An analysis of “The End of Something”
«The end of something» is a four page long short story about something as simple as a breakup. In this analysis, I will write about the different parts of the story, and different kinds of symbols the author used during the short story. I chose this focus because that’s the most important thing to notice if you really want to understand the story. The author of this short story is the famous writer Ernest Hemingway. He lived in the 20th century, and most of his short stories and romans were based on his own life experiences, including many experiences from the world wars. Hemingway is well known for his writing style, and his iceberg theory. This short story is also a great example of how Hemingway used the iceberg theory in his stories.
The story takes place in the old lumbering town of Horton’s bay, where there once upon a time was a fun, loving town with a big mill in the center. Now, ten years later, the mill is broken and it’s not much left of the town. The young couple, Marjorie and Nick, is rowing nearby the shore, trying to catch some fish. After a failed fishing trip, and some awkward silence, Nick admits that he does not think their relationship is fun anymore. Marjorie packs her stuff and leaves, and suddenly a new character enters the story. Nicks friend Bill shows up and wonders how the breakup went.
I would say this story has five different parts. The first part is the description of the setting and the history of the place. The narrator tells us about how great this town was earlier, but after they went out of logs to make lumber, the town pretty much fell apart. This part feels unnecessary the first time I read the text, since the history of the place doesn’t seem relevant to the rest of the story. After reading the story for the second time, I understood that the story of the town is a parallel to the relationship between Marjorie and Nick. It was once great, but now there’s just something missing, and it’s starting to fall apart.
In the second part of the story, the narrator tells us about the great, big mill in the center of the city that is now just ruins of it’s foundation. While Marjorie tells nick “It seems more like a castle” and chooses to see the romantic side of things, Nick on the other hand, doesn’t see things the same way. This is also a parallel of their relationship. Marjorie on one side is trying to see things the positive way, but Nick doesn’t see it like that. This part also makes you understand that Nick and Marjorie has been together or at least they known each other for a while. Because of this information, we can guess that the couple is probably in their twenties.
In the third part, the couple starts trolling for fish, but the fish doesn’t strike. This part of the story also seemed strange the first time I read it. I didn’t really get the relevance to the story, but after noticing that Hemingway uses a lot of symbols, I understood that the fish not striking, could be a symbol as well. "'They're feeding,' Marjorie said. 'But they won't strike,' Nick said." The fishes not striking are a symbol of Nick’s lack of interest in the relationship, but Marjorie keeps on trying. A couple of lines after the narrator tells us: "Marjorie did not reel in until the boat touched the shore." This tells us that Marjorie wasn’t ready to give up on the fishing and could also be a symbol of her not wanting to give up their relationship.
In the fourth part of the story, Marjorie and Nick is having a picnic. This part of the story is where you start to understand the conflict. There’s obviously something wrong with Nick, and Marjorie feels it too. She asks him about it, and gets the respond “it isn’t fun anymore”. This is the first part of the story you actually get any emotions from Nick. You can understand that he is nervous, and doesn’t enjoy the break up. It’s at this stage of the story you get more respect for Marjorie too. Instead of getting angry at him, she simply stood up, took the boat and left. He asked her if he could help her, but she said it wasn’t necessary. She can do it herself, and shows with this move her independence.
The last part of the story brings in a new character. Bill enters the story, and asks Nick how everything went. This tells us that the breakup was planned, and it was something he already told his friend about. After Marjorie left, the narrator tells us “Nick went back and layed down with his face in the blanket by the fire.” This action gives the readers the feeling that nick isn’t feeling good about the break up, even though it was planned.
The special thing about the point of view in this story is that the narrator doesn’t know everything. He’s like an outsider just looking at them, and can’t say anything about what they’re thinking. He simply explains what they’re saying and what they’re doing. Because of that, the readers have to think for themselves, and we actually have to read between the lines. This is called the iceberg theory, it’s very typical trait for Hemingway, and you will get used to it after reading some of his short stories. I noticed while reading that Hemingway uses a lot of metaphors and symbols throughout the story, like the fishes not striking, the story of the city and the broken mill.
The themes of this story could be a couple of things. It could be about the changes through life and that sometimes you will have to let go. Sometimes it’s better to leave, than to carry on with a ruined relationship. If something doesn’t make you happy, it’s not worth your time. Another theme could be relationships, and how they are changing through time. Each character could also symbolize the past, the present and the future. Marjorie could symbolize the past. Even though it was good for a while, the past is still the past, and sometimes you have to let go. Nick could symbolize the present, and how everything could change at any minute. The mysterious character Bill could symbolize the future, and remind Nick that things will get better, and that Bill will always be there for him. Relationships come and go, but friends are forever.
This short story could be confusing at first, but after reading it a couple of times, you understand more and more of it. Suddenly, it just makes sense. Hemingway uses a lot symbols, and you have to find these to understand the whole text. The old town, the mill, the fishes not striking, all of this seems unnecessary at first, but when you finally understands what the meaning behind it, the story become fuller. All in all, it’s a well written short story.