Biography of Ernest Miller Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway

There were many great American writers of the Twentieth Century. One of those was Ernest Miller Hemingway. Today, his writings are controversial and often seen as superficial and thoughtless by critics. Hemingway's childhood, young adulthood, career, personal life, final days, and accomplishments weave a life that is unmatched.

To begin, his childhood was ordinary. Ernest Hemingway was born at eight o'clock in the morning on July 21, 1899. He was born at the family home in Oak Park, Illinois, which was built by his grandfather (Wilson). His father, Clarence Edmonds, was a physician, and his mother, Grace, was a music teacher ("Ernest Hemingway"). Ernest was one of six children; he had four sisters and one brother. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Ernest Hall and his great uncle Miller Hall. Hemingway was raised like most Midwestern children with good morals, religion, drive, and willpower. As a child, his family spent many summers at their vacation home on Walloon Lake in Michigan.

Ernest Hemingway in Milan, 1918

Grave markers of Ernest Hemingway & wife.JPG

Ernest Hemingway, Paris, circa 1924.

There he would fish in the streams or go hunting in the woods. If he was not participating in an outdoor activity, his mother was giving him music lessons. Nature became the benchmark of his life as well as his work. He often retreated to isolated areas throughout his life to find peace (Wilson).

Meanwhile, his young adulthood was flourishing. He attended Oak Park public school system and was involved in sports as well as a school newspaper. He wrote his first article modeled after a famous comedian (Wilson). He graduated from high school in 1917, but instead of going to college like his parents had hoped, Hemingway became a junior reporter for the Kansas City Star. He covered police and hospital reports and wrote feature stories (Schafer). There he learned a great deal about...