Comparing Hemingway's Types Of Heroes

Ernest Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, in the United States of America (Ernest Hemingway, November 1, 2019). Hemingway had an eventful life where he lived through many exciting and unordinary events. For example, he survived four car accidents and two plane crashes (Five Fascinating Facts about Ernest Hemingway, n.d.). Hemingway was also married four times and devoted a book to each wife during the time he was married to them (22 Facts About Ernest Hemingway, July 19, 2017). Hemingway is one of the well-known authors in the world and is famous for many of his writings and books. He was famous for his types of heroes in his books and writings which were the code hero, anti-hero, and apprentice hero.

The first type of hero is Hemingway’s Code Hero, perhaps the most famous type of hero from Hemingway’s heroes. The Code Hero confronts or faces nada with dignity (Ernest Hemingway: A Man’s Man). Nada is a concept that says that nothing is out there for you and that man is born into a naturalistic and indifferent universe that has no purpose, meaning order, or value (Ernest Hemingway: A Man’s Man). Nada focuses on man’s confrontation with the absence of God and indifference and hostility of the universe (Ernest Hemingway: A Man’s Man). The Code Hero shows grace under pressure and accepts that death is unavoidable, but confronts it on his own terms (Ernest Hemingway: A Man’s Man). He is also a man of action but doesn’t talk about his actions (Ernest Hemingway: A Man’s Man). The Code Hero is a character that detests mediocrity and learned the nature of true values (Ernest Hemingway: A Man’s Man). The character lives in compliance with the code and he emphasizes the here and now because when you’re dead there really is no reward after death (Ernest Hemingway: A Man’s Man). Hemingway defined the Code Hero as a man who follows the ideals of honor and courage in a world that is painful and stressful (Hemingway’s Hero and Code Hero, November 19, 2018). The Code Hero is, most of the time, an induvial that lives freely (Hemingway’s Hero and Code Hero, November 19, 2018). He never shows emotions because it is considered a weakness, but he shows qualities such as bravery and courage to show his strength (Hemingway’s Hero and Code Hero, November 19, 2018). An example of a Code Hero is the old man from the story “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”. The old man is a great example of a person who follows the Nada Concept, and one of the elements of being is being a true believer in the Nada Concept. The old man is depressed and does not care about life. He has tried to commit suicide before and he also stays up all night and does not sleep. He stays up all night drinking and does not care that he is too old and that drinking too much is bad for him.

The second type of hero is the Anti-Hero. The Anti-Hero does not believe in the Nada Concept and lives according to illusions, false values, and/or impulses (Ernest Hemingway: A Man’s Man). He is also either stupid, messy, idealistic, self-centered, destructive, or deluded (Ernest Hemingway: A Man’s Man). An Anti-Hero is a character that does not follow the context of what we think when we hear the word “hero” (Ernest Hemingway and The Anti-Hero, March 27, 2015). He is a character that acts on their own and does what they do for themselves, not for anyone else (Ernest Hemingway and The Anti-Hero, March 27, 2015). An example of an Anti-Hero would be the young waiter from the story “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”. He is still young and full of hope. Throughout the story, he mentions his wife and that he wants to go home to see her. He and his wife seem to be happily married and love each other so much. They both seem to be excited for their future together and life in general. The young waiter is hopeful, excited for his future, loving life, and living his best life.

Last but not least, the third type of hero is Apprentice Hero. An Apprentice Hero is a character that believes in the Nada Concept but struggles with fear, anxiety, and loss of control this recognition brings (Ernest Hemingway: A Man’s Man). The character is also in the process of learning the nature of true values and requirements of the code (Ernest Hemingway: A Man’s Man). The Apprentice Hero is between the Anti-Hero and the Code Hero. In other words, the Code Hero is better than the Apprentice Hero because he is a true believer in the Nada Concept and learned the nature of true values and the Apprentice Hero is better than the Anti-Hero because he believes in the Nada Concept, but struggles with fear and he is in the process of learning the nature of true values (Ernest Hemingway: A Man’s Man).

Ernest Hemingway is famous and known for his writings and books such as The Old Man and The Sea, To Have and Have Not, and The Sun Also Rises (The Best Hemingway Novels, January 6, 2014). He is also famous for his Nada Concept, The Iceberg Principle, themes, and types of heroes such as the Code Hero, Anti-Hero, and Apprentice Hero. These types of heroes were all mentioned and explained in the previous paragraphs. They have ranked in which the Code Hero is the superior character, followed by the Apprentice Hero, and finally the Anti-Hero.