Hemingway’s writing style in “The Three-Day Blow” is extremely minimalist. Not only is the story under 10 pages long, but it is made up of short and curt descriptions and dialogue that—for the most part—lack adjectives, adverbs, and imagery. The austere nature of Hemingway’s style is, of course, intentional. The lack of “energy” in the writing matches the depressed, alienated energy of the two main characters—men who belong to the Lost Generation of American history—helping readers to really feel Nick and Bill’s emotional states.
Hemingway writes the way that the two men talk, as seen in the following passage when Nick and Bill each reflect on the lives of their fathers:
“He's missed a lot,” Nick said sadly.
“You can't tell,” Bill said. “Everything's got its compensations.”
“He says he's missed a lot himself,” Nick confessed.
“Well, dad’s had a tough time.” Bill said.
“It all evens up,” Nick said.
They sat looking into the fire and thinking of this profound truth.
Just like Hemingway, Nick and Bill speak in short, to-the-point sentences without any frills: “He’s missed a lot,” “You can’t tell,” “It all evens up,” etc. Hemingway lets the mean speak without giving any insight into their inner experience until that final line: “They sat looking into the fire and thinking of this profound truth.” At this point, readers might wonder what profound truth Hemingway is referring to, since so little has happened. This is an important part of Hemingway’s style—his minimalism helps readers to locate “profound truths” in seemingly simple conversations between ordinary people.
As the story progresses—and as the two men become increasingly inebriated—Hemingway does grant readers more peeks into the mind of Nick, the protagonist. This communicates that, as Nick’s defenses are lowered, he is able to shift (internally, at least) from a closed-off masculine posture to allowing himself to experience his emotions more fully.
