In Hemingways story `The Snows of Kilimanjaro,` discuss the symbolism of the mountain and the leopard found in the epigraph.

Snows Of Kilimanjaro , Richard L . Elia proposes

Like the leopard , Harry tried to reach the 'Masai ' to the top Harry had reached the top , only in his dream . In his sleep , Harry had made an effort to rise , to reach the mountain-top of Kilimanjaro , only to meet with inevitable failure , as his diseased leg feebly 'hung down alongside the cot (Elia 285

Elia believes Harry is represented by the leopard , while contending Kilimanjaro symbolizes the writer 's insurmountable work in life . Again the underlying assumption here is that Harry is the most

relevant parallel to the leopard . In her essay Harry 's Second Chance Gloria R . Dussinger writes , Had 'The Snows of Kilimanjaro ' ended [before the dream] , the reader would remain unimpressed by Harry 's conversion (Dussinger 58 . She goes on to argue that Harry deserves his redemption because of the noble and uplifting character of his final dream . She too , then , is preoccupied with Harry 's journey , ignoring Helen 's equally interesting counter-points within the story . So , if any critic takes issue with Harry being redeemed - then perhaps they might reconsider Helen as the protagonist of the story

Furthermore , while the trajectory of Harry 's career is disappointing considering his greater early success - his tale is not automatically an outright failure . Plus , of course , the tale of his shallow love for Helen is sad , but it is not then necessarily or heart . Indeed , Harry reveals some interesting snapshots from his past prime , via the italicized passages - but in the present he has little to offer . Moreover , in the current action of Snows , it is Helen who is the hidden leopard of the plot - just as much as it ever was with Harry . She is , after all , the fur-wearing huntress that dared to think she could own the summits of...