Language

The short story “Three Shots” is quite short and easy to follow, and the language employed by Ernest Hemingway does not pose any difficulty in understanding the text.

The story combines narrative and short descriptive passages with dialogue, which makes the story more authentic and which reveals …

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Imagery

As we have previously mentioned, there are only a few short descriptive passages in the story and imagery is only seldom used. The text lacks unnecessary embellishment and is very straightforward, which is a k…

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Similes

The few similes that are used in the text are related to Nick’s story about the animal that presumably scared him:

‘It sounded like a cross between a fox and a wolf and it was fooling aroun…

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Symbols

Although the story does not use stylistic devices extensively, it features a number of symbols, which we will detail in what follows.

The rifle is initially a symbol of defense and manliness. When Nick’s father gives him the rifle, he advises his son to shoot it in case of an emergency. Because he has been trusted with a rifle, Nick’s manliness and courage are also at stake. Later on, as Nick becomes obsessed with th…