The Role Of Nihilism In Ernest Hemingway's Literature

Furthermore, Jordan clearly grows in his dying moments. At the beginning, his only fear is “of not doing my duty as I should” (FWTBT, 91). Hemingway demonstrates Jordan’s knowledge of his fate when Pilar reads his palm (FWTBT, 33) and her discussion about the smell of death (FWTBT, 254-256). Surrounded by his fate, Jordan faces his futile duty without hope. He is alone and an island, yet at death he tells Maria, “But I go with thee. As long as there is one of us there is both of us” (FWTBT, 463). In the end, Jordan “could feel his heart beating against the pine needle floor of the forest” (FWTBT, 471). Similar to Henry, Jordan’s struggle against his fate went beyond himself. In this struggle, he found purpose by saving his friends and stalling the forces.
In light of this, Camus explains, “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart.” This struggle is exactly what Hemingway battles in his literature and what Camus solves in his philosophy. Shaw also alludes to this struggle: “His nihilism, which may even have included an element of posturing was always at war with his compassions and romanticism. His heart sought and wanted to believe in something more, something that made the game worth playing.” Hemingway battled with both beliefs in his own life and works; however, his own characters learn through their experience. In the face of the Absurd, Henry and Jordan become stronger; despite the nihilism of the age, they find meaning in the struggle for it. Hemingway’s paradox is solved when you look at it from the perspective of