Book report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Book report - Essay Example The Author Ernest Miller Hemingway is an American author who had been actively writing between 1920’s and 1950’s. Due to his influence in modern literature, he had been awarded with a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. During that time, his work under study which is Across the River and into the Trees had already been published. Hemingway’s reputation can be attributed to the character of his works which belong in the identity of the 20th century works of literature, specifically fiction. His capability to present influential characters in his fiction works that can relate to people is considered to be one of his most notable capabilities (Bloom 25). Ernest Hemingway originated in Oak Park, III. He was born on July 21, 1899 and was observed to have an inclination in writing even at a young age. In the school paper, Hemingway already contributed notable articles. In 1925, after his career in the United States as a cub reporter and as a volunteer Red Cross ambulanc e driver, he moved to Paris which became the mark of his career as a novelist. He documented the said stage in his life and actively made important contributions to the literary world (Hemingway 1998, p. 27). Hemingway made and published the novel Across the River and into the Trees during the peak of his career. His main inspiration in writing the story was deeply rooted on the trip during the fall of 1948 when he visited Italy. Venice is the main location of the plot and the place of inspiration in the story (Hemingway 1998). The Plot of the Novel The novel is about the Richard Cantwell, who is a war veteran, scarred and experienced in battles. The story happened during the winter of 1949, in the post-war period in Venice, Italy and the surrounding area. The main character is a colonel who can be considered as a sad man. Although he is not that old, he had the sadness that is beyond his years due to the experiences that he had already been through (Hemingway 1959, p. 1; Kellman 7) . Colonel Cantwell, regardless of his character, fell in love with a young and beautiful Italian countess. The love and passion between the two characters can be considered as one of the most important factors of the story. This feeling in addition to torment, passion, courage and even the feeling of death are the main themes represented in the story (Hemingway 1950, p.1). The plot started as the main character Colonel Cantwell, a 50 year old man, went on a duck hunting trip in Trieste. This constituted the first chapter of the novel which was set in the present time. The scene wherein he rode a boat was dramatically expressed in a form that depicts parallelism of being in a war (Hemingway 1959, p.5). This can be attributed to the fact that the main character is continuously living in his past which is being part of a war. The next consecutive chapters dealt with the flashback of memories in the life of the protagonist. Through the 38 chapters, the life of Colonel Cantwell during th e early part of his life had been recounted. This is considered as one of the highlights of the novel since the author was able to present a realistic and affective presentation of events in the life of the protagonist. The message of the novel had been presented in an approachable manner through the narration of the main character which gives access to the inner self and brings the