The End of Something

"The End of Something" is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway. It was published in 1925 in the book In Our Time, a collection of short stories by Hemingway.

Synopsis

In Hortons Bay, a town abandoned after the collapse of the logging industry, Nick Adams and his girlfriend, Marjorie, row a boat over to an island for a picnic. They spend most of the evening in silence. Then, Nick starts to express his reservations about their relationship. Marjorie asks him, "Isn't love fun anymore?" to which he does not reply in the affirmative. Marjorie leaves.

Before long, Bill ventures over to question him about what happened, but Nick angrily tells his friend to "go away."

Themes

• The town - The town that they row past during the first part of the story is described as having past its peak years ago, and it is now very worn-out and broken-looking. No one lives there anymore. It represents the status of Nick's and Marjorie's relationship.
• The fish - Marjorie, in an attempt to make conversation, comments that the fish are plentiful nearby. "But they won't bite," Nick added. In this case, Nick is supposed to be a fish, and Marjorie the fisherman, trying to "lure" or "bait" Nick into marriage. However, Nick isn't having any of it.
• Resolution - Despite, or maybe because of, the break-up, Nick is clearly depressed at the end of the story. He cannot escape his feeling of loss.

Characters

• Nick Adams is a recurring character throughout this collection and other works by Hemingway.
• Marjorie
• Bill

External links

• CliffsNotes "The End of Something", http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/Hemingway-s-Short-Stories-Summary-and-Analysis-by-Short-Story-The-End-of-Something-.id-10,pageNum-23.htmly 
• Text of "The End of Something", http://www.repeatafterus.com/title.php?i=8752 

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