rainherder (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} rainherder) wrote,@ 2009-02-01 18:19:00 |
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Book Review
To Have and Have Not, Ernest Hemingway
THaHN was first published in 1934, and there were several times I had to remind myself of that fact so I could deal with the casual racism and sexism. Hemingway wasn't shy about exposing racism or sexism, but I think that has more to do with the fact that he didn't really see racism or sexism. He was a product of his times, and his books reflect their times. In 1934, white men could use the N-word with impunity and they could dismiss women as having no value beyond the sex they provided without being called on their sexism.
Hemingway changes voice throughout the book. Much of it is in third-person, usually from Harry Morgan's (that's the lead character's name, so don't think Col. Potter) perspective. Sometimes he switches to first-person from various characters' perspectives. This is fine, as long as he's taking a male perspective. Hemingway's descriptions of the thoughts of women are insulting at best and painful at worst. Fortunately, these make up only a small percentage of the book, but it's jarring and frustrating when the reader comes upon one of the first-person female passages.
That said, there is a compelling (and still relevant) story at the heart of THaHN. All Harry wants to do is make a living, but employers at honest jobs are paying less than they used to, and the politicians want the poor people to move out of the Florida Keys so they (the Keys) can be turned into a tourist paradise. When one of Harry's fishing clients leaves Cuba without paying the nearly $900 he owes, Harry ends up taking an illegal smuggling job. And another. And another, each with more severe consequences than the last. I've described this book elsewhere as "Ernest Hemingway writes a John Steinbeck novel," and that's a good description, as far as it goes. Hemingway's characters aren't nearly as desperately poor as Steinbeck's tend to be, and Hemingway doesn't have nearly as much affection for his characters, either.
I'm left wondering what women in 1934 thought when they read the first-person female passages: did they think, "Ernest, you haven't got a clue," or did they think that maybe there were women who actually thought like that?
I can't recommend THaHN without reservation, but it's a quick read, even for slow readers like myself.
To Have and Have Not, Ernest Hemingway
THaHN was first published in 1934, and there were several times I had to remind myself of that fact so I could deal with the casual racism and sexism. Hemingway wasn't shy about exposing racism or sexism, but I think that has more to do with the fact that he didn't really see racism or sexism. He was a product of his times, and his books reflect their times. In 1934, white men could use the N-word with impunity and they could dismiss women as having no value beyond the sex they provided without being called on their sexism.
Hemingway changes voice throughout the book. Much of it is in third-person, usually from Harry Morgan's (that's the lead character's name, so don't think Col. Potter) perspective. Sometimes he switches to first-person from various characters' perspectives. This is fine, as long as he's taking a male perspective. Hemingway's descriptions of the thoughts of women are insulting at best and painful at worst. Fortunately, these make up only a small percentage of the book, but it's jarring and frustrating when the reader comes upon one of the first-person female passages.
That said, there is a compelling (and still relevant) story at the heart of THaHN. All Harry wants to do is make a living, but employers at honest jobs are paying less than they used to, and the politicians want the poor people to move out of the Florida Keys so they (the Keys) can be turned into a tourist paradise. When one of Harry's fishing clients leaves Cuba without paying the nearly $900 he owes, Harry ends up taking an illegal smuggling job. And another. And another, each with more severe consequences than the last. I've described this book elsewhere as "Ernest Hemingway writes a John Steinbeck novel," and that's a good description, as far as it goes. Hemingway's characters aren't nearly as desperately poor as Steinbeck's tend to be, and Hemingway doesn't have nearly as much affection for his characters, either.
I'm left wondering what women in 1934 thought when they read the first-person female passages: did they think, "Ernest, you haven't got a clue," or did they think that maybe there were women who actually thought like that?
I can't recommend THaHN without reservation, but it's a quick read, even for slow readers like myself.