HEMINGWAY’S ICEBERG THEORY IN A FAREWELL TO ARMS: SUBTEXT AND SILENCE
Abstract
This article explores Ernest Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory as it is applied in A Farewell to Arms, with a particular focus on the roles of subtext and silence. It examines how Hemingway’s minimalist style, characterized by narrative omission and emotional restraint, contributes to the novel’s psychological and emotional depth. Through analysis of narrative voice, dialogue, and symbolic elements, the study argues that Hemingway’s practice of leaving meaning beneath the surface encourages active reader engagement and enhances the authenticity of the emotional experience. The article further situates Hemingway’s method within the broader literary context of modernism and trauma literature, suggesting that his silences function not as narrative absences, but as deliberate and powerful sites of meaning. By tracing the influence of journalism, war, and modernist aesthetics on Hemingway’s prose, the article demonstrates how A Farewell to Arms exemplifies the enduring power of understatement in literary fiction.
Keywords
Hemingway; Iceberg Theory; A Farewell to Arms; subtext; narrative omission; minimalism; literary modernism; trauma literature; narrative voice; silence in literature
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