What does the mountain Kilimanjaro represent to Harry in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”?
Harry sees himself as a failed writer. He spends much of the story reflecting on his failures. His failures are amplified by the fact that he is dying. The five flashbacks represent the personal experiences Harry had hoped to write about. After each flashback, he becomes more and more distraught that he will not have the opportunity to get these stories on paper. Harry had come to Africa with the hopes of rekindling his talents. Africa was where he was the happiest and therefore the ideal setting for writing. However, Harry’s talent for writing was slipping before he came to Africa and with his leg becoming infected and the gangrene setting in, his fate as a failed writer seemed sealed. Would Harry have been able to regain the stature he desired as a writer even if he was not being confronted by death? This is one of the questions Hemingway wants us to ponder. The dream Harry has (just before he dies) of flying towards the top of Kilimanjaro is another sequence in which to ponder. We d
