"The Killers" by Ernest Hemingway.

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                                                                        Bret Corrigan

“The Killers” by Ernest Hemingway

Part I:        

Ernest Hemingway, a revolutionary novelist and short-story writer of the twentieth century, had a profound effect on a new movement of literature, known as Modernism. Hemingway helped to shape Modernism through his fragmented writing style, which often portrayed a pessimistic picture of a culture in disarray, as it did in the short story, “The Killers”. Hemingway’s seemingly simple language and plot is in reality highly complex and difficult. This is attributed to several ambiguities as well as his fragmented style, which regularly omits expressions, transitions, explanations, and resolutions.

        “The Killers” is lacking in unity and coherence of plot and character, mainly because of the omission of a great deal of background material. This is evident from the beginning where hardly any exposition exists. “At first glance, the opening sentence of Hemingway’s story…seems to be eradicated from the longer context” (Renkiel). Hemingway barely provides any information concerning the setting, leaving the reader a little lost. He then goes on to omit several explanations, which creates a sense of uncertainty and doubt. For instance, the reader never learns the reason that the two hit men, Al and Max, have been dispatched to murder Ole Anderson. George, the owner of the diner, thinks Anderson must have double-crossed some gamblers in Chicago. Anderson himself simply states to Nick Adams that he “got in wrong” (Hemingway). The absence of this detail makes the reader question the logic behind Al and Max’s plot and wonder if there is even a sensible reason for the murder of Anderson. Even the two hit men don’t know why they are killing Anderson. Max states, “We’re killing him for a friend. Just to oblige a friend, bright boy” (Hemingway). This is exactly the kind of effect Hemingway wanted to create. By making the whole situation seem illogical and irrational he implies that society is senseless and chaotic.

Hemingway develops this implication by ending the story with an unclear resolution. Each character holds a different view of the situation and it is up to the reader to decide which one he feels is right. Sam, the black cook, is afraid and just closes his eyes to the whole situation. He abides by the old adage, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. When Nick announces his intentions to go warn Ole Anderson, Sam advises, “You better not have anything to do with it at all. You better stay way out of it” (Hemingway). Sam represents the type of person who feels it is best to stay out of trouble, even if someone else is in need of help. Nick Adams is initially the exact opposite. He believes there is a right thing to do in this situation and volunteers to go see Anderson to warn him of the impending danger. When Anderson is unmoved by Nick’s suggestions, Nick becomes so disgusted and disturbed that he plans to leave town altogether. “I can’t stand to think about him waiting in the room and knowing he’s going to get it. It’s too damned awful” (Hemingway). He can’t accept the inevitability of Anderson’s impending death and feels for his “own self-preservation that he must leave all of these people who are able to tolerate such senseless violence” (Moore). George, on the other hand, recognizes that evil exists but decides to send someone else, in this case Nick, to deal with it. George is indifferent to the situation and is ultimately not affected by it. He states, “That’s what they kill them for.” They are also his words, “Well, you better not think about it” (Hemingway), with “it” referring to the inevitable death of Anderson, that end the story. In essence, he advises Nick not to get involved and to accept things as they are in the adult world no matter how absurd they are. The multiple points of view that Hemingway presents challenge the reader to establish meaning from fragmentary forms. It is up to the reader to decide what is right and wrong. A fact of Hemingway’s fragmented style is that it makes the story open to various interpretations and only implies the true meaning of the story.

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        Hemingway’s fragmented style creates several ambiguities and ironies that show that things aren’t what they seem. They also serve to “call into question the moral and philosophical meaning of literary action” (Keep). Besides the many ambiguities discussed previously, there exists numerous instances where things are unclear and strange. Little things that may seem insignificant at first glance actually serve a noteworthy purpose in the story. Henry’s Lunch-Room was once a saloon and is now owned by George, Al and Max eat their meals with their gloves on, Mrs. Hirsh’s boarding house is run by Mrs. Bell, the clock is twenty ...

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