In the American literary scene, there are not many authors who boast the recognized name and notoriety of Ernest Hemingway. His adventurous lifestyle, copious amounts of classic literature, and distinctive writing style brought him fame both in the days he was alive and now after his long passing. One of his most famous works is The Snows of Kilimanjaro. This tale centers on a man known only as Harry, who is slowly dying from a gangrene infection in his leg. He is a writer who complains that he doesn't write enough, and the story deals mostly with the psychology of his death as he laments and remembers various things about his life. This leaves room for copious amounts of interpretation, with many academic essays written on The Snows of Kilimanjaro interpreting themes, motifs, characters, etc. In this way, Hemingway's classic short story demonstrates its literary depth and diversity, showing various interpretations that are useful in developing one's thesis of The Snows of Kilimanjaro. Reading different interpretations leads to one main conclusion: most commentators and critics like to interpret the symbols of the story, but they all have different ideas about what the symbols are or what they mean. In an essay written in 1952, literary commentator Carlos Baker attributes almost all of the novel's symbols to death itself, with close relationships to the hyena, vultures, and other hideous creatures. requirements of an imaginary situation, any of the older symbols, be they the threes and nines of numerology, or the weight of the cross in Christian legend. But the scythe and skull, while quite ancient, simply don't fit the mold of Harry's d... middle of paper... which of course leads to his implied final desperation. The three essays discussed all focus on the importance of symbols in The Snows of Kilimanjaro, one of Hemingway's finest stories. The point illustrated is that all three critics wrote about different types of symbols and what they thought they meant, showing the large amount of interpretations that can be developed from the story. Even if they all wrote on the same symbol, there's a good chance that three different people would have three different interpretations on such complex symbols. All explanations are credible and overall all three critics raise valid points. They demonstrate the fact that the image of death in the novel is prevalent throughout the novel and features multiple different symbols ingeniously interconnected, demonstrating Hemingway's superb writing ability and literary skill..