Open Access
American Research Journal of English and Literature
ISSN (Online): 2378-9026
DOI: 10.46568/arjel
A Culture of Guns: Firearms a Key Feature of the Hemingway Narrative and Persona
Associate Professor, Faculty of Letters, Tohoku Gakuin University 1-3-1 Tsuchitoi, Aobaku, Sendai City
Miyagi Prefecture 980-8511 Japan.
Neil L. R. Tate, ”A Culture of Guns: Firearms a Key Feature of the Hemingway Narrative and Persona”
American Research Journal of English and Literature, vol 5, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-15.
Abstract
Although scholars are fully cognizant of the fact that twentieth century American writer Ernest Miller
Hemingway (1899-1961) enjoyed the shooting sports throughout his life, it has never been comprehensively
analyzed in the corpus of criticism how deeply the writer incorporated firearms into many areas of his persona
and psyche. Hemingway demonstrates a connection with firearms that extends beyond the realm of the mundane
activities of sport and military—venturing into erotic fantasy, sexual fetishism, and symbolism. This intriguing
area of research has only been assessed tangentially by anecdotal references. Ultimately, firearms manifest as
a key feature in the life and culture of Hemingway and remain deeply woven into the tapestry of his narrative
and the idiom of his discourse.
