“When you go to war as a boy you have a great illusion of immortality. Moreover he always had an illusion towards death which is described in his own words: He generates enough curiosity and symbolism in this short tale. He was influenced by many modernist writers of his time which reflects in the story, using the ‘tip of the iceberg’ narration technique. His frequent trips to Africa for safari and his final days set in depression get mirrored through this narration. This character reminisces about his days as a writer in Paris, which coincides with Hemingway’s days in Paris when he worked as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star Weekly. His experiences from World War I where he sustained leg injuries is depicted through his character Harry. The character of Helen in the story who executes herself as the protagonist’s wife is said to have been loosely based on Hemingway’s second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer. The narrative mirrors Hemingway’s unsuccessful marriages and affairs. Like most of his stories this short piece also contains visual imagery of death, a sense of abandonment, conflict of love, mental suffering, and the spiritual symbolism of attaining fulfillment. In the literary world it is known to be one of his magnificent masterpieces reflected on the theme of death and loneliness. How often does a writer parallel his own life through a significant story? ‘The Snows of Kilimanjaro,’ a short story by famed American author and journalist Earnest Hemingway was first published in the August issue of Esquire magazine in 1936. In this story, the main protagonist Peyton Farquhar dreams about escaping his death sentence and illusions himself to find his way back home just before his imminent death. The ending of the story is quite inspired by Ambrose Bierce’s An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge which was published in 1890. This Penlighten article analyzes the vivid characters and death symbolism presented in the short story, The Snows of Kilimanjaro. What could be more fulfilling than a dying man getting his last wish of finding solace on the snow clad peaks of ‘House of Gods’ – albeit only in his dreams.
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