Ernest Hemingway, War Hero
Dream
I am Ernest Hemingway and I have just returned from the war, victorious. I and my fellow soldiers are welcomed home as returning heroes.. The government offers my fellow soldiers a grant of land to establish a farm. I am given a large piece of wild desolate land. I feel very much at home there. I cannot bring myself to build a home here and I live on the land totally outdoors. Occasionally I do return to civilisation to do a book tour.
Image by Pamela Huber on unsplash
Dream notes and associations
SBS recently screened a 4 part biography on the life of Ernest Hemingway. He was equally at home in the wild outdoors and in the elegant salons in Europe and America. He was very much a man's man; hunter, big game fisherman. As a war correspondent he thrived on being in the thick of the action. He loved watching bullfighting. At high school I think we read: 'The Sun Also Rises' his novel on bullfighting. I am pretty sure I read 'A Farewell to Arms' as a teenager.
I would feel at home in a piece of wild desolate land as depicted in my dream. When I am living on the land, I cannot recall whether I am naked or not but I can remember getting dressed to go on a book tour
Since the last dream we worked on I have loads of dreams but cannot recall the content when I wake up next morning.
Reminded me of my Two Sisters dream and my Nudist and the Hippopotamus dream.
My feelings throughout the dream and on awakening
It felt very spiritual
Hi Lindsay, Hemingway was a real character from what I’ve read. I think my favourite novel is ‘A Moveable Feast’. What was it like to experience such an archetype of masculinity in your dream?
That is a good question as it is not an archetype of masculinity that I subscribe to. I have never been to a bullfight but in my 20s or 30s if an opportunity arose I would have probably gone. I can’t see myself going to one now. I would never go on a big game hunt. Having said that, I can see that Ernest and I have a lot in common, such as a love of the outdoors. So to answer your question; I would feel conflicted by the experience.