The Snows of Kilimanjaro Summary
The Snows of Kilimanjaro Summary Ernest Hemingway's "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a
classic short story that is widely regarded as one of his finest works. The
story follows the protagonist, Harry, who is on safari in Africa with his wife,
Helen. Harry is a writer who has never achieved the success he feels he
deserves, and as he lays dying from a gangrene infection, he reflects on his
life, his failures, and his regrets. In this article, we will delve deeper into
the story's plot, themes, and characters.
Plot Summary
The story begins with Harry and Helen on a safari in Africa.
Harry is suffering from a gangrene infection, and his condition is worsening.
He has a conversation with Helen about his life and his regrets, particularly
about not achieving literary success. Harry is bitter about his life and is
consumed by regret, and as his condition worsens, he starts to hallucinate.
In his delirium, Harry has flashbacks to his past, including
his time in Paris, where he lived with his first wife, Hadley. He also
remembers his affair with Cynthia, a wealthy woman who offered to support him
financially, but whom he left for Helen. As Harry's condition deteriorates, he
becomes increasingly resigned to his fate and regrets his wasted life.
The Snows of Kilimanjaro Summary Finally, as Harry lays dying, a rescue plane arrives, but it
is too late. Harry passes away, and Helen is left to grieve and reflect on
their relationship and her own regrets.
Concerning the structure of this story, note that Hemingway
divides it into six sections and within each of these sections inserts a
flashback that appears in italic, continually juxtaposing the hopeless,
harrowing present with the past, which often seemed full of promise.
The flashbacks themselves center around concerns about the
erosion of values: lost love, loose sex, drinking, revenge, and war. They are a
mix of hedonism, sentimentality toward the human condition, and leaving
unfinished business. Here, in this story, the symbolism of Kilimanjaro is
contrasted with the symbolism of the plains. Harry is dying in the plains from
gangrene, a stinking, putrid, and deadly infection, causing his body to rot and
turn greenish black. Against Harry's background of dark, smelly horror and
hopelessness, Hemingway contrasts Harry's memories of the good times that he
had in the mountains. Good things happen in the mountains; bad things happen on
the plains. Hemingway ends his story with Harry's spirit triumphant, as when
Harry dies, his spirit is released and travels to the summit of the mighty
mountain where the square top of Kilimanjaro is "wide as all the
world"; it is incredibly white as it shines dazzlingly in the sunlight.
The mountain is brilliant, covered with pure white snow; it is incredibly clean
— a clean, well-lighted place.
·
It
is important to note here that there were three deeds throughout Harry's life
that facilitated his otherworldly trip to Kilimanjaro at the time of this
death:
·
Giving
away his last morphine pills that he saved for himself to his friend Williamson,
who is in horrendous pain
·
Harry's
intention to write (the mental writing of the flashbacks) in his painful stupor
·
Sacrificing
himself to his wife as opposed to absolving himself
During his otherworldly flight over Kilimanjaro, Harry sees
the legendary leopard. The dead, preserved leopard can be seen as a symbol of
immortality, a reward for taking the difficult road. Harry himself was a
"leopard" at certain times in his life, as were some of his
acquaintances in his own stories. Specifically, Harry can be seen as a leopard
during
·
His
youth, when he lived in a poor neighborhood of Paris as a writer
·
In
the war, when he gave his last morphine pills for himself to the horribly
suffering Williamson
·
On
his deathbed, when he mentally composes flashbacks and uses his intention to
write
·
When
he stays loyal to his wife and does not confess to her that he never really
loved her
·
Some
mystic impulse within Harry and within the leopard drove them to seek out God,
or the god within themselves, or immortality that resided far from ugly,
mundane reality.
The Snows of Kilimanjaro Summary In most civilizations, God or God's promise of immortality
resides on the highest mountain top: Mount Olympus for the Greeks, Mount Sinai
for the Hebrews, Mount Fuji for the Japanese. If the leopard was searching for
some sort of immortality, then it found immortality at the summit of
Kilimanjaro, where it lies frozen — preserved for all eternity.
When Harry looks at Kilimanjaro, he sees it as a symbol of
truth, idealism, and purity. When he dies, tragic irony exists. The leopard
died in a high, clean, well-lighted place; Harry, in contrast, dies rotting and
stinking on the plains, lamenting his wasted life and his failure to complete
his desired projects.
In his novels and especially in his short stories, Hemingway
often uses mountains to symbolize goodness, the purity, and cleanness, and he
uses the plains as a symbol of evil and confusion. This contrast has often been
commented on by Hemingway scholars.
Not surprisingly, because death is at the core of this story,
one of the central themes that occurs again and again in Hemingway's stories
and novels is man's direct encounter with death or with approaching death.
Whether a man is in war and on the battlefield (as Nick Adams is in several
stories; as are Hemingway heroes in his novels A Farewell to Arms, For
Whom the Bell Tolls, and parts of The Sun Also Rises) or facing death (as
Nick Adams is when he is severely wounded in "A Way You'll Never Be"
and "In Another Country"), or on big game hunts, facing charging
animals (as Francis Macomber is in "A Short Happy Life"), the theme
of man's direct encounter with death is always pivotal to the story. Death is
always present as Hemingway examines how man reacts and behaves in the face of
death. In this case, as with other of Hemingway's heroes, we have a writer,
Harry, who never writes what he has wanted to; now it is too late. Death is so
near that it can be smelled, even in the presence of the stinking, smelly
hyena.
Themes
"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a story that explores
themes of regret, mortality, and the struggle for artistic success. Harry is a
writer who has never achieved the success he feels he deserves, and he is
consumed by regret over his wasted potential. The story also explores the
inevitability of death and the fleeting nature of life. Harry's realization
that he is about to die forces him to confront his own mortality and reflect on
the choices he has made in life.
Another theme in the story is the struggle for artistic
success. Harry is a writer who has never achieved the success he feels he
deserves, and he is bitter about the fact that he has wasted his talent. The
story explores the sacrifices that artists must make to achieve success, as
well as the price that must be paid for failing to do so.
Characters
The two main characters in "The Snows of
Kilimanjaro" are Harry and Helen. Harry is a writer who is bitter about
his lack of success and consumed by regret. He is also physically ill, which
adds to his sense of despair. Helen is Harry's wife, and she is portrayed as a
caring and devoted partner who is trying to help Harry in any way she can.
The story also features several minor characters, including
Pop, the safari guide, and Molo, the cook. These characters help to provide
context for Harry and Helen's journey and offer a glimpse into the world of
African safaris.
Conclusion
In conclusion, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro Summary " is a
classic short story that explores themes of regret, mortality, and the struggle
for artistic success. The story's protagonist, Harry, is a writer who has never
achieved the success he feels he deserves and is consumed by regret. The story
is a powerful reminder of the fleeting nature of life and the importance of
living it to the fullest.
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