There are numerous similarities to be found in comparing the life of Ernest Hemingway with his fiction. In particular, there are similarities between Hemingway's own life and the lives of the characters in his books. Hemingway's early fiction was strongly influenced by his experiences both during and immediately after the First World War. For example, the characters Jake Barnes in The Sun Also Rises and Frederic Henry in A Farewell to Arms are both based on Hemingway's life during that period. Like Hemingway, Jake Barnes was injured during the war and is critical of the lifestyles of post-war Europe. Also like Hemingway, Frederic Henry has a love affair with a nurse while recuperating from his war wounds in a Red Cross hospital. Hemingway's fiction was also influenced by his early experiences as a journalist. This influence can be seen in the unique writing style that Hemingway developed for himself. In addition, it can be seen in the fact that he made his first fictional hero, Jake Barnes, be a journalist. In addition to reflecting his own life in his fiction, Hemingway also related his observations of family and friends. He often did this in a very critical way and thus made many enemies among those who did not appreciate his depiction of them. According to Lynn, Hemingway "would become known for his habit of beguiling friends and acquaintances into believing that he was well disposed toward them, at the very moment that he was pillorying their habits into fictional worksin-progress" (43).
Weber notes that Hemingway's early career as a newspaper journalist was very important in the development of his fictional style. However, Weber also claims that this was chiefly a "negative influence," because in order to become a great writer of fiction, Hemingway "had to unlearn most of journalism's lessons" (22). Hemingway's work as a journalist had given him the basic skills that he needed to become a writer. However, it had...