3 - The Problem with Human Exceptionalism

Summary

Approaching the Masculine in Hemingway's Fiction

As we have already seen, revisionary scholarship from feminist and queer studies has gone a long way to disrupt the so-called Hemingway myth. The author's love of big-game hunting, deep-sea fishing, bullfighting, and boxing contributed to an exaggerated image of the man that his unmatched celebrity as a writer surely compounded. Hemingway rose to fame amid a burgeoning culture of celebrity worship, and, in a manner that rivals the acumen of today's social media influencer, Hemingway leaned into his macho persona in order to capitalize on his growing reputation. In 1935, after The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms catapulted the author to fame, Hemingway would write an “absolutely true” account of his African safari with Pauline to see whether it could “compete with a work of the imagination.” But the narrative mostly serves to demonstrate, in general, that Hemingway's self-discipline makes him a superior writer and that, when applied to the hunt, his self-discipline results in a higher number of quality kills, allowing him to win favor with the white hunter and native trackers, all of whom are experts at their trade. In this sense, Green Hills of Africa can be framed as an adventure narrative that compares itself against works of the imagination to underscore the grandiose nature of the hunt. Hemingway boldly asserts the veracity of the tale to fortify his masculine public image. To a remarkable degree, it would seem that Green Hills of Africa is geared toward self-promotion.

But as revisionary critics have repeatedly pointed out, Hemingway's literary treatment of masculinity is far more nuanced than the cultural stereotype of masculinity, tending to focus on male vulnerability rather than male bravado. Even Green Hills of Africa betrays the Hemingway myth at times, presenting manhood as a burden with occasionally toxic effects. Throughout the narrative, the kills are presented as thinly veiled phallic symbols: sometimes Hemingway takes pride in the size of his beast, asserting its superiority over the smaller kills of his opponent Karl, and at other times he feels ashamed of its comparatively small stature.