A PSYCHOANALYSIS OF HEMINGWAY’S THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO IN THE LIGHT OF HARTMANN’S CONCEPT OF CONFLICT-FREE EGO SPHERE

Abstract

This study aims to offer a comprehensive discussion of the representations of the conflict-free
ego sphere in Hemingway’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro in the light of Hartmann's ideas about
ego psychology. This library-based study follows the descriptive-analytical methodologyto
investigate Hemingway’s The Snows of Kilimanjarofrom an ego-psychological perspective,
through the theoretical principles of Heinz Hartmann according to his definition of conflictfree ego sphere. It is very likely that Harry has internalized his fate and adapt to his new
reality from the start of the story by employing conflict-free ego sphere mechanisms, making
rude remarks annoying Helen to force her to turn away from him on the verge of death, in an
attempt to reduce the unwanted feelings that she will suffer after his death.This study can be
important for those who are interested in psychological literature. It can be a guideline for
understanding human being’s behavior. Therefore, this study will promote better
understanding of the abovementioned short story of Hemingway and explain what conflictfree ego sphere mechanisms are, so that readers can apply them to solve problems in their
real lives.The novelty of the present study lies in discussing the behavior of Harry and Helen
as defensive adaptive mechanisms to reduce their anxiety about core issues, which can be
able to help us better, understand human behavior, and then it must surely be able to help us
understanding the literary texts that relate to human behavior.