TBTHR

1) This story is arguable about WWI. How so? (Hint: Think about the title, the landscape, the tone, and the main characters actions in the story). Pick out some devices and discuss how they reinforce this WWI idea.

-Although it is dufficulty to make direct connections, there are some possible refernces. The man thinks of people not ‘here’ with very unhappy connotations. The man could be remembering people (comrades) who have died. His lack of ease could spawn from a post-war slump. Many who return from war are effected negatively by their experiences.

2) Why would this story be a good introduction to The Sun Also Rises?

-Because Hemmingway is the author of both, there are certain cimilaitities between TBTHR and TSAR. The shortness of sentences is evident in both and serves to emphasize different elements in the respective series. In TBTHR the man’s solitary life compliments the lack of personal detail and desolate mood. In TSAR, the people are all described, but aside from Jake their emotions and inner thoughts are not explored.

3) What is the theme of this story? 

-The theme of TBTHR is redemption and healing. The man in the story appears to have had bad experiences in the past, possibly as a soldier, but comes to the river for quiet and peace. First he passes through the barren blackened land, but in the second part he comes to a place of calm and happiness.

4) Discuss tone in part 1 and part II.  What is it?  How is it different?   How did you determine it?

            Part one is filled with a sense of desolation. From being kicked off the train to the sooty, charred landscape, the scenery is grim. The man watches all of his surroundings with a distance and observers eye. His personality and opinions don’t show through.

            In the second part, the man blossoms. He interacts with the environment by fishing. The awe when watching the silver trout swim through the stream is clear. The man becomes more open to the reader and to his environment. This clarity makes for a seemingly less gloomy story.