"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" centers around Harry, who has contracted gangrene while on an African safari and is dying. He is with his wife, Helen, and they are in the company of several porters, who set up camp, cook, and wait on them.
As Harry waits to die, he experiences a series of flashbacks to his earlier life, including several wartime experiences. In the final flashback scene, just before his death, Harry remembers an officer whose last name was Williamson. The officer has been struck by a bomb and is in much pain, begging others to shoot him and end his misery. The only other character named in the story is Compton, an imaginary pilot who flies Harry, as he experiences his physical death, out of the world and toward the spiritual realm.
Though he's not a character in the story, Hemingway alludes to fellow author F. Scott...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
Fitzgerald, whom he represents with a character named Julian and mocks lightly for the first sentence of a story he wrote that mirrors the beginning of Fitzgerald'sThe Great Gatsby:
The very rich are different from you and me.
Harry is the protagonist of the story. He is a writer who loves hunting (big game). He is dying due to gangrene and is waiting for a plane that will take him back to civilization.
Compton is the pilot of the plane that is going to take Harry back to the city. He is very kind and reassuring, and also fictional-Harry only dreams him.
Helen is Harry's wife. She comes from wealth, is an expert in shooting guns, and loves her husband, although he does not seem to return her love. She tries to care for him, and he calls her name out in the end.