Ernest Hemingway diverges from the path of the typical protagonist in an initiation story with "Indian Camp." Campbell suggests that most initiation stories end with an "epiphany" of some kind which signals the maturing process in the protagonist. Though much of the story does follow the orthodox pattern of an initiation, Nick, the protagonist in "Indian Camp," does not come to such a realization in the end. His maturing process remains incomplete in this initiation. .
Though all of Campbell"s criteria for being an initiation story is not present in "Indian Camp," this story unarguably represents an initiation, or a loss of innocence, for Nick. First, the separation occurs when Nick arrives at the camp. When the "young Indian stopped and blew out his lantern," the literal shift from lightness to darkness signals the figurative separation for Nick (479). He no longer sits in his comfort zone. Other factors that increase the uneasiness in Nick include the barking dogs and the screaming pregnant woman. Additionally, Hemingway's imagery appeals to most of the senses, and in each instance, Nick feels out of place. The darkness blinds him, the awful screaming deafens his ears, and the "room [smells] very bad," (479). Undoubtedly, Nick does not feel "at home" while at the Indian Camp. .
Campbell also recognizes the importance of a mentor. Nick's father best defines this role and leads the boy through his transformation, the second phase of Nick's initiation. "Listen to me. What she is going through is called being in labor That is what is happening when she screams," explains Nick's father (480). Nick naively wonders why the pregnant woman cannot stop screaming. Eventually, the fury ends and the baby lives, after a "Caesarian" procedure. Nick's transformation occurs during the operation and on through the discovery that the husband commits suicide. "His throat had been cut from ear to ear," (481).
