What is one theme of “Indian Camp”?
“Indian Camp” can have many themes depending on the critical viewpoint you decide to take. There is the theme of compensation for powerless male figures. How does Nick compensate for his father’s apparent powerlessness in preventing the Indian’s suicide? Where else do we see Nick trying to be perhaps more mature, more of a man? Where do we see him attempting to gain control over a certain situation? What situation is he trying to gain control of at the end of this story, particularly in the last line of the story? We see Nick immersing himself in the security of his past knowledge and experience in order to better cope with the uncertainty of his present and future experience. Find some examples of this. Finally, there is the all important Hemingwayesque theme of boy’s initiation into manhood. Was Nick’s initiation into manhood a successful one?
