The plot of Hemingway's "The End of Something" concerns a young couple returning from a fishing trip, beginning to have a picnic, but drifting into an argument, which leads to the break up of their relationship. Hemingway uses this plot to produce theme of the hopelessness felt when things are coming to an end and the fact that regardless of what people do, all things will end.
The story is set in a town where a once thriving lumber business has declined to the point where the lumber mill is now a ruin. Nick and Marjorie's break up is set on a lakeshore between twilights and the coming of the moon. The author uses this setting to compare the coming of night and darkness with the end of the relationship. The darker the night becomes, the darker things become for Nick and Marjorie. He is also comparing the decline of their relationship with the decline of the lumber mill.
Hemingway's characterization underlines the hopelessness of their situation Nick seems to have decided that he was going to end the relationship before they set out on the fishing trip. This opinion is re-enforced by the third character, Bill, who when he appears near the end of the story asks Nick, "Did she go all right?". Nicks character is shown to be very negative about everything. His responses to Marjorie's questions with, "I don't know", "It isn't fun anymore" and "I can't help it", show that he is not prepared to try and save their relationship. In contrast, Marjorie is shown to be a positive and happy person who looks at the good in things and who will try to save what they have. She concentrates on beauty, "Oh, Shut up, there comes the moon", shows she is trying to steer Nick away from an argument by trying to concentrate on something beautiful. "Isn't love any fun?" shows her looking at the good side of relationships, not the bad side. All of her efforts are in vein however as is shown by Bill's question about her leaving, and the hopelessness and unimportance of their situation of highlighted by Bill thinking that eating a sandwich is more important than discussing the break up with Nick.