"The Snows of Kilimanjoro" by Ernest Hemingway

Today we discussed how modernism often deals with irony. However, it is not the type of irony that most people initially think of. Instead, it is presented as a tension between two difference forces or possible experiences.

In Hemingway’s short story, “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”, a form of irony is present as Harry goes back and forth between blaming his own self and his wife for his dissatisfaction and “destroyed” writing talent. Throughout much of the novel, Harry’s bitterness and contempt towards his wife is very present.  He even blames her for their current predicament of being stranded in Africa.  Regarding his failed writing career, Harry believes that Helen destroyed all of his talent by holding him back from his writing. He is very cruel to her and bitter towards her wealth.  Now, as he realizes he is dying, he regrets not writing about the people and places he cared about.

However, the reader also sees that Harry is struggling to come to terms with the fact that he is the only one to blame for his shortcomings. On page 1026, it is suggested that maybe Harry does acknowledge his own faults. Hemingway writes: “He had destroyed his talent himself and what he believed in, by drinking so much that he blunted the edge of his perceptions, by laziness, by sloth, and by snobbery, by pride, and by prejudice, by hook and by crook.” Perhaps Harry does completely blame himself; He only blames his wife to hide his own shortcomings.

I also see other aspects of Modernism in this poem. Like the narrator in” The Love Song of Alfred PruFrock,” Harry was very much “stuck” in his own head throughout much of his life. Because of that, he wrestles with his perception of self and has to deal with his shortcomings. This story is very much driven by the actions and thought processes of Harry.

Another theme that seems to be present in lot of modernist stories is death. Other modernist poems, such Wallace Steven’s Sunday Morning, present death in a positive light and even welcome it. However, The Snows of Kilimanjaro almost depicts death in negativity as it comes with the expense of lost opportunities.