Hemingway once said: “If it is any use to know it, I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There are seven-eights of it under water for every part that shows. Anything you know you can eliminate and it only strengthens your iceberg. It is the part that doesn’t show. If a writer omits something because he does not know it then there is a hole in the story.”
Hemingway tended to not tell the reader about how the characters in his stories feel or think.
He lets the reader develop his own ideas about the background or intentions of the characters. This Essay will show and compare the use of this theory in two of Hemingway’s short stories, “Hills Like White Elephants” and “The Killers”.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The iceberg-theory in “Hills Like White Elephants”
2. The iceberg-theory in “The Killers”
3. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This academic paper aims to examine and compare the application of Ernest Hemingway’s "Iceberg Theory" in two of his prominent short stories, "Hills Like White Elephants" and "The Killers," focusing on how implicit storytelling techniques engage the reader's interpretive faculties.
- Analysis of the "Iceberg Theory" and the concept of the "creative void" in literary narratives.
- Examination of character ambiguity and indirect dialogue in "Hills Like White Elephants."
- Exploration of existential themes and withheld information in "The Killers."
- Comparison of symbolic imagery and the use of vague references (such as "it") to represent complex underlying themes.
- Investigation into how limited narrative disclosure forces readers to supply emotional context.
Excerpt from the Book
1. The iceberg-theory in “Hills Like White Elephants”:
Hills Like White Elephants puts the reader directly into the story as it begins with a description of a landscape and a railway station without telling where exactly the described scenery takes place. The reader starts searching and questioning and gets involved into the story.
When the man starts to talk to the girl about the operation she doesn’t answer but looks at the ground. The author doesn’t tell the reader what kind of an operation he is talking about nor why the girl is looking at the ground. “Hemingway purposely refrains from doing so, knowing that the emotional impact is much more intense if the emotion is supplied by the reader”.
This whole scenery is described from the girls perspective. The reader develops sympathy for the girl. This is more intensified when the man starts to talk to the girl again about the operation (an abortion). He didn’t understand that the girl isn’t feeling well when talking about that topic but anyways he is starts again with it. He also chooses a very crude formulation when saying “It’s just to let the air in” when talking about the upcoming abortion. The girl doesn’t answer but he still doesn’t get it and repeats the phrase again. The reader still doesn’t know what’s it all about and he starts developing sympathy for the girl.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This section defines the "Iceberg Theory" and the concept of the "creative void," setting the stage for a comparative analysis of two Hemingway short stories.
1. The iceberg-theory in “Hills Like White Elephants”: This chapter analyzes how Hemingway uses atmospheric descriptions and sparse dialogue to invite reader interpretation regarding the characters' conflict.
2. The iceberg-theory in “The Killers”: This chapter explores how the lack of background information regarding the motives of the characters enhances the tension and existential dread within the story.
3. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the findings, highlighting how the use of the iceberg theory in both works forces readers to actively participate in the narrative experience.
Keywords
Ernest Hemingway, Iceberg Theory, Creative Void, Hills Like White Elephants, The Killers, literary analysis, short story, narrative technique, symbolism, character ambiguity, reader engagement, existentialism, interpretation, dialogue, subtext.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work explores how Ernest Hemingway employs his famous "Iceberg Theory" to create depth in his short stories by deliberately omitting background information and explicit emotional guidance.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The analysis centers on literary theory, specifically narrative structure, character motivation, symbolic imagery, and the role of the reader in "filling the creative void" of a text.
What is the core research goal?
The goal is to show and compare the application of the Iceberg Theory in "Hills Like White Elephants" and "The Killers," illustrating how silence and omission shape the reader's experience.
Which methodology is utilized?
The author uses a comparative literary analysis approach, examining textual evidence from the two short stories and cross-referencing these observations with existing literary criticism on Hemingway's style.
What is the scope of the main body?
The main body examines how each story uses dialogue and imagery to force the reader to infer hidden meanings, specifically focusing on the abortion narrative in the first story and the threat of violence in the second.
What are the primary keywords associated with this paper?
Key terms include Hemingway, Iceberg Theory, Creative Void, Hills Like White Elephants, The Killers, short story analysis, symbolism, and reader interpretation.
How does "Hills Like White Elephants" specifically use landscape as an iceberg element?
The author argues that the contrasting landscape—the "hills like white elephants" versus the fields of grain—serves as an unspoken metaphor for the girl’s choice between a life with or without the pregnancy, requiring the reader to interpret the imagery.
Why is the term "it" significant in both stories analyzed?
The author points out that "it" functions as a vague, ominous placeholder in both stories—representing an abortion in "Hills Like White Elephants" and impending death in "The Killers"—which keeps the reader focused on the emotional weight rather than explicit details.
- Quote paper
- Thomas Müller (Author), 2005, Hemingway's Iceberg Theory in Hills Like White Elephants and The Killers, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/46000
