Three Shots
Every body has to die and most people fear the death eventually. The fear encompasses the anxiety of the unknowing which can entail anything dependent on our age, our social awareness, the surroundings etc. However, apparently the fear will develop as people go through changes in their life. This is what the short story “Three Shots” by Ernest Hemingway revolves about, where a omniscient narrator acquaints the recipient with the main character Nick’s feelings. The story starts in medias res where the main character Nick is in the forest with his father and his Uncle George. Together they have went on a fishing trip into the forrest. Nick finds himself alone in a tent, in which he is looking back on last night’s happenings, thus the recipient meets with a flashback. His father and Uncle George have left the camp and instead they have gone fishing, and sudden Nick reaches the peak of his feelings. Nick is frightened, which is obvious when he walks trough the woods at night leaving the lake and the elder men “He was always a little frightened of the woods at night”. The darkness, the silence, perhaps the unknowing make him fear the death and it reminds him that he himself have to die eventually which causes to another flashback. In conclusion there is three parts of the story, which can be combined with Nick’s emotional stages. At first he realizes that someday he must die, “someday the silver cord will break”, which scares him and as a result makes him feel sick, furthermore he tries avoiding the thoughts. Unfortunately, the realization catch up with him, and he feels even more afraid, when he is alone in the tent undressing. He feels alone, there is nothing to take of his mind, no sounds, no people, no nothing. He is afraid of the silence, perhaps because he is used to live in a civilized world where people surround os, and where noises are connected to safety, “There was no noise anywhere. Nick felt if he could only hear a fox bark or an owl or anything he would be all right”. Actually he gets so afraid that he calls for help by trigging a gun. He acts irrational and in additional it gets clear that he is at a young stage of mind. The main feeling mentioned in the short story is fear and it takes part in the theme. The fear reflects the american wilderness versus civilization. The wilderness is displayed in the woods, while we at home in church and at their house acquaintance with the civilized world. It is a part of the settings and consolidate Nick’s different feelings in the two divides. At home he ordinarily doesn’t fear anything, but in the woods everything, even nothing, scares him. In other words Nick must get used to the wilderness equally his father and Uncle George. Nick is aware of the fact which is distinct when he lies about having heard sounds from a cross between a fox and a wolf who was fooling around the tent, that moreover proves his embarrassment. Nevertheless, he is the need of the father’s calming words, who elucidate him never to be afraid of the woods. Like that the father represent the wilderness. Lastly, Nick has reached the third phase of his development and the recipient is introduced to the stage where Nick in the real situation is ashamed of being afraid. The ending ascertains the sudden need to change the mind of his. He has gone from being immature to be obliged to take responsibility of his actions. To sum up, the story revolves around three parts, which can be linked to the headline of the story “Three shots”. Therefor “Three shots” plays a part in the headline, however it is the culmination of the story when Nick fire those three shots as well. Nick’s development reaches it’s height, you may call it the point of no return. The reader will never know what will happen further on, because the story has an opening ending. All the recipient knows is, that something dramatically is about to happen and perhaps it will influence Nick’s development and the present circumstances toward the wilderness.

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[ 1 ]. “Three Shots” by Ernest Hemingway - page 13 line 26
[ 2 ]. “Three Shots” by Ernest Hemingway - page 14 line 35
[ 3 ]. “Three Shots” by Ernest Hemingway - page 13 line 4