May Contain Immorality: Reader Discretion is Advised Andrew Cowan 11th Grade

Mothers are known for being steadfastly supportive of their children’s work. Even if the finger painting their three-year-old brought home from preschool is not the Earth-shattering masterpiece they make it out to be, mothers are known for taking the “masterpiece” and hanging it on the refrigerator anyway. This was not the case for the legendary Ernest Hemingway, author of the critically acclaimed literary classic The Sun Also Rises. Not only did his mother give his book what was quite possibly the worst review it ever received, but rather than hang it on her refrigerator, she threatened to pitch the book into a fire. She claimed that because the characters in the book were immoral, the book was filthy and shameful. While it’s true that the book contains immoral characters, it is unfair to call the book itself immoral as Hemingway was only trying to convey reality, and furthermore, the book by no means endorses the immoral actions of the characters whatsoever.

In her letter to her son, Grace Hemingway asserts that the book is immoral because the characters in the book are portrayed as such. She is correct insofar as the characters are in fact immoral. There is no denying that the characters are portrayed as foul-mouthed,...