Ernest Hemingway's Impact On American Culture

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Ernest Hemingway It is safe to say that very few writers have had as big of an impact on American culture as Ernest Hemingway. He served as the voice of his generation and took part in a literary revolution that completely altered the way people saw the world. His work would shape the world of literature and influence writers well after his death. Early Life Ernest Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899 (bio). His parents, Clarence and Grace, raised him in a conservative suburb of Chicago known as Cicero (now called Oak Park). During the summers, their family would retreat to their cabin in northern Michigan. Ernest developed a great love and appreciation for the outdoors during his time at the cabin. Hemingway attended Oak Park and River Forest…show more content…
His teacher, Mrs. Biggs, tried her best to run her class like an actual newspaper company would. She would only accept the best articles for the school paper. Ernest, of course, was one of the few to get his writing into the Trapeze on a weekly basis. His work was almost primarily focused on sports and music. World War I Hemingway was a fighter at heart and when the United States began preparing for war, he was very eager to join in the fight. Unfortunately, he was not able to join because of his eyesight and several other physical issues, despite being in great shape. Still determined to join the war effort, Ernest signed up to be a part of a Red Cross effort. From the Red Cross station in Kansas City, Hemingway was sent to Italy to be an ambulance driver. While working for the Red Cross, Hemingway was regularly scolded for attempting to fight along-side American soldiers. After only a few months, he was severely wounded in both legs by shrapnel fire. Despite his wounds, Ernest continued to help evacuate wounded soldiers until he could no longer walk. For this act of heroism, he was awarded the Italian Silver Medal of…show more content…
He would spend the next few years moving around the Midwest with his friends always maintaining a correspondence with the Toronto Star. It is during this time that Hemingway honed his writing style and began forming his distinct voice. In 1920, Hemingway met the woman who would become his first wife. Hadley Richardson had come to Chicago to visit family and ended up meeting the budding journalist, Ernest Hemingway(brain). The two quickly fell in love and were married on September 3, 1921. Within two months of their marriage, the two decided to move to Paris. Paris While living with Hadley, Ernest worked as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star. His writing endeavors led him to meet and become friends with several prominent writers. The one who had the largest impact on Hemingway’s career was Gertrude Stein. She helped develop Ernest’s writing style and helped bring him into the group of writers and artists that would be known as the Lost

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