An essay on To Have and Have Not by Nathan Kotas
The feel of this book through dialogue, characters, environment, and story is generally different than any of the previous Hemingway novels we have read. The obvious change is the brutality and violence of this novel not seen since “Indian Camp”. This graphic effect gives the book a stark edge that transcends the characters and grips our throats like the unfortunate Mr. Sing. The characters in To Have and Have Not are strikingly real in the sense that they grope for understanding in a world that will never yield it to them. Harry Morgan is a victim of his environment and is forced into action because he cares about his wife and daughters. He was most comfortable fishing and would have been content doing that if the pay was sufficient. Morgan would not have gotten involved in these shady activities if he wasn’t compelled to do so because of circumstance.
The book moves from spring to fall to winter skipping over the season of summer, but still retaining a continuous time line. Why Hemingway chooses to skip summer I am not sure, but it is interesting that the vacationers are in Key West during the winter months instead of summer.
None of the characters stands above the other despite their personal convictions and I think Hemingway shows us this by detailing their thoughts. An example is in one scene Gordon looks at Morgan’s wife and thinks of how pitiful she looks, and then in another scene Marie is looking at Gordon after he was beat up and she thinks how pitiful he looks.
