Similarities between "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog" and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro"

I enjoyed reading "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog".  I usually have difficulty figuring out what Ernest Hemingway is writing about, but this short story was easy to understand. 

As I began reading it, I immediately noticed similarities between it and The Snows of Kilimanjaro.  Both stories revolve around a hurt husband and his wife.  There is also traveling, writing, and drinking in both stories as well.  In "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog", the husband has had some kind of accident that has made him lose his vision.  In "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", the husband is suffering from Gangrene.  Although both stories have similar scenarios, the characters’ actions and feelings towards one another differ.  In "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", the wife’s love for her husband Harry is not returned.  In "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog", it is easy to see that the couple deeply loves each other.  The wife feels bad for her husband Philip and tries to help him remember good times.  Philip loves his wife so much that he wants her to leave him so she can be free and happy.  He believes his sickness is too much of a burden for her, and he doesn’t want to be responsible for ruining her life.  He treats her with respect, unlike in "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" in which Harry is rude to his wife. 

Both Harry and Philip want to write.  As he is dying, Harry thinks about how much he regrets not writing.  He knows he will never get the chance to write now, and convinces himself that he wouldn’t have been a good writer anyway.  Philip stays positive about his situation and tells his wife that their home is the perfect place for him to write.  He explains how he will be able to write with a tape recorder.  He says he is going to write and write until he gets it right.

Overall, "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog" is a more positive story than "The Snows of Kilimanjaro".  In "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog", the characters tackle the unpleasant situation together.  They maintain good attitudes and try to see the good in the situation.  Each character wants to do what is best for the other.  In "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", the husband and wife do not have mutual feelings.  Harry has given up on life and he does not try to make his final moments on earth good ones. 

I think it is interesting how Ernest Hemingway wrote two similar stories.  I am not sure what his purpose was, but I think he was trying to teach his readers a lesson.  We must face life’s challenges with a positive attitude.  A negative outlook on life leads to unpleasant outcomes.