The First Short Story “Fathers and Sons”

3. THE ANALYSIS

3.1 The First Short Story “Fathers and Sons”

The story started when Nick was driving his car through a small town with his son on Sunday. In the town, there was a sign to detour in the centre of the main street. On the street, there was a traffic light and the street was made of bricks. The town had heavy trees, so they shut out the sun and dampen for stranger. Nick was continuing his trip to the highway. The banks of the highway were red dirt sliced cleanly away and the second-growth timber on both sides. Nick looked around the country and it reminded him to hunt quails there. When reminded to hunt quails, Nick also reminded about his father who taught him how to hunt it. Nick had a low memory to remember about his father’s appearances. Nick only could remember his father’s eyes of the appearances of his father, as quoted below: “Hunting this country for quails as his father thought him, Nicholas Adams started thinking about his father. When he first thought about him it was always the eyes. The big frame, the quick movements, the wide shoulders the hooked, hawk nose, the beard that covered the weak chin, you never thought about – it was always the eyes.” Ernest Hemingway, 1966:489 One day, Nick was standing besides his father on one shore of the lake. The lake had long shore-line, the higher timber behind and the point that guarded the bay. In there, his father said to Nick that he could count the sheep on the hillside toward the peninsula. Nick loved his father. He remembered that his father has great eyes as an eagle. He also remembers that like all men with a faculty that surpasses human Universitas Sumatera Utara requirements, his father is very nervous. Then, he is sentimental, cruel and abused. He thanks to his father whom taught him how to hunt and to fish but he cannot write all about his father yet, as quoted below: “Nick could not write about him yet, although he would, later, but the quail country made him remember him as he was when Nick was a boy and he was very grateful to him for two things: fishing and shooting.” Ernest Hemingway, 1966:490 And at thirty eight years old, Nick still loved to hunt and to fish, as quoted below: “And now, at thirty eight, he loved to fish and to shoot exactly as much as when he first had gone with his father.” Ernest Hemingway, 1966:490 Nick was an emotional person when he was child and hunt with his father and a squirrel bit his finger. He felt so angry to it. Once, he and his father were out shooting together. Nick shot a red squirrel out of a hemlock tree. The squirrel fell down, wounded, and when Nick picked it up, the squirrel bit Nick’s thumb. So, Nick smacked it, as quoted below: “The dirty little burger”, Nick said and smacked the squirrel’s head against the three. “Look how he bit me.” Ernest Hemingway, 1966:490 Then, nick reminded about his Indian friends. In summer, Nick and his Indian friends were hunting squirrel in Hemlock woods behind the Indian camp. It was one of a virgin forest, the trees grew high, the ground was brown and clean. They three lay against the trunk of the hemlock. In this scene Nick was described as an emotional person too when Eddy Gilby were going to sleep in bed with his daughter. One of his friends, Trudy said to Nick that Eddy were going to come some night sleep in bed with Nick’s sister, Dorothy. Nick is very angry to hear that and wanted to kill Eddy Gilby, as quoted below: Universitas Sumatera Utara “If Eddy Gilby ever comes at night and even speak to Dorothy, you know what I’d to do him? I’d kill him like this.” Nick cocked the gun and hardly taking aim pulled the trigger, blowing a hole as big as your hand in the head or belly of that half-breed bastard Eddie Gilby.” Ernest Hemingway, 1966:493-494 In this place, Nick also got his first sex education from one of his Indian friends, Trudy. After reminded about his Indian friends, Nick rode along the highway in the car and it was getting dark. Nick was all trough thinking about his father. Actually, Nick seldom thinking about his father except he feel alone. Nick loved his father but he hated the smell of him, as quoted below: “Once when he had to wear a suit of his father’s underwear that had gotten too small for his father it made him feel sick and he took it off and put it under two stones in creek and said that he had lost it.” Ernest Hemingway, 1966:496 Nick has told about it to his father when he had to put it on but his father said it was freshly washed. When Nick came home from fishing without it and said he lost it, he was whipped for lying. After that event, he was very angry to his father. He tried to shot his father when his father was sitting and reading newspaper, as quoted below: “I can blow him to hell. I can kill him”. Ernest Hemingway, 1966:496 Finally he felt his anger go out of him and he felt a little sick about it being the gun that his father had given him. Actually, there was only one person in his family that he liked the smell, his sister. Nick was startled when suddenly his son asked him about his childhood with his Indians friend. Then, Nick told to his son that they used to go out all day Universitas Sumatera Utara to hunt black squirrels and his father only gave him three bullets. They used to go out nearly every day all one summer. Nick kept the secret about his Indian friend, Trudy, when his son asked to him how about they were like to be with, as quoted below: “Those are funny names for Indians.” “Yes, aren’t they,” Nick said. “But, tell me what they were like.” “They were Ojibways,” Nick said. “And they were very nice.” “But, what were they like to be with?” “It’s hard to say,” Nick Adams said. Ernest Hemingway, 1966:497 Nick was a wise person. He and his son had a chat about Nick’s father. Nick said that his Father has many fiends of Indians, suddenly his son asked him about how old he could get a shotgun and Nick answer it wisely, as quoted below: “How old will I be when I get a shotgun and can hunt by my self?” “Twelve years old if a see you are careful.” “I wish I was twelve now.” You will be, soon enough.” Ernest Hemingway, 1966:498 Nick told to his son that he proud to his father. Nick Father was a great hunter and fisherman than him, as quoted below: “What was he like?” “He’s hard to describe. He was a great hunter and fisherman and he had wonderful eyes.” “Was he greater than you?” “He was a much better shot and his father was a great wing too.” Ernest Hemingway, 1966:498 And then, his son asked him again why they never went to pray at his grand father’s tomb. Nick said to his son that his father’ tomb was in France, it was a different country and it also a long way from America. His son said that he did not Universitas Sumatera Utara feel good never to have even visited his grandfather’s tomb. Finally, Nick said to his son that they would have to go. In this “Fathers and Sons” short story, Nick was described as an American who was thirty years old, married and had one son. Nick loved to fish and to hunt which were taught by his father. He also loved his father because of those two things. Nick was like a hunter and fisherman like his father too. Nick was described as a sentimental, wise and love the family. This story also told about Nick, his father and his son had a good relationship. They always gave a something good to be taught to his son.

3.2 The Second Short Story “The Killers”