Ernest Hemingway’s stories were often semi-autobiographical and today’s story, ‘A Canary For One’ is no exception. In early 1926, Hemingway’s wife, Hadley Richardson, became aware that Ernest was having an affair with Pauline Pfeiffer. In the midst of writing this story later that year, Hadley filed for divorce which became finalized in 1927. Hemingway went on to marry Pfeiffer that same year.
This is another classic example of Hemingway’s ‘Iceberg Theory’, sparse dialogue, symbolism, and tension beneath the surface that leaves much unsaid. It also explores the themes of loneliness and isolation, control (or lack of it), and discontent.
The fact that, ‘The Sun Also Rises’ had just been published and was on the verge of making Hemingway a major literary figure, makes this seemingly simple story all the more impactful. The three characters on a train ride to Paris will experience very different destinations once they arrive.
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