Já je neslyším, protože na nich nezáleží” 84], he was treating his patient as she was an animal; his only priority was his son and therefore didn’t pay that much attention to other things. The father loved his son. Their relationship was very close. [“Indiáni veslovali rychlými, prudkými zaběřy. Nick ležel na zádech , otec ho objímal paží” pg. 83]

The Snow of Kilimanjaro
This is a sad story about a writer in Africa at the end of his life. He was bitten by an unidentified animal in the leg, he gets an infection and at the end he eventually dies. As he is slowly dying he sees his life flash before his eyes. Harry, the protagonist visits all the places in his head and regrets many of the choices he has made in his life. His optimistic wife is sitting next to him and is calming him down, but Harry’s arrogant behavior [“Nechce se mi odtud, řekl muž. To už nemá žádny smysl, chtít odtud, leda aby to bylo snesitelnějsí pro tebe....To je zbabelé....Nemužeš nechat chlapa umřít pokud možno v klidu a nenadáva mu? Co to má za význam být na mne sprosta?” pg. 49] is humiliating her. [“Kdepak jsi to čtela? Jsi taková zatracená husa” pg. 49] At the end there is a very nice ironic comparison of the woman's heart beating loudly and the stillness of Harry's lifeless body. [“Neozvala sa žádna odpověď a nezaslechla jeho dech. Venku za stanem vydala hyena týž podivný zvuk, jaký ji probudil. Ale pro tlukot svého srdce nic neslyšela” pg. 69] The death is symbolically presented as the creeping, filthy hyena sneaking around his tent. The Soldier’s Home

The protagonist, Harold Krebs, returned back from World War I to his mother's house in a small, Oklahoma town. He has problems acclimatizing in his home town. He simply changed due to exposure to the horrors of the war. There is a big gap between him and the people living in the town. He is disoriented from the war, he sees that nothing changed here compared to the dynamic and horrified events taking place in Europe. His parents love him but they don’t understand his feelings and are telling him he should settle back into small-town life and find a job, get a girl so he can be a positive part of the community here. [“A tvému otci to také dělá starosti, pokračovala matka. Myslí, žes ztratil svou ctižádosť, že nemáš žádny určitý životný cíl. Charley Simmons, a ten je zrovna ve tvém věku, má už pěkné místo a bude se ženit. Všichni chlapci se už pomaly usazuji; všichni jsou rozhodnuti to někam dotáhnout; však to mužeš sám vidět, že takoví chlapci, jako je ten Charley Simmons, jsou na nejlepší cestě být skutěčně ozdobou společnosti” pg.

He his lacking the emotional balance and also because of the traumatic experiences in the war he heartlessly answers her mother’s question, if he likes her, that he doesn’t, making her cry. [“Copak nemáš rád svou matku, hochu muj nejdražší?....Ne, řekl Krebs” pg. 135] She doesn’t understand his problems because she cannot identify with his experiences. The point of this story is how an absurd war destroys human values, takes away illusions and totally transforms people’s thoughts. Conclusion

I must say I had a great time reading all of these stories and I knew Hemingway would not disappoint me. These short stories are an expression of the cruel world out there. Some show the futility of the war and some show the human being’s struggle in this world. My favorite story was the Old Man at The Bridge. This one got me thinking really hard. The least favorite, I am not saying it was bad, was the The Snow of Kilimanjaro.