In Our Time Lesson Plan

What is the effect of Hemingway’s prose style in these stories? Do you feel like you understand the plots?

Hemingway is famous for his “iceberg theory” of writing, which uses short, declarative sentences and leaves most of the information as implication rather than a direct explanation. For some students, they’ll find most of the plot information is well-described. Others will feel like the themes aren’t explicitly stated. Students should note that this emphasis on inference works to draw in readers to make interpretations about the characters’ beliefs and feelings.

How is violence portrayed in the chapters? What is the effect of the various people and animals dying in...