Hemingway's In Our Time : masks, silences and heroes

This thesis sets out to explore the ambiguous concept of American heroism in Ernest Hemingway's short story collection e~titled In Our Time (1925), We shall investigate the author's interpretation of Americanness in its social context during the Roaring Twenties, Because visions of manliness have always been crucial in defining what it means to be an American (Kimmel, 2006, p. ix), the study also gives prominence to Hemingway's representation of masculinity. The surface of his text conforms to contemporary Midwestern defmition of manhood. Accordingly, as existing scholarship asserts, Hemingway's American hero is traumatised in physical and emotional terms, but he conceals his weakness and he comes to terms with his loss, which essentially signifies his American optimism. With the help of men's studies, psychoanalysis and narrative theory, our analysis of In Our Time reveals a different type of man existent in Hemingway's literature. The central protagonist, Nick Adams, displays the characteristics of the inherently melancholic American man. Examining him as a travelling correspondent, we can see how his journey enables him to investigate the meaning of identity and alterity. He comes to acknowledge the shortcomings of his native society. He identifies gaps and hiatuses in the American patriarchal tradition. Nevertheless, Hemingway's innovative narrative style disguises overt criticism about the United States. He manipulates the text and therefore confuses the reader. He applies redundancy - a form of repetition of details --and silencing - a conscious concealment of knowledge - in his narration in order to guide the reader to uncover the truth about preconceived ideals of American heroism and manliness. The American hero emerges as a representative of everything that he is not supposed to be: vulnerable, effeminate, homosexual and open-minded. Nick's "reports" thus deliver an austere critique of the American condition in the 1920s.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo