God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen by Ernest Hemingway
In God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen by Ernest Hemingway we have the theme of trust, desire, fear and conflict. Taken from his The Complete Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by a man called Horace and after reading the story the reader realises that Hemingway may be exploring the theme of trust. Doctor Wilcox is not considered to be a good doctor by one of his teaching professors and the professor suggested to Wilcox that if he is going to be a doctor he should purchase a copy of The Young Doctor’s Friend and Guide. This is significant as it suggests to the reader not only that the professor does not trust Wilcox but he may also feel that Wilcox has chosen the wrong profession. In reality he should not be a doctor, particularly because he relies on the book so much.
The theme of desire is self-evident in the story. The young sixteen year old who comes to visit Doctor Wilcox and Doc Fischer has strong sexual urges that he considers to be sinful. Though there is nothing wrong with the young man he still feels unable to control his body when it comes to his feelings towards women. This may be significant as it could suggest that the young boy in reality is confused. His body is changing and he is becoming a man. A normal man in Fischer’s eyes. However this does not soothe the young man’s worries. If anything the young man is over-powered by desire and again he considers what is happening to him to be sinful.
There may be some symbolism in the story which might be significant. The book that Wilcox relies on so much could symbolise the fact that the teaching professor was right that Wilcox should never have become a doctor. That he is too reliant on the book and not competent enough or skilled enough to be a practicing doctor. The fact that the story is set at Christmas time may also be important as Christmas is season of goodwill yet ironically in the story there is very little goodwill between Wilcox and Fischer. It is as though Wilcox feels he is being questioned by Fischer over the manner in which he treated the young man.
The end of the story is also interesting as it is clear that Hemingway is exploring the theme of conflict. Wilcox finds it difficult to handle the rubbing he is getting from Fischer over the young man’s treatment. He gets so angry with Fischer that he questions Fischer over his religion. Though not anti-Semitic it still nonetheless is not called for. There is no need to bring the matter of religion into the story. Perhaps Wilcox is suggesting that Fischer could have done a better job. If this is the case the reader is aware that Wilcox is being sarcastic. Driven by his own ego Wilcox throughout the story considers himself to be competent enough as a doctor. However the reality is much different.