Advisor(s)

Margaret Jessee

Committee Member(s)

Gale Temple
Rebecca Bach

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

6-1-2026

Degree Name

Master of Arts in English (MAE)

School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Arts & Humanities

Abstract

This thesis analyzes Ernest Hemingway’s depictions of male-male and male-female relationships in his collection of short stories, In Our Time. By comparing heterosexual and homosocial relationships, I explore how Hemingway’s depictions of male bonds are not only unique due to his famed terseness but also rooted in shared understanding, prompting a reconsideration of how male bonds are interpreted textually. I consider Hemingway’s use of omission and focus on how his minimalistic style lends to a reading of male-male relationships as more emotionally intimate than heterosexual relationships. When analyzing omission and relational dynamics through concepts such as gesture, touch, identity, and proximity, Hemingway seems to craft homosocial intimacy as quietly supportive, while rendering heterosexual intimacy as overtly obstructive. By directly comparing homosocial and heterosexual relationships in “Cat in the Rain,” “Cross Country Snow,” “The End of Something,” “The Three Day Blow,” “Indian Camp,” “The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife,” and “Soldiers Home,” I demonstrate an interpretive framework where emotional intimacy can be found through what is not said in male bonds.

Keywords

emotional intimacy;Hemingway;homosociality;masculinity

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