Ernest Hemingway: The Sustainable Effect of Creative Writing as a Therapeutic Technology Infused by Cubism

Abstract

Abstract This dissertation will examine whether creative writing served as a therapeutic device for Ernest Hemingway. A succession of four issues will be analyzed: Hemingway’s suffering and depression, creative writing as a technology, the integration of Cubism in his stories, and his contribution to American literature. The confluence of these factors will provide a unique perspective. For its methodology, this dissertation will compare a traumatic experience in Hemingway’s life to the content of his short stories and novels, and analysis of Hemingway’s first depressive episode and its imprint on his stories will depict the human condition. Hemingway’s sensitive description of human emotion and events responds to the fundamental issue of what it means to be human in an age of advanced technology. It is now evident that Hemingway suffered from bipolar disorder, also identified as manic depression, and this dissertation will provide an overview of bipolar disorder including its genetic component. Opinions of experts will confirm Hemingway’s manic depression, and justify the value of writing as one method of treatment for depression. In conclusion, the expected findings and scholarly contribution of this dissertation will enhance the understanding of Hemingway’s works. For many years, readers have appreciated his stories without realizing his need to write in addition to his extraordinary talent. Hemingway transmitted his emotional pain to the characters in his stories and therefore, this dissertation will provide a new perspective of Hemingway’s works by emphasizing the importance of creative writing in its role as a therapeutic technology.

First Advisor

Michael Budd

Date of Award

1-1-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

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