For Ernest, With Love and Squalor: The Influence of Ernest Hemingway on J.D. Salinger

Most of what is known about J. D. Salinger's relationship with Hemingway during World War II comes from a 1946 letter from Salinger to Hemingway and from a 1961 article in TIME magazine, "Sonny, An Introduction." Unfortunately, critics have tended to focus on the negative mythology created by TIME rather than the tribute Salinger pays to Hemingway in his letter. Hemingway was a war correspondent with Salinger's division and met with the young writer multiple times throughout the war. This essay, through eyewitness accounts and Salinger's words, seeks to piece together the facts concerning the meetings between Hemingway and Salinger and to take a closer look at Hemingway's influence upon Salinger's fiction.