Death

As the story of an imminent death, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is suffused not only with images of death but also with a pervading sense of death's presence. The story begins with death—"it's painless," Harry says in the first line, referring to his oncoming demise—and ends with the ironic comparison of the woman's heart beating loudly and the stillness of Harry's lifeless body. Death is symbolically figured both as the pristine whiteness of the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and as the creeping, filthy hyena that lurks outside of Harry's tent.

Harry's attitude toward his death wavers during the story. At first, he puts up a brave and almost cavalier front, telling his wife that he does not care about his death and is resigned to it. He almost seems to be trying to anger her, knowing that she cares about him and that he...