From ethical and moral dilemmas involving sexuality (abortion, impotence, etc.) to concepts of God or the absence of one; the works of Ernest Hemingway reveal a biblical influence in his writing style. From titles that are biblical illusions to characters that struggle with the lack of a godhead in existence, biblical influence is evident in Hemingway's writing style in both his personal and professional works. In The Apprenticeship of Ernest Hemingway, Chester A. Fenton (2009) provides a quote from Hemingway in which the author claims he learned how to write from reading the "Bible," the biggest influence on his writing style.
In works like Green Hills of Africa and The Sun Also Rises, this biblical influence is clear in Hemingway's writing style, but it is also illustrated in the writing style in his personal correspondence in letters to his devout Christian mother as well as to others. Despite this influence, many of Hemingway's characters do not appear to take comfort from belief in God which causes them psychological conflict. The author himself seems ambivalent regarding the ability to know in the existence of God. This analysis will use a number of Ernest Hemingway's creative works as well as some of his personal correspondence to show that biblical influence is clearly revealed in his writing style. A conclusion will address whether or not this biblical influence is clear in what seems to be Ernest Hemingway's own worldview as expressed in a number of his works.
Chester A. Fenton is not the only one to record Hemingway's admission that he learned to write from reading the Bible. In Paris Was Our Mistress, Samuel Putnam (1947) maintains Hemingway confessed the same influence not only on his writing style but also his learning to write. In one encounter, the young author on the fast-track to literary fame shared his admission to Putnam (1947), "He went on to speak of his 'influences.' Chie...