Is it unwise to equate Ernest Hemingway with his fictional hero?
Phillip Young’s “code hero” theory may be a legitimate one and it is a reasonable place to start when undertaking the study of Hemingway, but if a reader is to spend the majority of time trying to match the qualities/experiences of Hemingway’s fictional hero with the qualities/experiences of Hemingway himself, sweeping critical assertions are imminent. It is even more dangerous when a reader tries to formularize Hemingway’s fiction, to fit themes and characters into little restricted spaces and to become, as they say in the world of academia, “thesis-driven.” There are many dimensions to Hemingway’s literature. The more time you spend equally evaluating these dimensions, the more you will appreciate Hemingway’s literary art.
