Hem and his family, upper Michigan.
"Have some more." His father picked up the knife to cut the pie.
"No," said Nick.
"You better have another piece."
"No, I don't want any."
"Ten Indians" finds Nick older than he was in "Indian Camp" and "The Doctor and Doctor's Wife." It appears to be a story of young Nick's first broken heart when he hears about his "girl" Prudie "having quite a time" with Frank Washburn, the bad news delivered to him by his father while feeding him a big piece of huckleberry pie. It's a classic coming-of-age narrative; but Hemingway turns in into something else as well.
1. Your reaction to the story? Like? Dislike? Why? And what about it stuck with you, stayed with you—and why? Go ahead and quote from the story.
2. Even before the end of the story and Nick's "broken heart," we know everything is not wonderful on this Fourth of July, even as Nick and the Garners come home happy from the festivities. What plays against the general air of gaiety in the story?
3. Doc Adams: he is the crux of this story. Is he doing the right thing by telling Nick about Prudence? Is he looking out for his son—or is possibly something else motivating him? What do you think?
In answering these, keep your answers separate, okay? Do 1. Do 2. Do 3. Hope you all had a good weekend.
Just for fun. A Hemingway cat at The Hemingway House in Key West, Florida.
1.I liked this story because it was a true coming of age story. The theme of going through your first heartbreak is seen throughout history and is very easy to sympathize with. So far Hemingway’s coming of age stories have been very confusing and hard to read, the theme’s have also been underlying and take a lot of thought to find and understand. That is why i liked Ten Indians which is very easy to understand and relate to. Nick’s reaction to his dad telling him that his girlfriend , “was in the woods with Frank Wansburn” is very relatable.
ReplyDelete2. Nick plays against the air of happiness when his friends start talking about girls. Obviously his situation with Prudie is not ideal and his friends talking about their girlfriends keeps reminding him of this. The whole wagon ride his friends tease him about Prudie without realizing how insecure he is about their relationship. This insecurity does turn out to be necessary though. Nick shows his uncomfortableness for not staying to have dinner and instead walking home through the dark woods.
3. I think that it was right of Doc Adams to tell his son what he saw, because he shouldn’t keep a secret like that. I also think that Doc Adams used this as part of Nick’s initiation to manhood.
1. I liked the story. It furthered and maybe even confirmed my suspicions about Doc’s feelings towards native Americans. I didn't realize it at first, but I really liked the very abrupt downward spiral of moods in the story. For its majority, Nick is somewhat lighthearted, but there is also the lingering awkwardness of us conversation with the Garner’s about his girl; on the journey home, Nick says that he “knows skunks”, to which Carl Garner replies, “You ought to, you got an Indian girl.” To make all matters worse, as soon as his father bears the bad news of his girlfriend cheating on him, the entire tone of the story grows even darker than before.
ReplyDelete2. There is an eerie, disrespectful tone radiating from the family in the beginning of the story when they're watching the group of Indians on the side of the road. One of the Indians is in the road, and with the way the Garners are speaking about them, it seems as if they wouldn't care if he'd stayed in the road and gotten run over. In addition to that, there's the uncomfortable conversation about Nick’s girlfriend, which only makes the situation worse.
3. While he was keeping his son’s best interest in mind, there's definitely a possibility that Doc Adam’s true motive for telling Nick is his belief of Native American inferiority. We see his treatment of the Native American woman in “Indian Camp” and his indifference towards her pain during childbirth. He might've only told his son of Prudence’s escapade because she was Native American as well, somebody that Doc doesn't have much respect for. If she were a white girl, there's probably would've been a bigger chance that Doc kept his discovery a secret.
1. I liked this story because Nick is starting to make his own decisions. He is no longer only influenced by his own family, but he spends time with a family that openly loves one another. For example, despite Doc Adams’ racist views, which were revealed earlier, Nick decides to engage in a relationship with a Native female. Hemingway’s new characters, the Garners, share their support for “Nickie” when Joe Garner says, “‘You better watch out to keep Prudie, Nick” (29).
ReplyDelete2. Hemingway wrote against the American notion that the group is celebrating: “All men are created equal.” The opening of the story includes a scene where Joe Garner runs over a passed out Native man and drags him into the bushes as if he were a squirrel. As the group travels home, the Garners make derogatory comments about “Them Indians” (28), describing them as a monolith. In addition, Joe states, “‘They ought to put some gravel on that stretch” (28), referring to the road that runs through Native woods implying that the woods should be “fixed” to suit the wants of the whites just as the nation was.
3. I believe that, first, given his racist views, Doc Adams would not be going out of his way to take a walk by the Native camp. Second, for the same reason, Doc Adams’ definition of a “good father” differs from ours, and he could have told Nick about Prudence because he disapproved of their relationship and hoped to push Nick towards hating Natives.
1.) I liked this story because it gave me insight into the kind of man Nick is growing up to be. It left a lot unsaid and ended on a cliffhanger. I was left wondering if after the experience of having his heart broken would he, too start being racist towards the Indians? It seems that before this story he was rebelling against the norm to be with an Indian girl- but I am not sure because that, too is left unsaid. One quote which stayed with me was when Nick “felt hollow and happy inside himself to be teased about Prudence Mitchell,” because it perfectly sums up his feeling of embarrassment at being with her but also his happiness.
ReplyDelete2.) The Garner family’s racism towards Indians and feelings of negativity towards Nick (disguised by simply making fun of him) play against the happiness of the Fourth of July. Having the Indians be passed out drunk in the road shows that all is not happy go-lucky and a sense of separation and hostility between the Indians and the others is definitely in the air.
3.) I think that Doc Adams’ motive for telling his son about Prudence is to encourage feelings of hostility towards the Indians in Nick. He hopes that Nick’s feelings of anger and hurt caused by prudence will grow to encompass all Indians. Doc Adams is probably racist towards the Indians, and as evidenced in “The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife” feels a certain superiority over them. Whether or not Nick takes these feelings to heart is left unanswered in the story.
1. I liked this story because we got to see Nick as more of a person, and less of a little boy like we saw him in Indian Camp and The Doctor and the Doctor's Wife. His feelings about his first heartbreak definitely showed me that this was a coming of age story. After reading the story, though, I was left confused about the “Ten Indians” that the story is named after. When the Garners are taking Nick home, they talk about the nine drunken Indians on the side of the road. I don't really understand why this is important, and I’m not sure whether Prudence is the tenth Indian or not.
ReplyDelete2. The tone of the story is shown when the Garners are taking Nick home. Not only do they make racist remarks when they pass drunk Indians on the side of the road, but they then turn it to Nick when the boys begin to talk about Prudence. The boys tease Nick about being with her, but even Mrs. and Mr. Garner are whispering and laughing in the front seat.
3. In this story, Doctor Adams seems like a caring and kind father to his son. However, we did see a different side of Nick’s father in Indian Camp and The Doctor and the Doctor's Wife, where he is temperamental and insecure. Having read all three stories, I do question Doctor Adams and his intentions, but if I had only read this story, I would think that Nick’s father is simply trying to protect him and be honest with him.
I enjoyed Ten Indians. It showed a very relatable, older Nick that we’ve never seen until now. As we see Nick’s initiation into adulthood, we have seen life and death, and now love. We have also seen Nicks desire to fit in, when he denies that he likes or is dating Prudence. The scene that sticks with me is when Nick refuses to show his emotions, even with himself: “‘You better go to bed, Nick.’ ‘All right.’ Nick went into his room, undressed, and got into bed. He heard his father moving around in the living room. Nick lay in the bed with his face in the pillow. ‘My heart’s broken,’ he thought. ‘If I feel this way my heart must be broken.’” Nick doesn’t react very much, other than thinking very straightforward, showing his emotional disconnect.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Garners and Nick are coming home from the game, they run into nine drunk indians, one of which is laying in a ditch in the road. The description sounds like the Indian is just left for dead by the Garners. We also see Nick being laughed at because of Prudence, and in a generally racist environment, leading us to see a less happy scene than what is painted in front of us.
It seemed like Doc Adams would be pushing Nick away from dating an Indian. We’ve seen Doc Adams talk about Native Americans in a less than respectful way. How do we know that Doc Adams is telling the truth? After he told nick, he is very nonchalant about everything, even after he sees Nick to be upset, leading me to believe that this is what he wanted.
1. I liked the end of this story because it was interesting and had plot twists and a lot was happening, but I didn’t enjoy the beginning as much. The beginning was very slow and I couldn’t exactly tell what was happening other than getting to know the characters. What really stuck with me was the way Mrs. Garner talked about the Indians as if they were so below her.
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2. We know nick isn’t entirely happy because everyone is making fun of him about his “girl”, and we know this makes him uncomfortable. Nick is a respectful guest but we can tell there is one tension about Prudence. When nick declines the offer to stay for diner it is a sign that he wants to leave and is not enjoying himself as much as other people are.
3. I think that he was making a mistake. Whether or to this news is true he said it in a cruel way. I believe there was something else pushing him to treat his son I this horrible way. I think maybe Dr. Adams didn’t like Nick with an Indian girl because he thinks they are below his family.
1. Overall, the story had some interesting sections, but was not as interesting to me as either of the previous two we have read. The overall story, up until Nick and his father ate together, was rather slow, and did not have as much substance as I would have liked. This is because the beginning characters, barring Nick and Joe, are kind of bland. However, the theme throughout "Ten Indians," which is the different ways the characters treat Indians, was very interesting. From that, the moment that stuck with me most was when the Doctor revealed that he saw Prudence "having quite a time (31)" with another person to Nick- it's plausible that he was just being honest, but the past actions we have seen Henry Adams commit suggest he may have told Nick in disapproval of his choice of romantic interests.
ReplyDelete2. After Joe Garner moved the Indian by dragging him across the road rather than respectfully carrying him, and after the Garner family spoke against the Indians in general, the way Nick feels, as if there's something wrong with him because he likes an Indian, contrasts the general happiness that comes along with a national holiday.
3. Although it's nice to be honest, and people respond positively to honesty, I believe in most to all cases that Henry should not have told Nick. If Henry was simply driven by a good conscience, then good for him, but he still should've though for a moment about what he was saying to make it easier on his son. Then again, I'm wondering whether Henry even knew about Nick's interest; not knowing how he felt would be a decent excuse for telling Nick so outright. However, Henry may also be driven by his motives against Indians, like believing he's better than them or that they are uncivilized and don't matter as much a other people, and therefore would tell Nick about what Prudence was doing to keep him from trying to get close to her. It's also possible, although seemingly unlikely, that Henry knows how Nick feels, and has made up a lie to keep him away from her; after all, I do not believe Henry enjoys being around Indians based upon his past actions, so it seems improbable that he would have chosen to walk near the Indian Camp. That could have just been part of his cover story to explain why he might have seen Prudence with another man. Irregardless, Henry didn't need to and probably should not have told Nick about what happened, at least in the way that he did.
1. I liked this story. The quote that stuck to me the most after reading was the last line, “and he was awake a long time before he remembered that his heart was broken.” This line stuck with me the most because, it makes me wonder whether Nick’s heart was actually broken. One would think that if his heart was broken then that would be the only thing on his mind, something that may seem to be unescapable. I think that the author’s intention in distancing Nick from his heartbreak is to show how Nick views love. Because love in his house, from what we have been shown in the past readings, is not very stressed between partners or family members. Nick may not completely know what true love feels or looks like. In the scenes depicted earlier in this story, the Garner parents’ love for each other and their connection is something that is very clear, but that kind of connection is not clear when Nick’s parents are being shown.
ReplyDelete2. There were many things that plays against the general air of gaiety in the story. The first example in the story is the sight of the drunk indians, passed out, “face down in the sand.” Another example is the dead fish along the beach and the dead skunk. The third example is Carl being in trouble with his mother for talking in a way that she did not appreciate.
3. At first, I did not think that Doc Adams knew about Nick’s feelings towards Prudence, but after I continued to read, it became clear that he was just egging Nick on. I think that in that scene, Doc Adam’s character is shown in great detail. It is very obvious that he is a very selfish person. In class, we talked about different escapes. Nature was the biggest example. In this story, it becomes more evident that Doc Adam’s escape is Nick; this also plays into his character as a selfish person. I think that in this scene he is worried that he will loose Nick to Prudence. Although, after he begins to tell Nick about Prudence, the author emphasized Doc Adams rather than Nick in another very simple, but very important line. “His father was not looking at him.” This line stuck out to me because it showed that even though Doc Adams is first and foremost very selfish, he is also sensitive. This line shows him feeling bad about either Nick’s feelings or the fact that his words are hurting his son.
I enjoyed Ten Indians because I think it was an easier plot to follow and was more relatable, but still had a more meaningful underlying theme. After reading the story I kept thinking about how Nick‘s friends were teasing him about his girlfriend when they were riding home in the wagon. I think everyone can relate to being teased by friends but like most of Hemingway’s stories so far, it also deals with the divide between the Indians and the white man at the time.
ReplyDeleteEven before his heart break, the Garner boys set a damper on the evening while teasing Nick about Purdie. Unlike the regular harmless teasing that most people would do when learning about their friend’s girlfriend, the Garners seem to be disapproving of the fact that Nick is dating an Indian. They obviously have the same point of view as Doc Adams, and believe Indians are below them. Nick seems uncomfortable talking about the subject and this is made clearer when he decides to leave the Garner’s house without dinner. I think the fact that he left his shoes in the wagon show that he left in a hurry. As soon as possible to avoid talking about Prudie.
I think that it was right of Doc to tell Nick about Prudie and Frank, as it would be cruel to keep that a secret from him, but he should have said it in a gentler way. I think that, instead of having his son‘s best interest in mind, he was also happy to end the relationship because of the fact that Prudie was an Indian.
I enjoyed “Ten Indians” because it was fast moving and easy to understand. It also gave
ReplyDeletesome insight into the nature of Nick’s character. The lines that stuck out most to me were the lines at the end of the story: “When he awoke in the night he heard the wind in the hemlock trees outside the cottage and the waves of the lake coming in on the shore, and he went back to sleep. In the morning there was a big wind blowing and the waves were running high up on the beach and he was awake a long time before he remembered that his heart was broken.”
2. These lines show that Nick is a sensitive and caring boy but the last sentence seems to suggest that he is capable of getting over his heartbreak. The teasing that went on between the characters early in the story, particularly between Carl, Nick, Frank, and Mr. and Mrs. Garner seemed light and playful at first glance but I think that there was some real meanness behind some of their statements and this played against the cheerful tone of the first part of the story.
3. When I first read the story I thought that Doc Adams may be lying about the fact that he saw Prudence and Frank together because he didn’t want his son dating an Indian girl, but if this was not the case, then I think Doc Adams was doing the right thing by telling Nick.
1) I didn't like this story at first, but eventually grew to like it. I liked that the reader sees Nick and his father express fear and vulnerability for the first time. What stuck with me was Doctor Adams' inability to look his son in the face when telling him about what he say Frank and Prudie doing in the woods. I think I'm so used to seeing Nick's father as a manly man that can brave anything that it was sad to see him afraid he might break his own son's heart.
ReplyDelete2) Doctor Adams' behavior is definitely a little off and plays against the initially happy theme of the story. When he sits down, he makes "a big shadow on the kitchen wall," and the reader can infer that from this moment on, Doc Adams has promised himself that he's going to go through with telling Nick about Prudie and what he saw.
3) I think that Doctor Adams is definitely trying to look out for his son by telling him about Prudie. However, I do think there's a part of Doc Adams that's trying to spoil Nick's fun. The way that Nick's father tells Nick, by saying "[Prudie] was in the woods with Frank Washburn. I ran into them. They were having quite a time," seriously lacks any sort of empathy or compassion. Perhaps because of his dark and failing marriage, Doc Adams is bitter and wants to ruin love for his son.