Essay Database

Ernest Hemingway's Code Hero Defined by His Setting The life of Ernest Hemingway exemplifies courage, valor, and fortitude as he recovered from a World War I wound, stalked big game, and pursued other blood sports. In fact, where there was action, there was Hemingway. This influential writer, who uses his simple prose to portray strong, stoic characters, ultimately created his own genre of "good guy" characters-the "Hemingway code hero." These anti-heroes, as they are sometimes …

… wounds, and the old man in "A Clean, Well-Lighted place" is a code hero who, even though he realizes that life has no meaning, manages to cope with death and depression and show grace under pressure in this dark and lonely world. These code hero traits are embodied in Hemingway's own life. In a sense, a part of each of these three heroes' lives or stories is an autobiographical vignette of Hemingway's own life.