Love is always an interesting topic, and one that is very commonly used in stories and various types of writing. In this story, the progression of love is told through the dialogue between an old couple, as well as the inner thoughts of the husband. Through these two methods of communication, the message of love growing old is crafted.
The plot of the story is that an elderly couple have been stranded and are awaiting rescue from a plane. However, the husband feels that they are stranded and begins to look upon his life and all the things that he has done, and things he has not. Harry realizes that his life was not quite what he believed it would turn out to be, and as a result becomes quite depressed. This depression is eventually taken out on his wife, Helen. She tries her best to keep her husband positive and to keep his mind from straying into a dark state of which he would not return. But to no success, his mind continued to wonder and he even begins to have flashbacks of intense scenery and even certain emotions that he had been previously feeling. This is unfortunately followed up with his death. Helen awakes to find him dead, and the story ends on a very dark and depressing note.
Although the mood of this story is quite dark, the message that is to come from it is very positive and uplifting. I believe that Hemingway was trying to tell his audience that although life seems dauntingly long, and all of our opportunities seem endless, a lot of times we can miss out on the best things in life. Therefore, the message of this story is to live life to its fullest and to make the memory you have of yourself at the end of your life worth thinking about.
LITERATURE OF THE SPINE 