A Very Short Story by Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway’s famous word economy is presented in such an obvious way that the reader learns most of the information about setting, tone, plot, atmosphere and so on even in the first paragraph. “A Very Short Story” by Ernest Hemingway is about the love affair of an ordinary soldier ”he” and an Italian nurse “Luz” during a war (which is probably WWI); and how they disintegrate after the war, how their relationship ends. And this paper will analyse the plot structure, characterization, setting, social environment, atmosphere, point of view, ironies and symbols in this “really” short story.

“The plot of a fictional work is a pattern of carefully selected, casually related events that contains conflict.” (Griffith, 42) Although “A Very Short Story” is really short in terms of length, it contains a richnes as to related events and conflicts. It begins with an stable situation; there is a rising action and this action’s elements are some casually related events; then speaks the climax; after this, the action begins to fall. As it is specified in the last sentence, the plot of “A Very Short Story” by E. Hemingway is suitable to be analysed with Freytag triangle.

The stable situation is that there is an untitled affair between an ordinary soldier and a nurse. The short story begins with the sentence “One hot evening in Padua they carried him up onto the roof and he could look out over the top of the town.” Again in the first paragraph, it is understood that he and the nurse, Luz, stay alone: “He and Luz could hear them below on the balcony.” So, the affair grows away from being untitled, as they are alone. He needs to be cured and “when they operated on him she prepared him for the operating table.” Then comes the information about the known “love” affair. “There were only a few patients, and they all knew about it.” It refers to the affair. “Before he went back to the front they went into the Duomo and prayed.” “They wanted to get married.” He will go back to the hot war and they pray for their future, probably because of the possibility that he might die in the front. “Luz wrote him many letters that he never got until after the armstice.” While Luz is writing these letters, he is in the front, fighting. Luz’s love is the same as it is understood: “They were all about the hospital, and how much she loved him and how it was impossible to get along without him and how terrible it was missing him at night.” However, suddenly she stops. The Armistice is signed and “they agreed he should go home to get a job so they “might” be married.” As it can easily be understood, something, some very important things, change drastically. Naturally, “he felt sick about saying good-bye like that.”

Then the cilmax approaches. Their roads diverge, “he went to America on a boat from Genoa. Luz went back to Pordonone to open a hospital.” although the road of their affair has not diverged pre-decisively. There is still a chance to get together. However, “there was a batallion of arditi quartered in the town.” “… the major of the batallion made love to Luz, and she had never known Italians before, and finally wrote to the States that theirs had only been a boy and girl affair.” This is the climax, this is the point where disintegration begins. They will never have an another chance to hold each other. “She loved him as always, but she realized now it was only a boy and girl love. She hoped he would have a great career, and believe in him absolutely.” Here, she means “Remember I was always true, remember that I always tried, remember I loved only you, remember me and smile. For it is better to forget than to remember me and cry.”

The last paragraph shows the falling action very perfectly and plainly. Hemingway’s famous word economy speaks again. “The major did not marry her in the spring, or any other time. Luz never got an answer to the letter to Chicago about it. A short time after he contracted gonorrhea from a sales girl in a loop department store while riding in a taxicab through Lincoln Park.” It seems like an open ending but actually not, because they are disintegrated, they are running towards “nada”.

“A Very Short Story” have both internal and external conflicts. The major characters, he and Luz, always seem struggling with something in their minds. The most obvious proof is that very before Luz puts forward “he should go home to get a good job so they “might” be married”, she sends love letters to him. Moreover, these letters are full of passion. “They were all about how much she loved him.” This is a very drastic change. A change like this would never occur if Luz did not struggle with something in her mind. Similarly, at first he loves Luz verry passionately. It seems like however far away, however lone he stays, whatever words he says, he will always love Luz. But at the end of the story, it is painfully learned that, “he contracted gonorrhea from a sales girl in a loop department store while riding in a taxicab through Lincoln Park.”There are also external conflicts. The most obvious one is between “he” and “Luz”. They fall in love during the war, they share good things, plan their future. However, after the war Luz changes her mind, and seems reluctant about having a serious relation with him. Then begins the disintegration. The problem of marriage is also another conflict; but this time it is man vs. society. It is obvious that they feel restricted without a mariage certificate even if they love each other passionately. “They wanted to get married, but there was not enough time for the bannsвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚Ñœ

The protagonist of the story is “he”. He is a round character; but at the same time, he has some stereotypical deeds. He is the stereotype of an ordinary soldier. He has no rank. As to the roundness, during the war he seems having values, being loyal. However at the end, it can easily be understood that his behaviours are like