Creative process
Hemingway talks about the creative process he goes through in order to write his books. His creative process is a disciplined one, controlled by routine and different mechanisms developed by the author in time. Nothing is left to change and Hemingway controls the environment in which he writes so he becomes able to create something truly magnificent. But against popular belief, Hemingway is feeling most inspired when he suffers hardship. In the first chapter, it is clear that he has to deal with the cold and hunger that comes with being a struggling writer but despite this the words seemed to flow effortlessly. When he has everything he wants, the creative process becomes much harder and Hemingway struggles to write something considered as being good. For Hemingway, there is a link between suffering and the creative process as one cannot exist without the other.
Alcohol and creativity
There is a link between the consumption of alcohol and creativity in the novel. The author notices that the people who are creatively inclines appear to be also more inclined to consume alcohol in excess and also to consume drugs, especially opioids. Many use it as a way to boast their creativity and the author notices as well that he is a more capable writer when he is slightly drunk. However there is a darker side to this and many writers were destroyed by the alcohol they drank. Some became unable to write properly and they also lose their essence and who they are in reality. Hemingway will also end up being affected by alcohol towards the end of his life.
Valuable art
Another common theme in the novel is the idea of value when it comes to art. Some artists, like Stein, are interested in art only as long as it can be quantified and made more profitable. For her, a person should try and find the practical value of a piece and try to profit as much as they could from it. For her, the artistically value is useless if it cannot be quantified in money and she criticizes Hemingway for choosing to focus only on the artistically value of a piece of writing or painting. Hemingway believes that what makes a piece of art be valuable is not whether it someone can make lots of money from it but rather if it moves a person and if it creates an emotional response in the person looking at a painting or reading a piece of literature.
