The Northern Woods: Three Shots Summary

Nick, his father, and his uncle are camping and Nick remembers, with shame, how he had gotten scared thinking about how he would one day die when he was alone and summoned his uncle and father back to camp by firing three shots into the air with his rifle. The uncle is frustrated, thinking that Nick is a coward, but his father is more understanding. When his father returns, he lies and says that he heard an animal.

The Northern Woods: Three Shots Analysis

This story was never published and so it is unclear whether Hemingway intended to develop the story further. As it is, the story can be seen as a conflict between Nick's immaturity (he is very young) and his realization that all life eventually comes to an end.