The Theme of Maturation in the Early Fiction of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway

Abstract

<p>The theme of maturation is a central one in the early work of both F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. This thesis examines this theme in Hemingway's first two novels, The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms as well as selected early stories, particularly those concerning Nick Adams. Similarly, Fitzgerald's first two novels are examined, This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful and Damned with some attention given to some selected short stories.</p> <p>The thesis attempts to offer some reasons for the recurrence of this theme in the works; to compare Hemingway's and Fitzgerald's distinctive treatment of the theme, and finally to propose some conclusions concerning the nature of the early fiction of both authors with respect to the theme of the hero's maturation.</p>