Characters

The most important characters in the short story “In Another Country” by Ernest Hemingway are the American narrator and the Italian major. The other four soldiers mentioned are mostly relevant for the way they illustrate Italian bravery and the horrors of war.  

The American soldier

The narrator is also a character in the short story. Although he is unnamed, many literary critics have assumed him to be Nick Adams, a literary persona of the author himself, who appears in many of Hemingway’s short stories.

Outer characterization

His outer characterization reveals he is American (p. 2, l. 35), used to play football (p. 1, ll. 20-21) and that he is unmarried (p. 3, l. 21-22).

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Inner characterization

The American’s inner characterization is constructed through the way he relates to the foreign surroundings and the Italians he meets, as well as through his opinion of himself and the medical machinery meant to mend his leg.

When it comes to the medical therapy he is following, the narrator comes across as ironic, which hints that he doubts the success of the new machinery: “…and there we met every afternoon and were all very polite and interested in what was the matter, and sat in the machines that were to make so much difference.” (p. 1, ll. 16-18)

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The Italian major

The Italian major is the second most important character in the story, as he is the main focus of the narrator.

Outer characterization

The man’s outer characterization reveals that he has been disabled in war, having now “a little hand like a baby's” (p. 1, l. 28)...

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Inner characterization

The major’s inner characterization is built based on his interactions with the narrator and through the narrator’s eyes.

Initially, we find out that he does not believe in the curing power of the new medical machines, yet he comes to his recovery sessions regularly:

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