Indian Camp

As part of his “iceberg theory” approach to writing, Hemingway uses undertone to imply important parts of the story. Throughout “Indian Camp,” the narrator leaves gaps in the narrative or chooses not to thoroughly explain events and characters. By downplaying specifics and making implications, Hemingway allows the reader to construct meaning in the story.

Examples of undertone include the simple sentence, “The room smelled very bad” (16). The narrator provides a detail about the shanty in which the woman is giving birth but does not add any more specifics. The bad smell could come from the husband’s wound or the pipe he smoked, as both elements were mentioned in previous sentences. It could be scents from the woman giving birth—sweat, blood, or amniotic fluid—or the men who arrived. In not specifying, the narrative hints at a cacophony of unpleasant smells, contributing to the unsettling tone of the story. It also foreshadows the dark ending, given that a dirty, bad-smelling environment is not the ideal environment for medical procedures.