Nick

Nick dislikes being part of the labor experience

Nick is the main character of Hemingway’s short story “Indian Camp”. We do not know his age, but since he seems fairly naive about things and calls his father “daddy”, he is probably no older than 12. His relationship with his father appears to be quite close: “Nick lay back with his father’s arm around him” (p. 12, ll. 8-9). This is the kind of loving gesture a father would show towards his young son.

The writing style of this short story is heavily influenced by minimalism, which means that we do not get much direct information about Nick’s feelings and thoughts. Instead, we must pay attention to his actions. One example is the following paragraph where Nick must assist his father during surgery by holding a basin:

“See...