HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDI-:.

Hemingway's actual flction, as dis

in thematic tension with rhetorics
Putting Hemingway and Ster.ens
Hemingwdy, Stevens, and the Meditative view of Hemingway through a co
Poetry of "Extraordinary Actuality" his work, it also distills some of Str
whom this poet may appear abstru
is that it gets students to think abor
than-as st
sentences work, rather
summary or a cursory list of ther
Ph illip Be ard on the subject of what constitutes e

students-who often feel compelle<

"kay ideas"-to slow down and scr
participate in the meditative inten
Sample Assignments and In-Class
In conjoining Stevens and Hemii
In ry42, Wallace Stevens rnade an unusual claim regarding the writing of Church and then examine how Ster-
Ernest Hemingway: he asserted that Hemingway was not only a poet, but a with "extraordinary actualitFl" Fror
poet of "extraordin ary actuality.' I aim to show that Stevens's claim illuminates in which Hemingwaypromotes a de
a repressed and crucial aspect of Hemingway's work. Stevens made this claim to master or from a contentious mi
in a letter to Henry Church dated zluly t942 (Letters 4LL), presenting Heming- his protagonisfs in meditative attitr
way as a poet who could describe certain kinds of reality without coloring the Two-Hearted River" Ggz). Seconr
perceived objects with the imagination, implicitly because certain kinds of even promote meditative reflectior
natural reality command a meditative attention, not a projecting or master- in counterpoint to the action or di
ing style of thinking. While rather complex discussions could ensue from this violent, as in To Have and Have \c
claim concerning hour, or even if, it is possible to withdraw the imagination Inry4z, Stevens corresponded ri
or even the ego participation trom u-ritten descriptions, Stevens does provide lecture on poetry and actualih. that
simple tools tor makirg sharp and interesting distinctions in Hemingway's University. In a letter from Hartfor
work: Stevens's ciaim, erplored in the classroom alongside readings of some wrote that he thought Churcht "su
of his accessible poerrlS, helps shorr that an attitude of meditative attention is rry, but poETRy AND THE ExrR,
frequently important to Hemingrvav. and that this passive, observing stance is a For Stevens, when an actualitr- is -
crucial alternative in his work to any imperative to be active, forceful, or violent. its own which makes it independ,
A lively consideration of Stevens, Hemingway, and the poetry of "extraor- Stevens then recommends Ernest l
dinary actuality" can get students to expand their awareness of Hemingway, on this subject, explaining, "Most p
especially the man of rumor and biography often discussed as a connoisseur of but obviously he is a poet . . . the m
violence, an enthusiast of spectacular shows of force, or someone who equated subject of rxrRAoRDrNARy ACTL.
heroism with might. I do not repudiate that macho image of Hemingway: he the word extraordinary here, Ster-e
promoted it himself (as in his Lg3zstudy ofbullfighting , Death in the Afternoon), ence from ordinary experience in
and it is observable in the fiction. However, meditative and poetic aspects of isolate objects that allegedly har-e s

30

rd the Meditative
Actuality"
nusual claim regarding the writing of
i{emingway was not only a poet, but a
to shorv that Stevens's claim illuminates
inqrray'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 is
rd 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 of
horvs 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 Heminqrtfiction in terms of how his
ar-'s
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 ,Y. STE\i E\S, & --: -:-
"':-
of imagination. In his Adagia, a collection of epigrams and aphorisms, Stevens ends of "Indian Camp" and Ir ;., ,

focuses and amplihes the ideas tbund in his letter to Church by saytng, "In the effect by putting a receptir-e, nie. -

presence of extraordinan- actualitl', consciousness takes the place of imagina- lyrical counterpoint to episodes r-

tion" (r9r, qtd. in Flollander ztz). The philosopher Immanuel Kant described an
epistemologr-, or theory of knowing, in which all knowledge was mediated by In addition to his zluly Lg4z lett.::
impressions and ideas: the full reality of a "thing" was an ultimate unknowable the undergraduate classroom to ::-:
(+z). But the experience that Stevens describes as "extraordin ary" in Hemingway "extraordinary actualityi' sugqe sr:r -

may be the experience Stevens describes in the title of the ultimate poem in his that rewards the fidelity of coirte-:: : -
Collected Poems: "Not Ideas About the Thing but the Thing Itself" (fi4)-that a Theme by Williamsl' which se i:.S
is, allowing a neutral awareness to behold a circumstance rather than projecting lected Poems 1B), and "On the R.c.; .

imaginative color, feeling, or interpretation onto the circumstance. The role of received apart from conventio:r.- -

meditation envisioned by Stevens is described compellingly by William Bevis models a meditative attitude tha: :-

in his book Mind of Winter: Wallace Stevens, Meditation, and Literature. Bevis a passive observing of the obiect ,: - -

argues that the readers often misconstrue, or have a hard time discerning, the detachment in Stevens's poetrr a: -.
meditative qualities in Stevens's work for at least two reasons. First, meditation Prototypical of Stevens's o\\-.1 :-=
involves mental inactivity, or a surrendering of mastering intelligence to a kind Williamsl' in which he takes a Ic, *:-
of neutral beholding. This inaction is unconventional in the West and in much Williams, "El Hombre" (3l :. an; :.
of the critical rhetoric of romanticism, which lauds the active projecting qualities lines. In a somewhat ant'trS,;,-, *s - -
of "imaginationl' Second, meditative states of mere being, mere beholding, or poets to personifi. ani a -e . - :--- ] -:-
other kinds of mental neutrality in the face of objects or nature are often seen, to shine "like bronze. :::. ::..: : -,

e\n apart from a rhetoric of romanticism, as negative states. Often, Bevis argues, my being" (Collectea P-';' : - I -'
states of mental inaction in Ster-ens's rvork are not negative opposites of imagina- his sight of all anthrop ,- -r- - : :- -:'
tive states, but dialectical assistants of more active states of mind (25-28).' chimera ofmorninq, - -= -- r- : -
When one carefully reads Herningrvav's fiction rvith Stevens's definition in to the star, he also in:r:: .- :-- - -:
mind, the prose writer may also be understood, or significant occasions, as extra-human realiq', \rr,- !; - : - : ----

a meditative poet of objects and natural forms, not as one who only (or even a stoical sign of order. S: * *: . .: : :: -

ultimately) promotes the mastering of reality with force. These objects and Herningway's view ofprr', : :: - : -

natural forms in Hemingway's work seem (as Stevens says) to exist indepen- effort of metaphor. Once s.- r. - - :-
dent of the imagination and command a caring respect. Stevens's assertion can this tendency not onh- il - r- - - - :

help bring to light several aspects of Hemingway's work that have often been such Nick's observance c :: = -"
overlooked through an emphasis on Hemingway's personal interest in boxing,
hunting, and war. Again, Stevens's provocative (yet utterly accurate) definition drink. Students may con r',--:-. . :: - -

of Hemingway as a "poet of extraordin ary actuality" affords opportunities to

show a kinship between the fiction writer and the poet that is both stylistic the "icy cold and . . . faint -. : *: .-

and philosophical. Hemingway's effects, even his moral effects, often reside in how, and with what value. t:.): r: -
lyrical compressions rather than didactic narratives; an understanding of him domestic (Krebs's familr. tl.ra:-= - .

as a meditative poet writing in prose allows a more complex view of him than Stevens, meanwhile, alsc, ;-t--t :
the stock image ofa cartoonish he-man. Hemingway's fiction-for example, the jections in the "face" of a na,':::- - -

rion of epigrams and aphorisms, Stevens
-
rn his letter to Church by saying, ,.In the
onsciousness takes the place of imagina-
rhilosopher Immanuel Kant described an
[n rr hich all knowledg. was mediated by
of a "thing" was an ultimate unknowable
:scribes as "extraordi nary" in Hemingway
rcs in the title of the ultimate poem in his
e Thing but the Thing Itself', (fi4)_that
old a circumstance rather than projecting
tation onto the circumstance. The role of
lescribed compellingly by william Bevis
iie','efis, Meditation, and LiteratLffe. Bevis
true, or have a hard time discerning, the
tbr at least two reasons. First, meditation
lering of mastering intelligence to a kind
rncon\rntional in the West and in much
r*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 in
nderstood, on significant occasions, as
'al forms, not as
one who only (or even
,f reality with force. These objects and
3em (as Stevens says) to exist indepen_
a caring respect. Stevens's assertion can
emingway's work that have often been
:mingway's personal interest in boxing,
ocative (yet utterly accurate) definition
rarY actuality" affiords opportunities to
iter and the poet that is both stylistic
i, e\-en his moral effects, often reside in
ic narratives; an understandirg ofhim
o\\-s a more complex view of him than
Hemingway'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 in
lyrical counterpoint to episodes of strite or violence.
In addition to his zluly tg4zletter to Church, Stevens's poems may be used in
the 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 of
a 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
mrlh ;,Collected Poems 2o3). Stevens also
received apart from conventional
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- of
poets 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 of
my 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.
model of composure and
extra-human reality, whose otherness maybecome a
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 in
Hemingway'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 of
domestic (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::-.-.
 HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDI r l-, . =-

disciplines. Stevens's poem "On the Road Home" describes a conversation Battler") or in absurd, unheroic battle
between two people walking "in a wood" (Collected Poems zq), who (fairly ing to the First World War in France
agreeably) debate the nature of metaphysical truth. At issue seems to be the violenc e briefly accepted,less as an ol
existence of a total truth that would be true for humans and true cosmically; kind of natural storm tobe endured rn
one of the sojourners asserts that "there is no such thing as the truth" and the fear and his battlefield enemies are c
other that "there are many truths, / But they are not parts of a truth' "; the flrst one thing, the only thing for a man tc
then adds that "words are not forms of a single word . . . I The world must be have done something else" (IOT ;o i.
measured by eye" (Collected Poems zq-4). The poem is in some sense a record to the facts of what happened in the
of disillusion, but the tone is calm and eventually comfortable. In confrontation committed during it, that becomes th,
with each potentially anxiety-provoking, skeptical maxim, the natural world In counterpoint to such grim \ram
about these two becomes vibrant ("the grapes seemed fatter. I the fox ran out ultimate story of In Our Time, "Big
of his hole"), magical ("the tree, at night, began to change, / Smoking through parts), stresses a receptive attitude ir
green and smoking blue"), or welcoming: of reassurance and composure olten
that resembles Stevens's. "Big Trro-H
It was at that time, that the silence was largest tion on trout holding themselves stea
And longest, the night was roundest, observant moments (not onh' of natu
The fragrance of the autumn warmest, with the descriptions of violence et:
Closest and strongest. (Collected Poems 2o4) typically more absurd or grotesque ti
In "Big Two-Hearted R.iverl'the lan
The fewer human demands the travelers make on their environment, the more fire in ways that suggest not onl)- T. 5-
they become aware of its domestic particularity: the fragrance of autumn World War zones described in the bcx
becomes, effectively, an object of meditation to which they surrender their conventional structures of drtelling o
potential demand to project human truth onto the woods. but the rails and the burned-orr counl
This pattern of skepticism and reception in Stevens's "Nuances of a Theme by one street of Seney had not lefr a tract
Williams" and "On the Road Home" resembles the cultural and philosophical hotel stuck up above the groun,l. Ttln
drama of Hemingrvar)s ht Our Tirue. Confronting the loss of stable truths- It was all that was left of the torr n c,-
sometimes literall) associated rr ith the father (as in "Indian Camp;' when the offthe ground" (IOT 133). The lar' c,:
heroic scene of childbirthing surgery- planned bl- tather Henry Adams goes over and vernal lands is undulation:
badly awry) or sometimes rvith the rr=orld of tathers or traditional patriotic describe the land itself at the point rr'
verities (as in the droll or grim interchapters associated rvith the Great War, sweet fern, growing ankle high, to rr
or in "soldier's Homel' which features another veteran, Harold Krebs)-Nick long undulating country with frequer
Adams ultimately finds consolation in the meditative observation or work in the country alive again' (IOT 136 t- H
nature in "Big Two-Hearted Riverl' the world is "measured by e1-e" in Lil
In Our Time details a broad skepticism not only of traditional orders of was there. It swirled against the log p
truth and security, such as patriotism, religion, and romantic love, but also of the clear, brown water, colored lrom t
physical force as a means of controlling an unruly world. In Our Time rarely, keeping themselves steady in the crru

if ever, celebrates violent force. Rather, violence victim tzes innocent refugees them they changed their positions tn
("On the Quai at Smyrna") or results in self-destruction ("Indian Campi' "The 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
::-re is no such thing as the
: -rt the1, are not parts of a truth";
- ! ,--,f a single word ... I The world must
: : 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
:..
- .i -,+i
'.. < ^ r \:
:-=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 patriotic
r:-:::.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
ally; kind of natural storm to be endured in certain moments; Krebs's triumphs or.er
truth" and the fear and his battlefleld enemies are described only as him having "done the
the first one thing, the only thing for a man to do, easily and naturally, when he might
be 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 of
conventional 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 HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MED -I_

The language is not only visual, but free from obvious subjective coloration: Such ceremonies of food, made pr
substantives carr\- an extraordinary amount of meaning: the river was there; the shared with Nick in "The Battler.
trout kept themselves steady rn the current with waveri ngfins. The ordinary lan- is ceremonial, or that which can bn
guage that Heminpra)- uses here creates an artifact that resembles the ordinary his contemplation of the fish "holc
reality of objects, rrhile remaining extraordinary; Hemingway's words do not tion of coffee (made according to
incarnate the objects thev describe, but by using simple, direct language, famil- opportunity for him to surrender a

iar language, he creates verbal objects that in their stylistic character resemble the coffee, the coffee according to H
the objects he describes: if he is describing a simple meal, he will use simple [Because Nick's own, unused recj
terms; if he is describing the enduring reality of a river, he may say, "the river method.l It made a good ending tr
was therel' And the steadtastness of the language and the sentences or images He knew he could choke it becaus,
becomes a sign, like Ster-ens's star or woods, for steadiness, or for reliability. But the larger order of the ordin
On the other side of the blasted landscape he first encounters, Nick finds, the given of nature, the epistemolos
first, the river, and then, near the piles of a bridge, the trout in the water. reliable if undulatory reality of natur
Hemingway's renderine of the trout may be seen to embody Stevens's "extraor- evoked this undulatory characteris
dinary actualit\"'-''a r-italin- all its own which makes it independent of . . . the Seall'he did so on a large scale br- su
imagination" (Letters +11 .. Like the star in "Nuances of a Theme by Williamsi' everything (Po ems and Preface.s 115
Hemingwa,v's trout represent both an extra-human reality that has nothing to at work on a small scale, commenti
do with the human sub,iect and a natural reality that is fundamental to human impulse from a vernal wood / IIav
life; further, the rrsh possess a st\1e that may be, when observed properly, u and Prefaces Lo7). Fundamental q-,
model of composure. \\-hen the hsh "hold themselves steadyi' they model a and the daily oscillations of light a
kind of stoic virtue, a proper balance of surrender and force. ceremonial ordinary is housed in th
In the writing of Stevens and Heming\\ a\', the ordinary survives skepticism ofhis camp as "the good place" QOI
and is even aided by skepticism, as in Stanlev Car.ell's account In Quest of the tion in "Big Two-Hearted River" is
Ordinary. Cavell says that philosophy s business has become "the recovery of mastering realitf than of findins er
. . . the ordinary from skepticisml' the "overcomirg" of metaphysics, and, in
"literature[,] the domestication of the fantastic and the transcendentalizing of The claim that receptivity and obs.
the domestic" (zl). This "transcendentaltztng" ofthe domestic occurs in many in Hemingway's work, demonstrat
of Stevens's poems; in "The Emperor of Ice Cream;' for instance, the comforts Our Time, becomes especialll, pro\-i
of ice cream take on a metaphysical dimension in the face of death ("Let the major novel, To Have and Have^\bi.
lamp affix its beam / the only emperor is the emperor of ice cream") (Collected and literal class warfare. Yet this r' *

Poems 64), while in "Large Red Man Readingi'ghosts, hal,ing dwelled in an focus on natural and/or object real
afterlife, return with nostalgia for the physical world and find an oracular poet of alienation is not between social ,

of the ordinary speaking vatic (i.e., priestly) lines about "the pots on the stove, taining'bther" of nature. This is pl,
and the tulips among them" (Collected Poems 44). as (in Stevens's phrase) an "extraotr,
With a less vatic emphasis, the ordinarybecomes transcendental in Heming- concluding meditation on comm(
way's "Big Two-Hearted River" not only in Nick's meditative sight of the fish life and against the Gulf Stream. l
but also as a mouthful of beans heated on a campfire prompts an echo of sav- the prospect of a meditative detac
ing tradition. "'Chrisei Nick said. 'Geezus Chrisei he said happily" (IOT 14o). action, a drama by characters rrho

i free tiom obvious subjective coloration:
nount of meaning: the river was there; the
rent rrith waveri ngfins. The ordinarylan-
tes an artifact that resembles the ordinary
traordinary; Hemingway,s words do not
rt br- using simple, direct language, famil_
;that in their stylistic character resemble
ribing a simple meal, he will use simple
e realir,v of a river, he may say, ,.the river
he 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 . . . the
rr in "Irluances of a Theme by williams,"
ertra-human reality that has nothing to
ral reality that is fundamental to human
hat may be, when observed properly, a
-hold themselves
steadyi, they model a
of surrender and force.
1{rr-a\r, the ordinary survives skepticism
Stanle,v Cavell's accoun t In euest of the
s business has become "the recovery of
l 'o\-ercoming" of metaphysics, and, in
zntastic and the transcend entahzrng of
alizing" of the domestic occurs in many
f Ice Creami' for instance, the comforts
Lmension in the face of death (..Let the
is the emperor of ice cream" (Collected
) and literal class warfare. Yet this work too has crucial moments of meditative
teadingi' ghosts, havirg dwelled in an
hr-sical world and find an oracular poet
stll') lines about "the pots on the stove,
Poems 44).
n- becomes transcendental in Heming_
)- in Nick's meditative sight of the flsh
ln a campfire prompts an echo of sav_
us Chrisel he said happily" (IOT 14o).
HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDITATIVE POETRY OF "EXTRAORDINARY ACTUALITY" 37
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
\\illiam \\brdsrrorth
reliable if undulatory reality of nature. Before Hemingrvar',
'A
evoked this undulatory characteristic of nature. In 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 it
at work on a small scale, commenting of the breathing life of a forest that 'bne
impulse from vernal wood I May teach [more] than all the sages cart'' (Poems
a
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 of
mastering 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 third
major novel, To Have and HaveNof, a text ostensibly about crime, punishment,
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 now
makes 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 to
tlre 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 briefly
illltlolrllr',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 from
Itirving 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 clarity
and disquieting calm of a Hopper painting, with hints of class struggle within
the 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 clarity
of 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 Nick
Adams, 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 both
observation 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 friction
irr the event will be counterproductive. The marlin is potentiallyan object of
ntt'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:

\Iorgan is a former policeman who now
rarter 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 an
nary that, while less obvious than in the
Since the natural themes are marginal to
be a fruitful text for students to interpret;
on, students can be prompted to briefly
n9 people and nature. K.y questions stu-
here objects of nature (or of other, built
',/be objects of meditative attention?
and
novel 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 within
re descriptions have the heft of a crystal
; of the street scene ring with the cla
the detriments of the grimly competitive
nit). for the kind of composure that Nick
r 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 both
rhrthms 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, hardheadedly
Lcein the machine of the reel, loses the
ruch force and human-induced friction
e. The marlin is potentially an object of
Iar object of desire, a natural opponent
ured: "f saw a splash like a depth bomb,
HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDITATIVE POETRY OF "EXTRAORDINARY ACTUALITY" 39
and the sword, and ye, and open lower-ja*, and huge purple-black head of
a 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 to
some 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, . . . A
fish 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'
rity 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 of
alienation to be the alienation of meditative awareness from a natural ordinary:
 PHILLIP BEARD HEMINGWAY, STEVENS, & THE MEDI-T'

In the big yard of the house across the street a peacock squawked. Through the Notes
window you could see the sea looking hard and new and blue in the winter light. r. |ohn Hollander brought to lig}
A large white yacht was coming into the harbor and seven miles out on the "Hemingway's Extraordinary Actua
horizon you could see a tanker small and neat in profile against the blue sea rendering of dialogue in "Hills Like '
hugging the reef as she made to the westward to keep from wasting fuel against relation to a given reality. See Hollan
Modern Critical Views: Ernest Heni
the stream. ( THHN z6z)
House Publishers, 1985).
z. Bevis offers a compelling readi
The stream is here the ordinary of life itself: the ocean is "hard and newi' as if the Snow Man's emptying of consciou
independent of the human catastrophes the novel has just detailed, especially ity rather than as a senseless evasiofl r
the individual tragedy of Morgan's life and death. The tanker, as a symbol of read (by Helen Vendler and Harold E
commerce, interrupts the blue context of the stream and thus seems another 3. See also "The Battlerl' in which \.i
is punched by u brakeman, who expel
indicator of human enterprise struggling to master, rather than resPect, the
of revenge, but life soon suggests that
given reality of nature. Harry Morgan was diverted from the ordinary calm he
of force artfully. Nick meets an ex-pr
experienced with his wife and daughters and from the aptitude of contempla- head; his fights, far from being ennob,
tive composure he demonstrated in his respectful description of the marlin. Ad Francis is a kind of adult travestr-
In the world of To Have and Have ltof, the loss or devaluation of meditative managed by a |im-like African Ameri
emptiness, the loss of the category of "surrender" of a human demand to own or witha blackjack if he becomes too un,

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

a

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 MEDITATIVE POETRY OF "EXTRAORDINARY

: street a peacock squawked. Through the

hrard and new and blue in the winter light.
rto the harbor and seven miles out on the
I and neat in profile against the blue sea
esnrard to keep from wasting fuel against
: itselt: the ocean is "hard and new;, as if
res the novel has just detailed, especially
[e and death. The tanker, as a symbol of
n of the stream and thus seems another
iling to master, rather than respect, the
rras diverted from the ordinary calm he
ers and from the aptitude of contempla_
ds respectful description of the marlin.
rf, the loss or devaluation of meditative
urrender" of a human demand to own or
rrt of Hemingway's depiction oftragedy.
consciousness [that] takes the place
extraordinary actuality" (Adagia L9r,
: moments in Hemingway can promote
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' in
Modern 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).
of

rf meditative attention that is repressed

iar-or of an interest in imaginative pro-
ular. His characters occasionally enact
:mingway's style may also demonstrate
phical tension with the kinetic, conten-
students evaluate the various qualities
ent n ith which Hemingway confronts
ral circumstances, they may read one
he tw,entieth century not only with an
lv straightforward writer but also with
; his sentences often enact, but do not