Sunday, July 24, 2022

The End of Something - Ernest Hemingway - 201 / 365 of reading one short story every day.


The End of Something



The protagonist - teen Nick Adams, a recurring character in many stories of Hemingway, has been dating Marjorie, a girl who has been working during the summer at a resort on Hortons Bay. One evening, the two of them row to a beach on the bay. After a picnic supper, Nick tells Marjorie that he wants to break off their relationship; being with Marjorie, he says, is no longer fun. After she leaves, Nick feels bad about having to sever his friendship with Marjorie; however, he tells his friend Bill that the breakup wasn't too difficult.


Hemingway in 1940

The story is closely autobiographical. In the summer of 1919, 20 year-old Hemingway was dating 17 year-old Marjorie Bump, a waitress in a resort town. Marjorie often fixed picnic meals for them that they would eat beside evening campfires. When Marjorie's summer job ended after Labor Day, Hemingway began dating someone else. The fictional "Bill" in the story is no doubt based on Bill Smith, a good friend of Hemingway's who spent time with Hemingway that summer.



Image - Horton Bay Michigan





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