“Indian Camp” is one of several stories that Hemingway wrote concerning the coming-of-age of Nick Adams. Nick, like those of us reading his story, attempts to glean meaning from his experiences so that he can better understand himself and how he fits into the world at large. Like the reader, Nick’s experience encounters other experiences, and understanding and order must be made out of the intersection of these events. How do we make order out of ostensible chaos? In a world of death, how are we supposed to live? Like other Hemingway protagonists, Nick must develop a code of living that will allow his life to have structure and meaning.
Hemingway’s prose betrays no superfluous details: it’s athletic and suggestive rather than descriptive, making it perhaps more significant and subtle. Since the narratorial voice aligns itself with Nick, seeming to tell the story from his perspective and illustrate his conflicts, it might even be said that the prose presents an accurate representation of Nick’s developing mind. For example, the narrator calls George “Uncle George,” something that Nick would call him, rather than Nick’s father. The narrative could also be called simplistic, though it’s anything but simple, using parataxis to allow the reader to fill in the most poignant details.
The central significance of “Indian Camp” centers around questions of life and death for the protagonist Nick. In the face of a new birth and the inexplicable suicide of the woman’s husband, Nick attempts to order his reality to and bring structure to this ostensibly chaotic circumstance. Other than the obvious suicide, Nick is also aware that something is wrong. He begins to piece together the evidence from his experience: he asks his father, “Where did Uncle George go?” (31). Nick, like the observant reader, attempts to incorporate his recent experiences into a way to appraoch the world. Hmm, Uncle George handed out cigars to the Indians, something that new fathers do. The woman bit Uncle George’s arm, an action that might suggest a certain intimacy and anger. Hey, what in the world was Uncle George doing with us here in the first place unless he had something to do with the whole situation. Hmm.
Notice, too, that Dr. Adams begins the story talking to his son in a patronizing tone, like one might to a child. However, by the end of the story, Dr. Adams treats Nick like an adult, an equal who is also trying to make sense out of a difficult situation. While Nick takes comfort in his father’s arms at the story’s beginning, he and his father sit in opposite ends of the boat on his way home, suggesting that we are all ultimately alone in how we experience and order reality. Like other Hemingway heroes, Nick must develop his own code for life, a kind of macho self-reliance.
While it may be argued that Nick is in denial at the story’s close — “he felt quite sure that he would never die” — can we really blame him? In the face of an existential awareness of death, many of us do the same thing. It takes time and consideration for us to assimilate trauma. In time, Nick will come to terms with this experience. As for Uncle George…
Why is it that Nick thinks he will never die?
Good question. It seems to have to do with the trauma caused by his experiences: when subjected to something horrible, especially when little, we tend to deny the possibility of it ever happening to us. Remember, Nick thinks that death is gruesome and self-inflicted, and he feels confident that he would never do anything like that to himself. It could also have to do with the arrogance of the individual, but that seems less likely here.
i agree with some points youve made here but uncle george with the indian woman? im not so sure about that, i didnt read so much into that. i dont know, i kind of just saw him there to satisfy his own racial feelings. i saw him as wanting to see the indian woman in pain and really just for the experience. perhaps i didnt see too much into uncle george’s significance?
OK, but then you have to ask yourself why her husband killed himself? We must figure out what the “things” were that he “couldn’t stand.”
BTW, are they building computers these days without SHIFT keys or are we getting really lazy?
Why should Uncle Georg have had an affair with the indian woman?? Can you prove that they knew themselves before? I really don’t think so.
But I think absolutely the same about the sentence: “he felt quite sure that he would never die”. I also think that human arrogance is an important aspect to look at. We also have to consider Nick being very young and that he has made a very close connection to death. He was witness of a suicide!
Uncle George gives out cigars. A tradition when you become a father.
I was wondering if these explanations would help, Uncle George is giving out cigars as a “thank you” gift for rowing them across the river. The Indian man kills himself as he feels that compaired to the skills of the white man “Nick’s Father” he is a lesser man and so feels that he must take his own life to show his bravery and thus redeem himself. And the final point about why Uncle George dissapears at the end could it be that due to the stressfulnes of the situation he fells that he has to releave some of the stress, and so he leaves to do one of two things first it could be that he buys an indian lady to spend the rest of the night with. or it could be that he leaves release the stress by having a drink hich would be easly obtainable in and Indian camp. The last two situations each show light on areas of indian socity that the white man is responsable for starting and in both cases has devistating effects over indian life for generations to come and it was this that Hemingway wanted us to focus on and it was this reason that we are not told where he goes as shurly Nicks father Knows?
Maybe I’m looking for too much, but I can’t get past the description of the blade. “The open razor lay, EDGE UP, in the blankets.”
Why edge up? He’s laying on his side with his left arm under his head. It seems that if he cut his neck with the right hand, the blade should be edge down.
I can’t help thinking that maybe he was murdered during the excitement of the birth, though that does seem far fetched.
What are the refrences to light and dark in this passage symbolic of, if anything
Good question. Metaphors for Nick’s frame of mind; colonial oppression; ambiguity. What do you think?
Well, I think that the references to light and dark are directly proportional to the amount of tension in the setting. And I think that I could at least argue my point if it weren’t for the line at the end of the passage talking about the sun rising. Any advice?
The light and dark is a direct reference to Nick’s Ignorance and enlightenment. At the begining of the story, it is dark, and everytime Nick has an epiphany, there is a light in the stroy. At the end of the story, in Nick’s return from the Indian Camp, the sun is up, signifying Nick’s new found enlightenment on the subjects of Death, Cowardess, and Morality.
What are the signifigance of some of the characters’ sexist views in the story?
I have some different understanding of this “Indian Camp”.I have read some commentaries on this short story online,and most of them are about the Indian husband killed himself because he could not bear the pain of his wife,and he thought it was his fault, or because the white surgeon,Dr.Adams,said “her screaming is not important”,this is a sign of thoughless racism.But can this understanding of mine hold water? American Indians are very brave,we have no doubts on this point,and this Indian husband should not kill himself so easily.His wife,had suffered hard labor for more than two days,and her screaming had troubled the whole camp a lot,”All the old women in the camp had been helping her.The men had moved off up the road to sit in the dark and smoke out of the range of the noise she made…” Her husband,would feel sorry for the whole camp for this,and this might affect his baby’s future.The father died,or rather,killed himself,shortly before his baby was born,this is an exchange of life,death to birth,and he used this way to bring honor for his baby.We can’t deny that his way of committing suicide,by using a razor to cut his own throat from ear to ear,little by little, without making any sound,and no one was even aware of what he did at all,how much pain he had to bear for doing this? Isn’t his way very brave? If he died bravely,his baby would not be looked down on by the camp.
About Uncle George,I understand in this way.I don’t know whether he had an affair with the Indian woman or not,but I understand in this way:Nick,his father,and Uncle Georges,can be taken as “Holy Son,Holy Father,and Holy Ghost”.
I am not sure if my understanding has some reason or not,so please heip me.
As to your Uncle George issues, my class would like to say, the bite, well, is a bite, she is in pain. Also, the uncle says, “you damn squaw bitch” without a smile, implying that he is clearly upset. In addition, the native american culture values the sharing of a ‘pipe.’ And, Uncle George feels a greater connection with the Native American culture because he is the one that chastizes the doctor for being so callous.
My class thinks your wrong.
I find it interesting that anyone can say definitively that someone else’s interpretation of a piece of literature is “wrong.” How arrogant.
Much of what I admire about Hemingway is that he is anything but didactic: we have to work as readers to attempt to use all the evidence to figure out what happened in the story. Mr. Stevenson, your class’ interpretation is interesting, but it seems to ignore some of the evidence, specifically the ostensible suicide of the Indian woman’s husband, Uncle George’s handing out cigars, and Uncle George’s disappearance. If we are to see your class’ interpretation as right, it will have to account for all the evidence.
The “greater connection” is a good point, but I wonder if more cannot be read into that? Thanks for your comments, and keep reading.
i read the story & i think that it assest many points & themes & it depends to how any reader may understand & interpret the story
i think we have the idea of mortality,& the cultural diferences between the white & the black americans & i think the husband sacrify byhimself to bring praise to his born baby his death symbolise his courage to rebell on the recism done by the whites
You can find some more views on “Indian Camp” in Comments on Hemingway’s “Indian Camp.”
i think uncle groege raped the indian woman and then the other indians all know, thats why they laughed at him