In Our Time
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Chapter IV
Summary
On a hot day, the narrator and his company had erected a barricade across a bridge. It was too heavy to lift but perfect to shoot around. The enemies tried to get around it and rush it, with no success. Finally, though, the company got word that their flank had gone, so they had to retreat. They were disappointed.
Commentary
This story corresponds to Nick Adams's relationship with Marjorie. The idea of this mini-story is that one can never anticipate when a fantastically built structure will become useless. Nick's relationship with Marjorie is similar because Nick seems to love her and the times that they have had together. Yet, something has changed so that he feels that he has to leave her, despite the fun that they have had together.
On the Quai at Smyrna
by bhnnad, December 04, 2012
Sparknotes' commentary for On the Quai at Smyrna seems to have quite a few historical errors. The commentary states that the narrator is likely talking about the Greek evacuation of Thrace, but the title is On the Quai at Smyrna. Smyrna is a city in modern-day Turkey (now called Izmir). The Christian (mainly Greek and Armenian) part of Smyrna was burned in 1922 after the Turks recaptured the city from the Greeks. Hemingway was actually in Turkey just after the Great Fire to cover the Greco-Turkish War as a correspondent for the Toronto Star.... Read more→
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