Question

“the end of something”
plot: fill in the blanks for the summary of “the end of something”.
a teenager now, nick adams has been dating________, a girl who has been working during the summer at a resort on______. this evening, the two of them row to a beach on the bay. after a picnic supper, nick tells marjorie that he wants to______ because it is no longer______. after she leaves, nick feels bad about having to sever his friendship with marjorie; however, he tells his friend______ that his decision wasn’t too________.
the setting that hemingway describes is proof that when________ ended its noisy, financially booming years, the finale was indeed an end — and a time to move on — because the way of life that the towns inhabitants had taken for granted had vanished. this shocking revelation must have been momentous. nicks decision to end his romantic relationship with________ will also be the “end of something,” but, to nick, its not the end of something momentous. its simply the end of a relationship thats gone stale, thats no longer fun.
characters:

1. what adjectives would you use to describe nick? why?
2. what do you think has made nick the way you have described him?
3. writing style: hemingway said to “write one true sentence”. what sentence do you believe represents that philosophy in this short story?
4. although minimal detail, hemingway can still set a tone/mood. what is the tone/mood of this piece? how is it created by hemingway’s writing?

Explanation:

1. Nick can be described as decisive as he ends the relationship without hesitation. He also shows a bit of callousness as he doesn't seem overly - affected by the end of the relationship. This is evident from his decision to break up with Marjorie because it's no longer fun.
2. His youth and perhaps a lack of deep emotional investment in the relationship could have made him this way. Teenagers often have a more casual approach to relationships.
3. A possible "true sentence" could be "Nick ended the relationship because it had lost its joy." This reflects the core of the story about the end of a relationship due to its staleness.
4. The tone of the piece is somewhat matter - of - fact and detached. Hemingway creates this through his sparse and straightforward writing style, not delving deeply into the emotions of the characters but simply stating the events.

Answer:

1. Decisive, callous; because he ends the relationship easily as it's no longer fun.
2. His youth and lack of deep emotional investment.
3. Nick ended the relationship because it had lost its joy.
4. Tone is matter - of - fact and detached; created through sparse and straightforward writing.