The Paris Wife

How does the contrast between Hadley’s emotional support and Pauline Pfeiffer’s intellectual collaboration reveal the evolving and increasingly consuming nature of Ernest’s artistic ambition?

Trace Hadley’s journey of discovering her identity by analyzing three key moments of action or dissent: the trek over the Great St. Bernard Pass, her refusal to jump from the diving rock, and her decision to unilaterally end the 100-day pact.

Discuss how the settings of Pamplona and Schruns function as symbolic barometers for the health of the Hemingway marriage.

The loss of the valise is presented as the symbolic moment when trust is irrevocably broken. Analyze how this event affects their relationship, altering not only their intimacy but also Ernest’s fundamental perception of Hadley’s role in his artistic life.

Analyze how The Paris Wife reclaims Hadley’s narrative from Hemingway’s own accounts in A Moveable Feast and transforms her from a historical footnote into a complex protagonist.

Explore alcohol’s role throughout the novel, tracing how it evolves. Analyze its initial role in fostering intimacy and bohemian freedom, and contrast this with its later function as a symbol of social performance, emotional avoidance, and the erosion of genuine communication.

How does McLain use the contrast between Hadley, the self-described “Victorian holdout,” and the “modern” women of the Lost Generation, particularly Pauline Pfeiffer, to explore the complex and often contradictory pressures on women in the 1920s?

Analyze the scene in which Pauline gets into bed with Hadley and Ernest while Hadley feigns sleep. How does this moment serve as the ultimate symbol of violated intimacy? What does Hadley’s internal, psychological retreat reveal about her changing understanding of her marriage and her own identity?