| The Battler is another story
about Nick Adams, the protagonist of a series of Ernest Hemingway stories. In this one he
is still an adolescent travelling by freight train somewhere near Chicago. He gets kicked
off by a brakeman and is walking near the track, his face bruised from the fall. It is
very dark and cold outside. A fire appears in the darkness and as Nick comes closer he
sees a man sitting next to it. The man has a completely bruised face with only one ear
left. He is small, but obviously quite strong. After being invited Nick sits down and
tells the man what has just happened to him. The man calls him a tough boy and introduces
himself as Ad Francis, a former well-known fighter. Another man called Bugs appears in the
darkness. He brings some food with him and starts making a little dinner for them. When he
asks Nick to slice the bread, Ad sees the knife and wants to have it. Bugs forbids him to
take it and goes on talking to Nick. After a while, not saying anything, Ad stands up and
wants to fight Nick. But he knows that Ad is much stronger than he and therefore wants to
avoid a fight. Since Ad does not give in, Bugs sneaks behind him hitting him so hard that
he loses his consciousness. The question why Ad becomes mad like this, Bugs answers with a
story about Adīs sister. First she was Ad’s manager during his time as a
champion-fighter, and then they got married. A short time after the marriage she left him,
and that was the time when Ad started to beat up people. It got so far that he was
arrested. In jail he got to know Bugs and since then they have made their way together.
After he has finished Bugs tells Nick to leave, so Ad will not be upset when he wakes up.
He gives Nick another sandwich for his journey, then Nick goes out into the darkness,
walking up the track again. Which
role does Ad play for Nick?
When Nick sees Ad for the first time they look very alike. Both have bruised faces, both
fell down (Nick from the train, Ad from his life as a famous boxer), and now both are
sitting by the fire. Nick admires Ad for his toughness and the success he once had. But
what he does not see at first sight, is the fundament on which this life was based on and
where it lead to. Ad achieved everything with brutality, his toughness and his physical
power was all he needed to be on top of the world. But especially when you reach all your
success by being brutal, it will not last forever. Ad could fight the strongest men, but
he was not able to handle feelings like loneliness or sadness. So he could not comprehend
the loss of his wife and went mad. Finally he fell so deep that he ended in jail and now
lives the life of a poor man. He is not able to control himself anymore and he needs Bugs
to take care of him. Although he probably knows about that, he is too proud to admit it
even after all that time. Instead he tells Nick that his friend is crazy, too. At the
example of Ad Nick can see, where brutality and false pride can lead to. At the beginning
he admires Ad for exactly those characteristics, but maybe afterwards he has learned that
this is not the path to happiness.
During this encounter Nick also faces death, since a man who snaps in and out of reality
like Ad could easily have killed him. But Nick remains calm without any cowardice; slowly
backing up while trying to talk Ad out of the fight. Even though he is young, he shows
mature behaviour and behaves the way Hemingway would want a real man to behave.
Why does Hemingway refer to Bugs as negro and
nigger?
There are two possible explanations for this. A first interpretation could be made on the
grounds of Bugsīs very contradictory character; on the one hand he is very polite, gentle
and nice - really caring for Ad – on the other hand he is brutal, being a former
convict who was in jail for "cuttin‘ a man" as he says. He has to hit Ad to
get Nick out of danger, but even while hitting he is careful not to hurt. Hemingway`s
calling him negro as well as nigger could emphasise Bugsīs brutality.
Another possibility could be that Hemingway wanted to point out the racial discrimination
which was prevailing in the USA at Hemingway’s time. A strong argument for this
interpretation is that Bugs is such a friendly character through his hospitality, but is
still abusively called nigger. Whatever he does, however he behaves, the nigger prejudice
will follow him throughout his entire life.
What is Bugs’s role in this story?
Bugs can be seen as a counterpart to Ad: he is nice, patient and calm. Ad on the other
hand can snap in and out of reality at any moment, he is dangerous for society and has to
be kept away from it. Bugsīs role is to keep him away, to protect him from himself. Bugs
reminds the reader of a caring mother or a nurse: he protects Ad and Nick, feeds them,
settles an argument and punishes.
Did Nick learn any lessons from this episode?
Maybe Nick did not learn explicit lessons, but it can be said that he made some crucial
experiences which might have influenced his further development. He must have found out
that brutality does not really help you in life, that the gentle way is the better one.
Another thing he experienced is how to face senseless aggression without cowardice.
Finally the horrifying story about Ad’s sister might have influenced Nickīs attitude
towards women, since he could have interpreted it this way: Do not depend too much on a
single person, do not fall in love to hard – a woman can always leave you and harm
you by this. Do not become vulnerable, you can be as strong as you want to your
environment, but a woman can still hurt you. And with
reference to this story there is also the virtue not to project oneīs aggressions on the
environment as Ad did.
Why is this story called "The Battler"
and not "The Boxer"?
This story does not only refer to Ad’s struggle in the ring as a fighter, but also
refers to Ad’s battle of life. It shows that life is an endless battle, and how a
person can become if this battle is lost. |
