Vagueness and Ambiguity in Hemingway's "Soldier's Home": Two Puzzling Passages

Vagueness is a quality not typically imputed to Ernest Hemingway's writing, early or late. Nor is unintended ambiguity—the kind resulting from two differing meanings of a phrase, not from multiple interpretations of its thematic import. It is surprising, therefore, to come upon two passages in one of his best early stories, "Soldier's Home," that seem in their apparent vagueness and ambiguity to defy these well-deserved accolades. On closer observation, however, these passages reveal techniques, influences, and aesthetic values that helped shape Hemingway's early style.