by Matt Dubois

Created on: March 08, 2007   Last Updated: August 12, 2009

It has been said that Ernest Hemingway's "In Another Country" is the work that best exemplifies his writing style as a whole. Its sparse, even tone and timbre are representative of almost any of Hemingway's works and, arguably, are what defines his unique and acclaimed style. However, the straightforward and unadorned nature of his text, as well as his unique approach to the development of its characters belie its intrinsic depth and beauty; Hemingway makes use of his simple, yet effective style to great effect in describing the settings, events, and characters in all of his works.

"In Another Country" is no exception. Over the relatively short course of this story, Hemingway populates its rich setting with characters, made interesting not by describing them and developing them at great length, but rather by how little the reader knows of them. It is the factor of mystery that so draws the reader into Hemingway's works; by beginning to introduce to the reader such a disparate and unusual group of characters in his unembellished yet expressive style, Hemingway creates a curious, mysterious cast to populate his story, thus causing the reader to be unconsciously drawn more fully into it.

Relatively little action actually takes place within the plot of "In Another Country." The story spans a mere three and a half pages in length, and all occurs within what seems to be, at the most, the area of a single city. Few specific events are related to the reader, and there is relatively little dialogue between characters. Indeed, the focus of the story seems, rather than its plot, to be the description and development, however brief and indirect, of its characters. In fact, it is only through the introduction of the story's other characters that the reader gains any insight into the nature of its narrator. He seems to be defined solely by his interaction and accounts of other characters, relating nothing to the reader of his own thoughts or sentiments that is not related in some way to the others around him. This is one way in which Hemingway places such emphasis on the people that populate "In Another Country" in lieu of its places and events, thereby creating a story in which almost nothing actually happens, but is fascinating in its depth and insight nonetheless.

The narrator of the story is, of course, the first character introduced to the reader. He is introduced indirectly; there is no formal description of the narrator's self, no name, age, or background

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