The Battler

Nick Adams, Hemingway's alter ego, encounters a pair of hobos camped in the woods - Ad, a punch drunk former boxer, and Buggs, his companion who is Black. Hemmingway, being a man of his time, uses the "N" word frequently. As I listened to this, I couldn't help but compare Buggs and Ad to George and Lennie in Steinbeck's Mice and Men. Buggs protects Ad as George protected Lennie. Ad, though diminutive in size, as a former professional boxer could be as dangerous as Lennie when he had a crazy spell. Hemmingway portrays Buggs as the true leader of the group, highly intelligent, articulate, and gentle to his companion Ad while leading Ad to believe he is in charge. Spoiler alert: There is no "tell me about the rabbits George" moment here, but I also wondered if Steinbeck read the story.Public Domain (P)2021 Mike Vendetti