Insider or Outsider?

The strongest influence on literary modernism was the new psychology with its analysis of the operations of the unconscious and myth. Sigmund Freud explicated the id, ego, and superego; and Carl Jung identified "the collective unconscious." (Bruccoli). 

When you think of Modernism in the literary sense, it is almost certain that you will identify a strong concentration on the language during this era of literature.  Reality and knowledge were two of the most influential aspects of modernistic writing.  The way in which the language flowed across the page was just as important as the plot of the story.  Ernest Hemingway was not the originator of the Modernism movement, however, his unprecedented style of writing helped popularize the movement into what it is known as today.  Hemingway was known for obtaining a painful grasp on reality; this was quite clear in his stories.  Perhaps this was a result from his time spent overseas on the war front, or perhaps it was the result of a troubled childhood.  “He did however drive verbal terseness and austerity to its limit, setting an unsurpassable standard, while avoiding Stein's and Anderson's eccentricities. (St. James).  According to Hemingway, there were those who understood the universe and came to expect its hardships, and there were those who did not have a clear grasp of reality.  “Also notable in his early writing is a willingness to portray what his characters really felt rather than what they were supposed to feel. He did not care to write edifying stories: if his character felt empty and hollow after an event that was supposed to make a respectable man feel sad, the story gained power through its honest realism. (St. James).  For example, after reading Hemingway’s “The Snow’s of Kilimanjaro”, it is evident that Harry is considered the “insider” because of his harsh realization of himself and where he is in the universe, and Helen as the “outsider”, because of her optimism and affection.  Hemingway often wrote about the struggle between fantasy and reality, which is another crucial aspect of Modernism.  Ernest Hemingway was a believer in focusing on the things that only you can change and not worrying about the problems that were far bigger than you are.  Similarly, the ideas of Modernism were strikingly alike to Hemingway’s view of life.  

Sources

TEXT

"Ernest Hemingway." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.

Bruccoli, MatThew J., and Arlyn Bruccoli. "Literary Modernism (1920s)." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.

IMAGE

"Ernest Hemingway with a shotgun." Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2011.Gale Biography In Context. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.

URL

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