Across the River into the Trees by Ernest Hemingway - Essay Example

Across the River into the Trees by Ernest Hemingway A Book Report The paper is about the novel Across the River and into the Trees which is written by Ernest Hemingway, an American writer and novelist. The book was published by the Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1950 in New York. The aim of the paper is to discuss and to analyze the important concepts and issues incorporated in the novel which include the analogies and comparisons in the real events occurring during the time the novel was written. In addition, background information such as the life, the values and the beliefs of the author are also considered pertinent to the analysis and study undertaken regarding the book. The Author Ernest Miller Hemingway is an American author who had been actively writing between 1920’s and 1950’s. Due to his influence in modern literature, he had been awarded with a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. During that time, his work under study which is Across the River and into the Trees had already been published. Hemingway’s reputation can be attributed to the character of his works which belong in the identity of the 20th century works of literature, specifically fiction. His capability to present influential characters in his fiction works that can relate to people is considered to be one of his most notable capabilities (Bloom 25). Ernest Hemingway originated in Oak Park, III. He was born on July 21, 1899 and was observed to have an inclination in writing even at a young age. In the school paper, Hemingway already contributed notable articles. In 1925, after his career in the United States as a cub reporter and as a volunteer Red Cross ambulance driver, he moved to Paris which became the mark of his career as a novelist. He documented the said stage in his life and actively made important contributions to the literary world (Hemingway 1998, p. 27). Hemingway made and published the novel Across the River and into the Trees during the peak of his career. His main inspiration in writing the story was deeply rooted on the trip during the fall of 1948 when he visited Italy. Venice is the main location of the plot and the place of inspiration in the story (Hemingway 1998). The Plot of the Novel The novel is about the Richard Cantwell, who is a war veteran, scarred and experienced in battles. The story happened during the winter of 1949, in the post-war period in Venice, Italy and the surrounding area. The main character is a colonel who can be considered as a sad man. Although he is not that old, he had the sadness that is beyond his years due to the experiences that he had already been through (Hemingway 1959, p. 1; Kellman 7). Colonel Cantwell, regardless of his character, fell in love with a young and beautiful Italian countess. The love and passion between the two characters can be considered as one of the most important factors of the story. This feeling in addition to torment, passion, courage and even the feeling of death are the main themes represented in the story (Hemingway 1950, p.1). The plot started as the main character Colonel Cantwell, a 50 year old man, went on a duck hunting trip in Trieste. This constituted the first chapter of the novel which was set in the present time. The scene wherein he rode a boat was dramatically expressed in a form that depicts parallelism of being in a war (Hemingway 1959, p.5). This can be attributed to the fact that the main character is continuously living in his past which is being part of a war. The next consecutive chapters dealt with the flashback of memories in the life of the protagonist. Through the 38 chapters, the life of Colonel Cantwell during the early part of his life had been recounted. This is considered as one of the highlights of the novel since the author was able to present a realistic and affective presentation of events in the life of the protagonist. The message of the novel had been presented in an approachable manner through the narration of the main character which gives access to the inner self and brings the readers an intimate feeling and connection (p.8). Through the course of the said chapters, the continuous development of the plot and the story took place. The climatic moment in the novel happened in the last six chapter of the novel wherein the readers are brought back to the present. Colonel Cantwell relived the memories he had spent with Renata, whom he had spent a weekend in Venice. She is the representation of happiness in the story. From the said thought he went on to remember and to present to the reader more of his experiences during the war. His attitude can be explained by the condition he was in. Based on the plot of the story, Colonel Richard Cantwell is dying due to a fatal heart disease (p.166). The story ended, when the Colonel reminisced, the last words of General Jackson before he died, that the comfort in the moment before death, he was imagining himself across the river and resting in the trees. The other side of the river is a calming image for a person in his deathbed. After that, Colonel Cantwell died in the back of the car to Venice. Analysis of the Novel The novel is one of the greatest works of the one of the greatest author in American literature. It can be considered as a very important contribution to the works of the 20th century due to the different elements of the novel. The first element of importance is the inspiration of the story. Italy specifically Venice and Trieste became an important flavor in the story. The inspiration that the country of Italy with all its sights and beauty contributed had been very evident in the novel. Through the course of Hemingway’s work, the different sceneries had been greatly appreciated through the careful and realistic representation as background in the scenes through the story. Another element of inspiration in the novel is the young woman that Hemingway met and whom he had a relationship with. Based on information gathered, she was represented by the lead female character in the novel who the protagonist adored (Bloom 183). Another significant element in the story is its strong capacity to evoke different feelings from the readers. On a personal note, reading the novel can give a deep feeling of sorrow which dominates as the Colonel recounted the bitter and sweet memories in his life. In addition, a deep feeling of love can also be felt as the relationship between Renata and Colonel Cantwell was presented. In general, it can be considered as a melancholic presentation of the life of a soldier who experienced war as well as the bitter end that he can already envision due to the reality of his disease. The effectiveness of the capacity of the story to earn empathy is based on the fact that it greatly mirrored the life of the author, Ernest Hemingway. He also as a young man served during the way. This is very similar to the life of the protagonist. In addition, Hemingway also had a young woman in his life which corresponds to the character Renata, who is the young lover of the protagonist, Colonel Cantwell. Even the case of deep sorrow in the life of the main character symbolizes the sorrow of Hemingway in the latter part of his life. This can be attributed to the fact that he committed suicide. In the novel Cantwell has fatal heart condition. This can also be compared to the life of Hemingway. It had been noted that one of the main reasons committing suicide is the fact that he had been diagnosed to have multiple health conditions such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, liver disease, diabetes, and depression (Hemingway 1998). Death is also another significant issue in the story. It became a factor that catalyzed the presentation of emotions of the characters in the story. In the novel, it had made the atmosphere sad. The flashback of the memories through most part of the story is also another observation that can be related to the effect of the theme of death. When a person is about to die, specifically when it is a health considered with knowledge of the probable time of death, a person is known to reminisce memories and to be bitter about the fact that the things he or she can do in the future is limited. Based on the analysis of different critics on the novel, it was considered as static and very dramatic which contradicted other writings by Ernest Hemingway (Bloom 105). On a personal view, the novel is a personal passage to the inner feelings and life of Hemingway since it almost accurately represented his life. The other works that he published although notable and professionally exceptional can be considered as representations of Ernest Hemingway’s writing skill. The period when the novel was written is also another important element in the story. The year 1950 is a post-war period which can be considered as the main reason why the author chose to explore a character who participated during the war, a soldier. The bitterness represented by Colonel Cantwell can be considered as a traumatic scar that had been left by the experiences during the war. It is a common and approachable theme for the readers since everyone in Hemingway’s era had experienced the bitterness and violence of the war one way or another. Another important observation in the story is the technical writing methods used by Hemingway. It can be observed that he had used present tense throughout the novel, even in the flashbacks. This can be considered as an important factor that made the story approachable and that made the readers empathize to the characters. By doing so, the readers had no difficulty in bringing themselves through time and space, from present to past and back to the present at the end of the novel. These are some of the observations and perceptions gathered upon reading and analyzing the novel written by Ernest Hemingway entitled Across the River and into the Trees. Conclusion Based on the study of the novel that had been undertaken, Ernest Hemingway is a successful writer due to his capacity to evoke strong feelings and empathy from the readers of his work. In his particular work, Across the River and into the Trees, he was able to communicate a deep feeling of sorrow and bitterness by exploring themes of war, death, and controversial love. These themes had been perceived to be near the author’s heart based on the fact that he himself had experienced similar situation. In fact most of the elements in the story correspond to his life experiences. Works Cited: Hemingway, Ernest. Across the River and into the Trees. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1950. ---. Across the River and into the Trees. Reprinted by Scribner, 1998. Kellman, Steven G. Masterplots II: American Fiction Series. Salem Press. Bloom, Harold. Ernest Hemingway. Infobase Publishing, 2005. Read More