chiming in from time to time, beginning a little later tonight. If you want to know more about me please feel free to check out my page here or on Facebook. (It's all there--to quote John Huston, "I'm an open book.") And I look forward to our conversation!