Indian Camp – Inhaltsangabe summary Zusammenfassung

Hier findet ihr eine gute Inhaltsangabe zum Buch Indian Camp von Ernest Hemingway.

Inhaltsangabe zu Indian Camp von Ernest Hemingway

The short story “Indian Camp" written by Ernest Hemingway in 1924 is about a young boy called Nick accompanying his father on a trip to a woman who needs help with giving birth / is going into labor.

In the beginning Nick’s father who is a doctor takes his son on a trip to the Indian Camp for showing him his medical work. They reach the camp by boat and arrive with the doctor’s younger brother uncle George. The woman’s contractions have already started and she has been trying to give birth for two days. In pain she cries out loudly. People of the camp are assembled around the shanty, where the woman lies. They have tried to help her without success.

Nick’s father orders to boil water for preparing an operation and explains his son what is going on. The son asks him if it is possible to make her stop screaming and gets the answer that the screams aren’t important. The husband who lies in a bunk avoids the view of the actions taken by rolling over against the wall. Uncle George and three Indians strongly hold the woman to ensure a safe and successful operation.

Surprised by the bit of the woman in his arm uncle George swears at her while the others are laughing at him. To help his father Nick holds the basin, but he doesn’t watch the operation closely. After the operation is finished the woman is confronted with the effects: she is pale, weak and a bit confused. The suspicious silence of the husband makes the doctor to look after him.

He committed suicide during the operation. In order to protect his son from this view he advises the uncle to take him out of the shanty. But Nick has already seen the dead person. On the way home Nick’s father apologizes for taking him on the trip. He thinks he is to blame for what his son has seen. But instead of being shocked his son is interested in knowing the circumstances and reasons. Finally he swears himself never to commit suicide.