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Hemingway’s writing style was heavily influenced by his work as a reporter, and this style clearly shows in “The Killers,” effectively keeping the tension of this danger-filled story high. The sentences are short and the pace moves along quickly, with few filler details to slow down the narrative or break the suspense. This lack of details also points to Hemingway’s “iceberg theory” of writing: Hemingway leaves out any unnecessary details and only shows what’s happening on the surface of the story, leaving the deeper symbols and themes unstated.

Even a glance over the pages, without reading, reveals that much of the story is carried by dialogue rather than description. When there is description in the story, it is not made up of activity, but of characters simply watching or looking at one another. For example, George watches the men and the clock, Max watches the mirror, and Nick watches Ole Andreson. These style choices work to keep the suspense taut as all are breathlessly waiting for Ole to enter the diner and for the killers to spring into action. This suspense mirrors the later scene in which the reader wants to know what Ole will do in the face of the threat. In the first part of the story especially, Hemingway’s tight prose helps paint the scene of a tense situation that gives neither the readers nor the hostages much breathing room.

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