Hemingwdy, Stevens, and the Meditative

Poetry of "Extraordinary Actuality"

Ph illip Be ard

In ry42, Wallace Stevens rnade an unusual claim regarding the writing ofErnest Hemingway: he asserted that Hemingway was not only a poet, but a

poet of "extraordin ary actuality.' I aim to show that Stevens's claim illuminates

a repressed and crucial aspect of Hemingway's work. Stevens made this claim

in a letter to Henry Church dated zluly t942 (Letters 4LL), presenting Heming-

way as a poet who could describe certain kinds of reality without coloring the

perceived objects with the imagination, implicitly because certain kinds ofnatural reality command a meditative attention, not a projecting or master-

ing style of thinking. While rather complex discussions could ensue from this

claim concerning hour, or even if, it is possible to withdraw the imagination

or even the ego participation trom u-ritten descriptions, Stevens does provide

simple tools tor makirg sharp and interesting distinctions in Hemingway's

work: Stevens's ciaim, erplored in the classroom alongside readings of some

of his accessible poerrlS, helps shorr that an attitude of meditative attention is

frequently important to Hemingrvav. and that this passive, observing stance is a

crucial alternative in his work to any imperative to be active, forceful, or violent.

A lively consideration of Stevens, Hemingway, and the poetry of "extraor-

dinary actuality" can get students to expand their awareness of Hemingway,

especially the man of rumor and biography often discussed as a connoisseur ofviolence, an enthusiast of spectacular shows of force, or someone who equated

heroism with might. I do not repudiate that macho image of Hemingway: he

promoted it himself (as in his Lg3zstudy ofbullfighting , Death in the Afternoon),

and it is observable in the fiction. However, meditative and poetic aspects of

30

HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDI-:.-

Hemingway's actual flction, as dis

in thematic tension with rhetorics

Putting Hemingway and Ster.ens

view of Hemingway through a co

his work, it also distills some of Str

whom this poet may appear abstruis that it gets students to think abor

sentences work, rather than-as st

summary or a cursory list of theron the subject of what constitutes e

students-who often feel compelle<"kay ideas"-to slow down and scr

participate in the meditative intenSample Assignments and In-Class

In conjoining Stevens and HemiiChurch and then examine how Ster-

with "extraordinary actualitFl" Fror

in which Hemingwaypromotes a de

to master or from a contentious mihis protagonisfs in meditative attitrTwo-Hearted River" Ggz). Seconr

even promote meditative reflectiorin counterpoint to the action or diviolent, as in To Have and Have \c

Inry4z, Stevens corresponded rilecture on poetry and actualih. thatUniversity. In a letter from Hartforwrote that he thought Churcht "su

rry, but poETRy AND THE ExrR,For Stevens, when an actualitr- is -

its own which makes it independ,Stevens then recommends Ernest l

on this subject, explaining, "Most p

but obviously he is a poet . . . the msubject of rxrRAoRDrNARy ACTL.

the word extraordinary here, Ster-e

ence from ordinary experience inisolate objects that allegedly har-e s

rd the Meditative

Actuality"

nusual claim regarding the writing ofi{emingway was not only a poet, but a

to shorv that Stevens's claim illuminatesinqrray's work. Stevens made this claim,: Lg12 (Letters 4ll),presenting Heming-rin kinds of reality without coloring the

cn. implicitly because certain kinds of: aftention, not a projecting or master-

rplex discussions could ensue from this

; possible to withdraw the imagination[ten descriptions, Stevens does provide

rteresting distinctions in Hemingway's

classroom alongside readings of some

at an attitude of meditative attention isrd that this passive, observing stance is a

perative to be active, forceful, or violent.

Iemingway, and the poetry of "extraor-

'xpand their awareness of Hemingway,

rph,v often discussed as a connoisseur ofhorvs of force, or someone who equated

e that macho image of Hemingway: he'of bullfightin g, Death in the Afternoon),

reyer, meditative and poetic aspects of

HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MED ATIVE POETRY OF "EXTRAORDINARY ACTUALITY" 3t

Hemingway's actual fiction, as distinct from his biography and persona, are

in thematic tension with rhetorics of force, resistance, or manful striving.

Putting Hemingway and Stevens in dialogue not only corrects an oversimple

view of Hemingway through a consideration of meditative attitudes within

his work, it also distills some of Ster-ens's k.)- concerns for undergraduates to

whom this poet may appear abstruse or arcane. Another virtue of the analysis

is that it gets students to think about Heminqrt ar-'s fiction in terms of how his

sentences work, rather than-as students too often do-only in terms of plot

summary or a cursory list of themes. Conioining Stevens and Hemingway

on the subject of what constitutes an ''e\traordinan- actualir\-" can encourage

students-who often feel compelled to rush throusn prose of an)- kind to glean

"k.y ideas"-to slow down and scrutinize FIeminE-rr-ar- s prose and tperhaps)

participate in the meditative intensit,v of his descriprions. See Appendlx B:

Sample Assignments and In-Class Prompts.)

In conjoining Stevens and Hemingway, I first rel.ierv Stevens's letter tc-r l{enrr-

Church and then examine how Stevens's poetry itself mat, illuminate a concern

with "extraordinary actuality."' From this point, my lesson highlights hr-o \\-a\-s

in which Hemingway promotes a detachment from the concerns of an impulse

to master or from a contentious mind. First, Hemingway occasionall1, shorr-s

hts protagonisfs in meditative attitudes, as he does with Nick Adams in "Big

TWo-Hearted River" Ggz). Second, Hemingway's narration may suggest or

even promote meditative reflection; sometimes this style of narration works

in counterpoint to the action or dialogue, which may be conflictual or even

violent, as in To Have and Have Nof OglZ).

In ry4a Stevens corresponded with his friend Henry Church concerning a

lecture on poetry and actuality that Church was trying to arrange at Princeton

University. In a letter from Hartford, Connecticut, dated zluly 1942, Stevens

wrote that he thought Church's "subject is not really poErRy AND ACTUAL-

rry, but poETRy AND THE EXTRAoRDTNARv ACTUALITv oF ouR ttuE,l'For Stevens, when an actuality is "extraordin ary enough, it has a vitality all

its own which makes it independent of . . . the imagination' (Letters 4Ll).

Stevens then recommends Ernest Hemingway as the ideal person to lecture

on this subject, explaining, "Most people dont think of Hemingway as a poet,

but obviously he is a poet . . . the most significant of living poets, So far as the

subject of ExTRAoRDTNARv ACTUALTTy is concerned" (Letters 4L2). In using

the word extraordinaryhere, Stevens is probably distinguishing such experi-

ence from ordinary experience in that, by his own definition, he means to

isolate objects that allegedly have stability and meanin g apart from am- input

32 PHILLIP BEARD

of imagination. In his Adagia, a collection of epigrams and aphorisms, Stevens

focuses and amplihes the ideas tbund in his letter to Church by saytng, "In the

presence of extraordinan- actualitl', consciousness takes the place of imagina-

tion" (r9r, qtd. in Flollander ztz). The philosopher Immanuel Kant described an

epistemologr-, or theory of knowing, in which all knowledge was mediated byimpressions and ideas: the full reality of a "thing" was an ultimate unknowable(+z). But the experience that Stevens describes as "extraordin ary" in Hemingway

may be the experience Stevens describes in the title of the ultimate poem in his

Collected Poems: "Not Ideas About the Thing but the Thing Itself" (fi4)-thatis, allowing a neutral awareness to behold a circumstance rather than projecting

imaginative color, feeling, or interpretation onto the circumstance. The role ofmeditation envisioned by Stevens is described compellingly by William Bevis

in his book Mind of Winter: Wallace Stevens, Meditation, and Literature. Bevis

argues that the readers often misconstrue, or have a hard time discerning, the

meditative qualities in Stevens's work for at least two reasons. First, meditation

involves mental inactivity, or a surrendering of mastering intelligence to a kindof neutral beholding. This inaction is unconventional in the West and in much

of the critical rhetoric of romanticism, which lauds the active projecting qualities

of "imaginationl' Second, meditative states of mere being, mere beholding, orother kinds of mental neutrality in the face of objects or nature are often seen,

e\€n apart from a rhetoric of romanticism, as negative states. Often, Bevis argues,

states of mental inaction in Ster-ens's rvork are not negative opposites of imagina-

tive states, but dialectical assistants of more active states of mind (25-28).'

When one carefully reads Herningrvav's fiction rvith Stevens's definition inmind, the prose writer may also be understood, or significant occasions, as

a meditative poet of objects and natural forms, not as one who only (or even

ultimately) promotes the mastering of reality with force. These objects andnatural forms in Hemingway's work seem (as Stevens says) to exist indepen-

dent of the imagination and command a caring respect. Stevens's assertion can

help bring to light several aspects of Hemingway's work that have often been

overlooked through an emphasis on Hemingway's personal interest in boxing,

hunting, and war. Again, Stevens's provocative (yet utterly accurate) definitionof Hemingway as a "poet of extraordin ary actuality" affords opportunities toshow a kinship between the fiction writer and the poet that is both stylistic

and philosophical. Hemingway's effects, even his moral effects, often reside inlyrical compressions rather than didactic narratives; an understanding of himas a meditative poet writing in prose allows a more complex view of him than

the stock image ofa cartoonish he-man. Hemingway's fiction-for example, the

,Y. STE\i E\S, & --: "':-

-:-

ends of "Indian Camp" and Ir ;., ,

effect by putting a receptir-e, nie. -

lyrical counterpoint to episodes r-

In addition to his zluly Lg4z lett.::the undergraduate classroom to ::-:"extraordinary actualityi' sugqe sr:r -

that rewards the fidelity of coirte-:: : -

a Theme by Williamsl' which se i:.S

lected Poems 1B), and "On the R.c.; .

received apart from conventio:r.- -

models a meditative attitude tha: :-

a passive observing of the obiect ,: - -

detachment in Stevens's poetrr a: -.Prototypical of Stevens's o\\-.1 :-=

Williamsl' in which he takes a Ic, *:-Williams, "El Hombre" (3l :. an; :.lines. In a somewhat ant'trS,;,-, *s - -

poets to personifi. ani a -e . - :--- ] -:-

to shine "like bronze. :::. ::..: : -,

my being" (Collectea P-';' : - I -'his sight of all anthrop ,- -r- - : : - - : 'chimera ofmorninq, - -= -- r- : -

to the star, he also in:r:: -- - -: . - :

extra-human realiq', \rr,- !; - ---- : - :

a stoical sign of order. S: * *: . .: :: : -

Herningway's view ofprr', : :: - : -

effort of metaphor. Once s.- r. - - : -this tendency not onh- il - r- - - - :

such Nick's observance c :: = -"

drink. Students may con r',--:-. . :: - -

the "icy cold and . . . faint -. : *: .-

how, and with what value. t:.): r: -domestic (Krebs's familr. tl.ra:-= - .

Stevens, meanwhile, alsc, ;-t--t :jections in the "face" of a na,':::- - -

- rion of epigrams and aphorisms, Stevensrn his letter to Church by saying, ,.In

theonsciousness takes the place of imagina-rhilosopher Immanuel Kant described an[n rr hich all knowledg. was mediated byof a "thing" was an ultimate unknowable:scribes as "extraordi nary" in Hemingwayrcs in the title of the ultimate poem in hise Thing but the Thing Itself', (fi4)_thatold a circumstance rather than projectingtation onto the circumstance. The role oflescribed compellingly by william Bevisiie','efis, Meditation, and LiteratLffe. Bevistrue, or have a hard time discerning, thetbr at least two reasons. First, meditationlering of mastering intelligence to a kindrncon\rntional in the West and in muchr*fuch lauds the active projecting qualities;tates of mere being, mere beholding, or: Iace of objects or nature are often seen,

;m, as negative states. Often, Bevis argues,,rk are not negative opposites ofimagina_rnore active states of min d (25_zg).,,r?\''s fiction with Stevens's definition innderstood, on significant occasions, as'al forms, not as one who only (or even,f reality with force. These objects and3em (as Stevens says) to exist indepen_a caring respect. Stevens's assertion canemingway's work that have often been:mingway's personal interest in boxing,ocative (yet utterly accurate) definitionrarY actuality" affiords opportunities toiter and the poet that is both stylistici, e\-en his moral effects, often reside inic narratives; an understandirg ofhimo\\-s a more complex view of him thanHemingway's fi ction-for example, the

HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDITATIVE POETRY OF "EXTRAORDINARY ACTUALITY" 33

ends of "Indian Camp' and To Have and Have Nof-often achieves its overall

effect by putting a receptive, meditative (and occasionally caring) attitude inlyrical counterpoint to episodes of strite or violence.

In addition to his zluly tg4zletter to Church, Stevens's poems may be used inthe undergraduate classroom to model and illuminate his attitude toward an

"extraordinary actualityi' suggesting a truslrvorthy fundament of experience

that rewards the fidelity of contemplatir-e altention. These include "Nuances ofa Theme by Williamsl' which seeks to describe a star beyond metaphor ( Col-

lected Poems 18), and "On the Road Home.' in rrhich nature is "freshest" when

received apart from conventional mrlh ;,Collected Poems 2o3). Stevens also

models a meditative attitude that inr-olr-es a detachment from self-awareness,

a passive observing of the object of meditation. I'11 shorv clear examples of this

detachment in Stevens's poetrr- and in FIeminErr-a)-'s "Big Trvo-Hearted Riverl'

Prototypical of Stevens's o\rn meditatir-e poetr\- is "Nuances of a Theme by

Williamsl' in which he takes a four-line poem about a star br \\'illiam Carlos

Williams, "EI Hombre" (:r), and expounds on irs lmplications in ten more

lines. In a somewhat ambiguous contradiction of the traditic-''na1 tendeno- ofpoets to personif,r and allegorize stars, Stevens urges the star to "shine nakedlr,.'

to shine "like bronze, I that reflects neither my face nor an)- inner part ofmy being" (Collected Poems rB). In the poem's second stanza, he tries to strip

his sight of all anthropomorphic projection, and he asks that the star "Be not

chirnera of mornin g, I Half-man, half star" (r8). While giving these mandates

to the star, he also instructs himself in how to behold the star as a uniquelr.

extra-human reality, whose otherness maybecome a model of composure and

a stoical sign of order. Students see that Stevens's vision of the star resembles

Hemingway's view of physical objects that command attention with little or no

effort of metaphor. Once sensitizedto this possibility, students begin to notice

this tendency not only in obviously meditative passages concerning nature,

such Nick's observance of the trout in "Big Two-Hearted Riveri' but also inHemingway's incidental descriptions of physical objects or even of food and

drink. Students may confront and comment on the commanding physicality

of the "bacon fat hardening on [the] plate" in "soldier's Home" (IOT 7) or

the "icy cold and . . . faintly rusty" wine in The Sun Also Rises $26) and ask

hour, and with what value, these realities intrude on the hectic surroundings ofdomestic (Krebs's family drama) or global (post-First World War Europe) lire.

Stevens, meanwhile, also empties the self of prejudicial reflections or prLr-

jections in the "face" of a natural object, akeymovement in man\- meCita::-.-.

disciplines. Stevens's poem "On the Road Home" describes a conversation

between two people walking "in a wood" (Collected Poems zq), who (fairly

agreeably) debate the nature of metaphysical truth. At issue seems to be the

existence of a total truth that would be true for humans and true cosmically;

one of the sojourners asserts that "there is no such thing as the truth" and the

other that "there are many truths, / But they are not parts of a truth' "; the flrst

then adds that "words are not forms of a single word . . . I The world must be

measured by eye" (Collected Poems zq-4). The poem is in some sense a record

of disillusion, but the tone is calm and eventually comfortable. In confrontation

with each potentially anxiety-provoking, skeptical maxim, the natural world

about these two becomes vibrant ("the grapes seemed fatter. I the fox ran out

of his hole"), magical ("the tree, at night, began to change, / Smoking through

green and smoking blue"), or welcoming:

It was at that time, that the silence was largest

And longest, the night was roundest,

The fragrance of the autumn warmest,

Closest and strongest. (Collected Poems 2o4)

The fewer human demands the travelers make on their environment, the more

they become aware of its domestic particularity: the fragrance of autumn

becomes, effectively, an object of meditation to which they surrender their

potential demand to project human truth onto the woods.

This pattern of skepticism and reception in Stevens's "Nuances of a Theme by

Williams" and "On the Road Home" resembles the cultural and philosophical

drama of Hemingrvar)s ht Our Tirue. Confronting the loss of stable truths-sometimes literall) associated rr ith the father (as in "Indian Camp;' when the

heroic scene of childbirthing surgery- planned bl- tather Henry Adams goes

badly awry) or sometimes rvith the rr=orld of tathers or traditional patriotic

verities (as in the droll or grim interchapters associated rvith the Great War,

or in "soldier's Homel' which features another veteran, Harold Krebs)-NickAdams ultimately finds consolation in the meditative observation or work innature in "Big Two-Hearted Riverl'

In Our Time details a broad skepticism not only of traditional orders oftruth and security, such as patriotism, religion, and romantic love, but also ofphysical force as a means of controlling an unruly world. In Our Time rarely,

if ever, celebrates violent force. Rather, violence victim tzes innocent refugees

("On the Quai at Smyrna") or results in self-destruction ("Indian Campi' "The

HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDI r l-, . =-

Battler") or in absurd, unheroic battle

ing to the First World War in France

violenc e briefly accepted,less as an ol

kind of natural storm tobe endured rn

fear and his battlefield enemies are c

one thing, the only thing for a man tc

have done something else" (IOT ;o i.

to the facts of what happened in the

committed during it, that becomes th,

In counterpoint to such grim \ram

ultimate story of In Our Time, "Big

parts), stresses a receptive attitude irof reassurance and composure olten

that resembles Stevens's. "Big Trro-H

tion on trout holding themselves stea

observant moments (not onh' of natu

with the descriptions of violence et:

typically more absurd or grotesque ti

In "Big Two-Hearted R.iverl'the lan

fire in ways that suggest not onl)- T. 5-

World War zones described in the bcx

conventional structures of drtelling o

but the rails and the burned-or€r counl

one street of Seney had not lefr a tract

hotel stuck up above the groun,l. Ttln

It was all that was left of the torr n c,-

offthe ground" (IOT 133). The lar' c,:

over and vernal lands is undulation:

describe the land itself at the point rr'

sweet fern, growing ankle high, to rr

long undulating country with frequer

the country alive again' (IOT 136 t- Hthe world is "measured by e1-e" in Lil

was there. It swirled against the log pthe clear, brown water, colored lrom t

keeping themselves steady in the crru

them they changed their positions tn

fast water again. Nick watched them

- . Lrrad FIome" describes a conversation. -,,,-,-od" (Collected poems zo3), who (fairly:.::hr-sical truth. At issue seems to be the: re true for humans and true cosmic ally;::-re is no such thing as the truth" and the: -rt the1, are not parts of a truth"; the first

- ! ,--,f a single word . . . I The world must be: : I -+ ). The poem is in some sense a record-: .\-entually comfortable. In confrontation-:. -t{. skeptical maxim, the natural world:-. grapes seemed fatter. I The fox ran out.-;:r. began to change, i Smoking through- -.-- l1r .1 .- ----a-.;1.'

.. -:fqeSt

:..'.. < ^ r \:- .i -,+i

:-=t: nrake on their environment, the more: --'*:trcularity: the fragrance of autumn- , *-:ation to which they surrender their--:'::h onto the woods.

:t --:'-t in Stevens's "Nuances of a Theme by:. s.:lbles the cultural and philosophical, ::,nirorlting the loss of stable truths-"- = -.:her (as in "Indian Campl'when the. - -.:rned by father Henry Adams goes

- :-d of fathers or traditional patrioticr:-:::.rs associated with the Great War,: : ,. -: ther veteran, Harold Krebs)-Nick-.-. -:. nteditative observation or work in

::.--!l:l not only of traditional orders of-. :.-,qion, and romantic love, but also of-.-: an urlruly world. In Our Time rarely,:r -, -,tlence victim tzes innocent refugees

-.- ." I-destruction ("Indian Campi, ,,The

HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDITATIVE POETRY OF "EXTRAORDINAR\' iC--: ::

Battler") or in absurd, unheroic battle scenes (the ttahcrzed interchapters rt-.:-ing to the First World War in France and Italy). Only in "Soldier's Home" ,s

violence briefly accepted, less as an opportunity for heroic triumph than as a

kind of natural storm to be endured in certain moments; Krebs's triumphs or.er

fear and his battlefleld enemies are described only as him having "done the

one thing, the only thing for a man to do, easily and naturally, when he might

have done something else" (IOT 7o).In "soldier's Homel'it is Krebs's f,delity

to the facts of what happened in the war, rather than the acts of violenc. h:committed during it, that becomes the ground of a stoical, heroic composure.

In counterpoint to such grim warnings about a life lived too forcefully, the

ultimate story of In Our Time, "Big Two-Hearted River" (divided into two

parts), stresses a receptive attitude in the face of nature. This text's moments

of reassurance and composure often rely on a poetry of objects and nature

that resembles Stevens's. "Big Two-Hearted Riveri' with tts Zen-like medita-

tion on trout holding themselves steadily in the river, counterpoises receptive,

observant moments (not only of nature and but of objects like cups of coffee)

with the descriptions of violence elsewhere in the story collection that are

typically more absurd or grotesque than heroic.

In "Big Two-Hearted Riveri'the landscape Nick first encounters is ravaged by

fire in ways that suggest not only T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land, but also the First

World War zones described in the book's interchapters, or any place stripped ofconventional structures of dwelling or meaning: "There was no town, nothing

but the rails and the burned-over country. The thirteen saloons that had lined the

one street of Seney had not left a trace. The foundations of the Mansion House

hotel stuck up above the ground. The stone was chipped and split by the fire.

It was all that was left of the town of Seney. Even the surface had been burned

offthe ground" (IOT 133). The law of nature implied by the alternately burned

over and vernal lands is undulation; Hemingway uses a variant of this word to

describe the land itself at the point where the line of the fire ends: "Then it was

sweet fern, growing ankle high, to walk through, and clumps of jack pines; a

long undulating country with frequent rises and descents, sandy underfoot and

the countryalive again' (IOT 136). Here, as in Stevens's "On the Road Homel'

the world is "measured by eye" in language rich in visual images: "The rir-er

was there. It swirled against the log piles of the bridg.. Nick looked dou'n into

the clear, brown water, colored from the pebbly bottom, and watched the trout

keeping themselves steady in the current with wavering flns. As he rratched.

them they changed their positions by quick angles, only to hold steadr- in r::e

fast water agatn. Nick watched them a long time" (IOT 133).

I

36 PHILLIP BEARD

The language is not only visual, but free from obvious subjective coloration:

substantives carr\- an extraordinary amount of meaning: the river was there; the

trout kept themselves steady rn the current with waveri ngfins. The ordinary lan-

guage that Heminpra)- uses here creates an artifact that resembles the ordinaryreality of objects, rrhile remaining extraordinary; Hemingway's words do not

incarnate the objects thev describe, but by using simple, direct language, famil-

iar language, he creates verbal objects that in their stylistic character resemble

the objects he describes: if he is describing a simple meal, he will use simple

terms; if he is describing the enduring reality of a river, he may say, "the river

was therel' And the steadtastness of the language and the sentences or images

becomes a sign, like Ster-ens's star or woods, for steadiness, or for reliability.

On the other side of the blasted landscape he first encounters, Nick finds,

first, the river, and then, near the piles of a bridge, the trout in the water.

Hemingway's renderine of the trout may be seen to embody Stevens's "extraor-

dinary actualit\"'-''a r-italin- all its own which makes it independent of . . . the

imagination" (Letters +11 .. Like the star in "Nuances of a Theme by Williamsi'Hemingwa,v's trout represent both an extra-human reality that has nothing to

do with the human sub,iect and a natural reality that is fundamental to human

life; further, the rrsh possess a st\1e that may be, when observed properly, u

model of composure. \\-hen the hsh "hold themselves steadyi' they model a

kind of stoic virtue, a proper balance of surrender and force.

In the writing of Stevens and Heming\\ a\', the ordinary survives skepticism

and is even aided by skepticism, as in Stanlev Car.ell's account In Quest of the

Ordinary. Cavell says that philosophy s business has become "the recovery of. . . the ordinary from skepticisml' the "overcomirg" of metaphysics, and, in"literature[,] the domestication of the fantastic and the transcendentalizing ofthe domestic" (zl). This "transcendentaltztng" ofthe domestic occurs in many

of Stevens's poems; in "The Emperor of Ice Cream;' for instance, the comforts

of ice cream take on a metaphysical dimension in the face of death ("Let the

lamp affix its beam / the only emperor is the emperor of ice cream") (Collected

Poems 64), while in "Large Red Man Readingi'ghosts, hal,ing dwelled in an

afterlife, return with nostalgia for the physical world and find an oracular poet

of the ordinary speaking vatic (i.e., priestly) lines about "the pots on the stove,

and the tulips among them" (Collected Poems 44).With a less vatic emphasis, the ordinarybecomes transcendental in Heming-

way's "Big Two-Hearted River" not only in Nick's meditative sight of the fish

but also as a mouthful of beans heated on a campfire prompts an echo of sav-

ing tradition. "'Chrisei Nick said. 'Geezus Chrisei he said happily" (IOT 14o).

HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MED -I_

Such ceremonies of food, made pr

shared with Nick in "The Battler.

is ceremonial, or that which can bn

his contemplation of the fish "holc

tion of coffee (made according to

opportunity for him to surrender a

the coffee, the coffee according to H

[Because Nick's own, unused recj

method.l It made a good ending tr

He knew he could choke it becaus,

But the larger order of the ordin

the given of nature, the epistemolos

reliable if undulatory reality of natur

evoked this undulatory characteris

Seall'he did so on a large scale br- su

everything (Po ems and Preface.s 115

at work on a small scale, commenti

impulse from a vernal wood / IIavand Prefaces Lo7). Fundamental q-,

and the daily oscillations of light aceremonial ordinary is housed in th

ofhis camp as "the good place" QOItion in "Big Two-Hearted River" is

mastering realitf than of findins er

The claim that receptivity and obs.

in Hemingway's work, demonstrat

Our Time, becomes especialll, pro\-i

major novel, To Have and Have^\bi.

and literal class warfare. Yet this r' *

focus on natural and/or object real

of alienation is not between social ,

taining'bther" of nature. This is pl,

as (in Stevens's phrase) an "extraotr,

concluding meditation on comm(

life and against the Gulf Stream. l

the prospect of a meditative detac

action, a drama by characters rrho

HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDITATIVE POETRY OF "EXTRAORDINARY ACTUALITY" 37

i free tiom obvious subjective coloration:nount of meaning: the river was there; therent rrith waveri ngfins. The ordinarylan-tes an artifact that resembles the ordinarytraordinary; Hemingway,s words do notrt br- using simple, direct language, famil_; that in their stylistic character resembleribing a simple meal, he will use simplee realir,v of a river, he may say, ,.the riverhe language and the sentences or images,r oods, for steadiness, or for reliability.ndscape he first encounters, Nick finds,iles of a bridge, the trout in the water.lar- be seen to embody Stevens's "extraor-, n rrhich makes it independent of . . . therr in "Irluances of a Theme by williams,"ertra-human reality that has nothing toral reality that is fundamental to humanhat may be, when observed properly, a-hold themselves steadyi, they model aof surrender and force.

1{rr-a\r, the ordinary survives skepticismStanle,v Cavell's accoun t In euest of thes business has become "the recovery ofl 'o\-ercoming" of metaphysics, and, inzntastic and the transcend entahzrng ofalizing" of the domestic occurs in manyf Ice Creami' for instance, the comfortsLmension in the face of death (..Let theis the emperor of ice cream" ) (Collectedteadingi' ghosts, havirg dwelled in anhr-sical world and find an oracular poetstll') lines about "the pots on the stove,Poems 44).n- becomes transcendental in Heming_

)- in Nick's meditative sight of the flshln a campfire prompts an echo of sav_

us Chrisel he said happily" (IOT 14o).

Such ceremonies of food, made privately, recall the meal Bugs prepared and

shared with Nick in "The Battlerl' suggesting that one order of the ordinary

is ceremonial, or that which can be reliably nourishing and comforting. Like

his contemplation of the fish "holding themselves steadyi' Nick's contempla-

tion of coffee (made according to an old friend's method) becomes another

opportunity for him to surrender a striving mind to the ordinary: "Nick drank

the coffee, the coffee according to Hopkins. The coffee was bitter. Nick laughed.

fBecause Nick's own, unused recipe was potentially superior to Hopkins's

method.] It made a good ending to the story. His mind was starting to work.

He knew he could choke it because he was tired enough' (IOT 4z).But the larger order of the ordinary, containing this ceremonial categorli is

the given of nature, the epistemological sturdiness of objects, or, othenvise, the

reliable if undulatory reality of nature. Before Hemingrvar', \\illiam \\brdsrrorth

evoked this undulatory characteristic of nature. In 'A Slumber Did I'Il' Spirit

Seall'he did so on a large scale by stating that "earth's diurnal course" conditions

everything (Po ems and Prefaces 115), while in "The Thbles Ttrrnedi' he noted itat work on a small scale, commenting of the breathing life of a forest that 'bne

impulse from a vernal wood I May teach [more] than all the sages cart'' (Poems

and Prefaces rc7). Fundamental cyclical realities include the sun, the seasons,

and the daily oscillations of light and dark. In Hemingway's In Our Time, the

ceremonial ordinary is housed in the given ordinary of nature; thus Nick thinks

ofhis camp as "the good place" (IOT qil.The process ofknowing or of observa-

tion in "Big Two-Hearted River" is more trusting than forceful, less a matter ofmastering realitf than of finding expressions of reception and care.

The claim that receptivity and observation are often as important as violence

in Hemingway's work, demonstrated by the model of composure found in In

Our Time, becomes especially provocative when applied to Hemingway's thirdmajor novel, To Have and HaveNof, a text ostensibly about crime, punishment,

and literal class warfare. Yet this work too has crucial moments of meditative

focus on natural and/or object realities that suggest that the greatest category

of alienation is not between social classes, but between humanity and the sus-

taining 'bther" of nature. This is plain in the extended description of a marlin

as (in Stevens's phrase) an "extraordinary actualityi' as well as in the narrator's

concluding meditation on commerce moving against the grain of ordinary

life and against the Gulf Stream. Hemingway's style in this novel holds out

the prospect of a meditative detachment but often obscures it with chaotic

action, a drama by characters who are in brutal competition with each other.

38 PHILLIP BEARD

In To Have ancl I ltu,t: No/, I{arry Morgar-l is a lilrmer policeman who nowmakes a tenttous livclilrootl ils il chru'tu'lishcnnilu. The novel is often re-

garded as olt('ttl'llt'r)linllwilyls l('ss('r'worlis, l)ilrtly lrecause it is often seen as

an awkwatrtl [rlt'rttl ol ltiu'tl lroilt'tl t'r'irrrt' lir'tiorr iurcl social activist polemics.

Nonethelcss, it ( ()nlititts nriuty lritssilll(',\ ol lylrically strong lyricism and an

attil"trtlc towiu'tl ttitlurt'iuttl llrt'ortlinirry llrill, wlrilc less obvious than in the

earlicl'lit liott, is ( r'ut iirl lo llrt' n()v('1. Sin( ('llrc lrirlural themes are marginal totlre rnitin, t llrss w.u'l,u't'irt lion, il t iltr lrt'lr l'l'uillul lcxt lrtr students to interpret;ils il l)t'('lilttiniu y rrt livity lo tlisr ussit)n, slutlt'lrls c'ulr hc llrulmpted to brieflyillltlolrllr',s( ('llt'.s irr tlrc novt'l involvirrg 1lt'o1ll('ilntl ltirtttrc. I(ey cluestions stu-

tlt'ltts nlily lltcn ('ortsitlcl' ilre I) are there olrjects ol'nature (rlr clf other, built('r)vironn)crrts) irr the novel that couldbe objects of nteclitative attention? and

z) wlrat is i[ abor:t the world of the novel that inhibits the characters fromItirving the kind of relationship with (natural) objects that Nick Adams has in" llig'fwo-Hearted River"?

The opening pages of To Have and Have l,Ior describe a placid Havana

morning that is about to break into a storrn of gang warfare. The flrst para-

graph, told in Harry Morgan's voice, renders the street scene with the clarityand disquieting calm of a Hopper painting, with hints of class struggle withinthe picturesque vista (IHHlt Ld.The descriptions have the heft of a crystal

mug and nearly make the plain view of the street scene ring with the clarityof a meditative insight. Thus, among the detriments of the grimly competitive

world of the novel is the lost opportunity for the kind of composure that NickAdams, for example, gains in "Big Two-Hearted Riverl'

A key early scene in To Have and Have Nof involves Morgan, his African-American assistant Wesl.y, the alcoholic boat hand Eddy, and a tourist, Mr.

|ohnson. The scene has been set up with Morgan making observations about

the weather and the sea which suggest that successful fishing requires bothobservation and an artistry fit to the rhyhms of nature: "The moon is right.There's a good stream and we're going to have a good breeze" (THHN zo-zr).

Morgan tries to teach |ohnson how to use his reel with the proper drag-setting,

as |ohnson apparently has had little experience of any sort of fishing and

expects to purchase the feeling of success in this trip. ]ohnson, hardheadedly

persisting in using too much resistance in the machine of the reel, loses the

lish. The lesson seems to be that too much force and human-induced frictionirr the event will be counterproductive. The marlin is potentiallyan object ofntt'tlitation, but has become a particular object of desire, a natural opponent

Io lrt'ovcrcon're, or a trophy to be captured: "I saw a splash like a depth [rom[r,

HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MED]TATIVE POETRY OF "EXTRAORDINARY ACTUALITY'' 39

and the sword, and €ye, and open lower-jaw and huge purple-black head of

a black marlin' ( THHN zL).A rhetoric of' fbrce that humans must respect is

more apparent in this novel than rn In Our 'l'irne: the fish makes a splash like

a 'depth bombi' and the fishs sail looks lil<e a "full-rigged shipi' In To Have

and Have l,{ot, the rhetoric of force ancl ntastery that inflects Morgan's view

of nature seems not simply a commercirtl or cven sporting necessity but to

some degree a compromise (if not corrul)tion) clf the flsh, whose eye stares

backat the men in a profound remir"rclcr thrtl nature can be an interlocutor, a

bold "thou" to the "I" of human consciottsltess.

In the narration of the fishs eye, therc is rt tttonretrt of recognition that this

fish, like the trout in "Big TWo-Heartecl l{iverl' is also a sublime representative

of the otherness of nature. The action of the novel is often combative, but the

lyrical description of the fish emphasizes its physical mass and colossal other-

ness. Despite Morgans application ofwar metaphors to the marlin, the fish must

be respected for its innate, majestic power, not simply valued as a trophy, and

]ohnson fails to accord it this respect. Here, to catch the fish, one must not only

exert considerable effiort but also align oneself with the rhythms of nature and

have cooperative support: "That's what you wanted to flght all by yourself. . . . A

fish like that would kill you" (IffH r zi. The balance needed here is very lil<e

that which nature offers Nick in "Big Two-Hearted Riveri'with fish sut'rstrttrtiirlly

smaller than the marlin. In trying to catch an especiallylarge trottt, hc lttscs tltc

fish and feels unbalanced by the urge to be in contest with thc lislr: "ll(' lratl

never seen so big a trout. There was a heaviness, i.r p()wcr ttol to llc lrclrl, ltlrtl

then the bulk of him, as he jumpe d" (IO'f t 5o). 'l hc l..y plt ntsc rc'latirrg thc t t'ottt

in the story to the marlin in the novel is "il powcl' llot [o ltc lrcl(l"---that is, not

to be possessed by u human. The power is to [-rc ol-rscl'ved, lrtrt trltirnately not to

be completely owned or commoditied. Alnr<lsl. every character in the novel is

in the service of an alienating, competitive commodity culture. This is true not

only of Morgan but also of the lawyers (e.g., Bee Lips), the writers (e.g., Richard

Gordon), and the various financiers (e.g., the grain broker) in the novel. In the

context of this alienation, the novel's consistently racist rhetoric ('thinksl' "rig-

gers]' "wopsl' and "limeys") becomes less a gratuitous sensationalism than a sign

of the dehum aniztngeffects of a competition for limited goods. The concluding

meditation in the novel, after Morgan has been killed trying to rob and kill some

Cuban revolutionaries (whom he had judged would kill him if he didnt get

them first), shows ships at sea trying to navigate "the streaml' In this ending, the

narrator becomes a signiflcant character, as he suggests the largest category of

alienution to be the alienation of meditative awareness from a natural ordinary:

HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDITATIVE POETRY OF "EXTRAORDINARY ACTUALITY" 39

\Iorgan is a former policeman who nowrarter fisherman. The novel is often re-r rrorks, partly because it is often seen as

rime fiction and social activist polemics.aqes of typically strong lyricism and annary that, while less obvious than in theSince the natural themes are marginal tobe a fruitful text for students to interpret;on, students can be prompted to brieflyn9 people and nature. K.y questions stu-here objects of nature (or of other, built',/be objects of meditative attention? andnovel that inhibits the characters from

r natural) objects that Nick Adams has in

ntd Have Not describe a placid Havana

a storm of gang warfare. The f,rst para-renders the street scene with the claritF

inting, with hints of class struggle withinre descriptions have the heft of a crystal; of the street scene ring with the cla ritythe detriments of the grimly competitivenit). for the kind of composure that Nickr o-Hearted River."

Haye Not involves Morgan, his African-rolic boat hand Eddy, and a tourist, Mr.;ith Morgan making observations about:st that successful fishing requires bothrhrthms of nature: "The moon is right.t to have a goo dbreeze" ( THHII zo-zt).use his reel with the proper drag-setting,experience of any sort of f,shing and

cess in this trip. |ohnson, hardheadedlyLce in the machine of the reel, loses theruch force and human-induced frictione. The marlin is potentially an object ofIar object of desire, a natural opponentured: "f saw a splash like a depth bomb,

and the sword, and €ye, and open lower-ja*, and huge purple-black head ofa black marlin' ( THHIrI zt).A rhetoric of force that humans must respect is

more apparent in this novel than tn In Our Time: the fish makes a splash like

a 'depth bombi' and the fish's sail looks like a "full-rigged shipi' In To Have

and Have l{of, the rhetoric of force and masten, that inflects Morgan's view

of nature seems not simply a commercial or even sporting necessity but tosome degree a compromise (if not corruption ) of the fish, whose eye stares

back at the men in a profound reminder that nature can be an interlocutor, a

bold "thou" to the "I" of human consciousness.

In the narration of the fish's €).e, there is a moment of recognition that this

flsh, like the trout in "Big TH,o-Hearted Riverl' is also a sublime representative

of the otherness of nature. The action of the novel is often combative, but the

lyrical description of the fish emphasizes its physical mass and colossal other-

ness. Despite Morgans application ofwar metaphors to the marlin, the fish must

be respected for its innate, majestic power, not simply valued as a trophy, and

|ohnson fails to accord it this respect. Here, to catch the fish, one must not only

exert considerable effort but also align oneself with the rhythms of nature and

have cooperative support: "That's what you wanted to fight all by yourself, . . . Afish like that would kill you" (THHII 2L). The balance needed here is very like

that which nature offers Nick in "Big Two-Hearted Riverl'with fish substantialll'

smaller than the marlin. In trying to catch an especially large trout, he loses the

fish and feels unbalanced by the urge to be in contest rvith the hsh: "He had

never seen so big a trout. There was a heaviness, a po\rer not to be held, and

then the bulk ofhim, as he jumped" (IOT :5o). The k.)- phrase relating the trout

in the story to the marlin in the novel is "a po\\-er not to be held"-that is, not

to be possessed by u human. The po\rer is to be obsen-ed, but ultimately not to

be completely owned or commodified. {most ever,v character in the novel is

in the service of an alienating, competitir-e commodity culture. This is true not

only of Morgan but also of the larn-ers ( €.e., Bee Lips), the writers (e.9., Richard

Gordon), and the various financiers (e.g., the grain broker) in the novel. In the

context of this alienation, the nor-el's consistently racist rhetoric ('thinksl' "rig-

gers]' "wops]'and "limeys") becomes less a gratuitous sensationalism than a sign

of the dehumanizingeffects of a competition for limited goods. The concluding

meditation in the novel, after )lorgan has been killed trying to rob and kill some

Cuban revolutionaries (whom he had judged would kill him if he didnt get

them first), shows ships at sea trying to navigate "the streaml'In this ending, the

narrator becomes a signif,cant character, as he suggests the largest category ofalienation to be the alienation of meditative awareness from a natural ordinary:

PHILLIP BEARD

In the big yard of the house across the street a peacock squawked. Through the

window you could see the sea looking hard and new and blue in the winter light.

A large white yacht was coming into the harbor and seven miles out on the

horizon you could see a tanker small and neat in profile against the blue sea

hugging the reef as she made to the westward to keep from wasting fuel against

the stream. ( THHN z6z)

The stream is here the ordinary of life itself: the ocean is "hard and newi' as ifindependent of the human catastrophes the novel has just detailed, especially

the individual tragedy of Morgan's life and death. The tanker, as a symbol of

commerce, interrupts the blue context of the stream and thus seems another

indicator of human enterprise struggling to master, rather than resPect, the

given reality of nature. Harry Morgan was diverted from the ordinary calm he

experienced with his wife and daughters and from the aptitude of contempla-

tive composure he demonstrated in his respectful description of the marlin.

In the world of To Have and Have ltof, the loss or devaluation of meditative

emptiness, the loss of the category of "surrender" of a human demand to own or

command nature, becomes a crucial part of Hemingway's depiction of tragedy.

Putting Stevens's affirmation of a 'tonsciousness [that] takes the place of

imaginationi' "in the presence of an extraordinary actuality" (Adagia t9L,

qtd. in Hollander ztz), alongside these moments in Hemin gway can promote

student consideration of the category of meditative attention that is repressed

in studies of romanticism at large (in favor of an interest in imaginative pro-

jections) and of Hemingway in particular. His characters occasionally enact

such a detached consciousness, but Hemingway's style may also demonstrate

a meditative attention that is in philosophical tension with the kinetic, conten-

tious realities of the characters. When students evaluate the various qualities

of respect, commitment, and detachment with which Hemingway confronts

certain circumstances, especialh' natural circumstances, they may read one

of the most influentiai prose artists of the trventieth century not only with an

alertness to comple\ir.\- in an apparenth- straightforrvard writer but also with

a new attenti\-eness to r-erbal detail. as his sentences often enact, but do not

incarnate, the stabilin- ther- describe.

HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDI-T'

Notes

r. |ohn Hollander brought to lig}"Hemingway's Extraordinary Actua

rendering of dialogue in "Hills Like '

relation to a given reality. See Hollan

Modern Critical Views: Ernest HeniHouse Publishers, 1985).

z. Bevis offers a compelling readi

the Snow Man's emptying of consciou

ity rather than as a senseless evasiofl r

read (by Helen Vendler and Harold E

3. See also "The Battlerl' in which \.iis punched by u brakeman, who expel

of revenge, but life soon suggests that

of force artfully. Nick meets an ex-prhead; his fights, far from being ennob,

Ad Francis is a kind of adult travestr-

managed by a |im-like African Ameri

with a blackjack if he becomes too un,

: street a peacock squawked. Through thehrard and new and blue in the winter light.rto the harbor and seven miles out on theI and neat in profile against the blue sea

esnrard to keep from wasting fuel against

: itselt: the ocean is "hard and new;, as ifres the novel has just detailed, especially[e and death. The tanker, as a symbol ofn of the stream and thus seems anotheriling to master, rather than respect, therras diverted from the ordinary calm heers and from the aptitude of contempla_ds respectful description of the marlin.rf, the loss or devaluation of meditativeurrender" of a human demand to own orrrt of Hemingway's depiction oftragedy.consciousness [that] takes the place ofextraordinary actuality" (Adagia L9r,

: moments in Hemingway can promoterf meditative attention that is repressediar-or of an interest in imaginative pro-ular. His characters occasionally enact:mingway's style may also demonstratephical tension with the kinetic, conten-students evaluate the various qualitiesent n ith which Hemingway confrontsral circumstances, they may read onehe tw,entieth century not only with anlv straightforward writer but also with; his sentences often enact, but do not

HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDITATIVE POETRY OF "EXTRAORDINARY

Notes

r. |ohn Hollander brought to light this letter of Stevens's in his brief 1985 essa\-

"Hemingway's Extraordinary Actualityi' but Hollander focused on Hemingway's

rendering of dialogue in "Hills Like White Elephants" rather than on his meditative

relation to a given reality. See Hollander, "Hemingway's Extraordinary Actualityi' inModern Critical Views: Ernest Hemingway, ed. Harold Bloom (New York: Chelsea

House Publishers, 1985).

z. Bevis ofrers a compelling reading of Stevens's "The Snow Man" that interpret's

the Snow Mans emptying of consciousness as a meditative 'tonquering" of subjectiv-

ity rather than as a senseless evasion of imaginative work, as the poem has been often

read (by Helen Vendler and Harold Bloom, for example).

3. See also "The Battleri' in rvhich Nick Adams has hopped a ride on a freight train and

is punched by u brakeman, \r,ho expels him from the train. Nick is flush with fantasies

of revenge, butlife soon suggests that he pickhis battles carefully,that he define his use

of force artfully. Nick meets an ex-prizefighter ruho has taken too many blows to the

head; his fights, far from being ennoblins. har'e amounted to deranging punishments.

Ad Francis is a kind of adult travesq' of Fluck Finn. the adr-enturer living on the run,managed by a |im-like African American character called Brgs. rrho su'ats Ad Francis

with a blackjack if he becomes too uncontrolled and enraqed tIOT ;l-62).