Indian Camp

Although most of the characters in “Indian Camp” are men, the story focuses on a woman giving birth. What is significant about the way the male characters describe and treat the woman and her response? How do these play into the story’s themes about gendered dynamics and masculinity?

Hemingway uses exposition sparingly in “Indian Camp.” When he does turn away from dialogue and short action statements, it’s often to describe nature. Choose two examples and do a close reading. What do these images represent, and how do they underscore the themes of the story?

Uncle George’s role in the text is ambiguous. Why might he have come to the camp, and how does the presence of a second white adult male affect the dynamics in the shanty? What details does Hemingway provide to illuminate George’s relationship to the camp?

Toward the end of the story, Nick asks his father if dying is hard. What do Nick’s questions about death reveal about the story’s themes?

“Indian Camp” features several unpleasant interactions between white and Indigenous characters. What literary techniques does Hemingway use to illuminate the unequal power structures between the two groups?

How does Hemingway use dialogue and imagery to characterize Dr. Adams as a physician? How do his actions speak to the story’s themes of masculinity and dehumanization?

Hemingway coined the term “iceberg theory,” in which writing shows certain details but leaves many things unsaid. What is the effect of this approach, and how do you see it at work in “Indian Camp”? What details in the story are explicit, and what conclusions or speculations does Hemingway invite through his inclusions and omissions?

Hemingway restrains himself to short, declarative sentences, often without adjectives. What kind of tone and mood does this writing style create? How does the style advance the story’s themes?