In The Snows of Kilimanjaro a very Hemingway-like protagonist, an autobiographical short story, the protagonist, Harry, finds himself questioning his talent as a writer, or more specifically, how he has used this talent.  He reproaches himself for having exploited his talent as a trade rather than strictly following his muse. 

Likewise, he feels that he has been inauthentic in his love life, repeating the notion that he is “lying” in pretending to love the woman who accompanies him: 

“He had destroyed his talent by not using it, by betrayals of himself and what he believed in, by drinking so much that he blunted the edge of his perceptions, by laziness, by sloth [...] What was his talent anyway? It was a talent al alright but instead of using it, he had traded on it” (11).   

A large part of this limited omniscient inner dialogue of the protagonist is a meditation on the friction between being an artist and being commercially viable.  Harry holds a dim view as to whether these can really be compatible: 

“We must all be cut out for what we do, he thought. However you make your living is where your talent lies. He had sold vitality, in one form or another, all his life…” (12).  

This sense of emptiness certainly certainly transcends to his personal life, which he describes as involving meaningless sex and pining for his ex, quite poignantly recalling a time he thought he saw her on the street and hoped not to realize it wasn’t her, “afraid to lose the feeling it gave him.” (15).   

Indeed, “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is filled with woe, as Harry looks back on his failed relationships: 

“...the woman that he loved he had quarreled so much they had finally, always with the corrosion of the quarreling, killed what they had together.” (15) 

But such deep insights are appropriate for a man approaching death (sorry for the spoiler). 

Autobiographical Elements

Hemingway received grist for this story from his own experience big game hunting in Africa with his then wife Pauline, a trip financed by her wealthy uncle Gus (Strathern 76). This was in some ways an unpleasant trip, given the constant bickering between the couple, apparently centered on who shot a lion. Perhaps this is reflected in the ambiguous feelings which Harry expresses about his partner, oscillating between affection and doubt.

According to author Paul Strathern, “Snows” has a definite autobiographical element:

"'Snows" indicates the depth of his worries about what was happening to him. He knew he was destroying himself..." (80). 

The very real self-destruction in Hemingway’s life is represented by Harry’s death from an infected limb, which leads to the character’s death.

Works Cited 

Hemingway, Ernest. The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories. NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1955. 

Strathern, Paul. Hemingway In 90 Minutes. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2005.

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