In Our Time Lesson Plan

What is the purpose of the Maera story carried throughout the final chapters? How does it relate to the other stories in earlier chapters? How is his death similar to or different from deaths seen elsewhere in the book?

Maera dies, but he does so on his own terms, embracing his passion. This is markedly different from the deaths of soldiers, or especially the deaths of innocent people and animals, in the war. Bullfighting is a more controlled, less socially destructive form of combat, and thus Hemingway describes Maera with more dignity.

Why is “My Old Man” told from the perspective of Joe instead of the actual old man? What is Joe’s purpose in the story? How does the...