From the war-torn streets of Milan, to the snow covered mountains of Kilimanjaro, to the railroads of Madrid "these settings may be drastically different, but their focus is very similar. Hemingway uses dramatically different locations to convey a similar mood and feeling. In Earnest Hemingway's three short stories, In Another Country, Hills Like White Elephants, and The Snows of Kilimanjaro,"" Hemingway communicates the same underlying message, loneliness and separation. Through the use of many powerful symbols, he sets a very dark gloomy tone.
"The deer hung stiff and heavy and empty - This quote comes from In Another Country and understates the horrifying images of war. The deer represents the dying soldiers of the front line of war because it is dead just like the soldiers. These strong adjectives create the gloomy tone that continues throughout the stories. Hemingway skillfully uses language to set the mood in this dark tale. The number three is mentioned many times by the author "three animals, three hawks, three medals and three bridges. The number three represents the reality of one person always being left out. In/out imagery is depicted throughout the short story as well. The hospital where the soldiers are being treated is separate from everything else in the city. The soldiers have to cross many bridges to reach it. Hemingway shows that when someone is in the hospital, he or she is removed from the normalcy of the rest of the world. The person's regular routine is stopped and time stands still. The same imagery is shown when the soldiers are looking into the store window. They are isolated from the outside world. The American soldier could not speak Italian like the other soldiers. " Italian was such a difficult language, that I was afraid to talk to him."" This quote illustrates the detachment the American soldier feels from the others. When someone cannot understand another language, they are completely shut out from the conversation and do not know what is going on.