Short Story #230: Ten Indians by Ernest Hemingway

Title: Ten Indians

Author: Ernest Hemingway

Summary

Nick is driving home with his friend's family on the 4th of July.  Along the way, they past nine drunk Indians.  The family makes disregarding comments about the Indians while Nick doesn't quite say much.  The subject changes to talking about animals and one of the family states that Nick has an Indian girl and that they smell like skunks.  When asked by his friend, Joe, he denies it.  But one of the family insists that he seeing Prudence Mitchell.  Nick denies it again.  They drop him off and he makes his way home.  His father greats him and offers him dinner and dessert.  The father relates his day which included going fishing and running into Prudence who was with another boy.  He tells him they were having a good time and saw them "threshing around."  Nick asks if they were happy and the father says he believes so.  Nick goes to his room and confesses to himself that his heart is broken. 

Reflection

The story had a lot going on in it as usual with Hemingway.  That it was Independence Day and that Nick finds himself free is a bit of an irony within the story.  There's also contrast between independence celebration and the alcoholic dependence of the Indians that's curious to consider.  But of course, the big piece is the deny it.  Nick does not act with prudence and thus looses his Prudence.  

Short Story #230 out of 365
Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)
Date Read:  7/20/2014
Source:  The short story can be found at this website.  

For a full listing of all the short stories in this series, check out the category 365 Short Stories a year.

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