Is "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" a direct reflection of Ernest Hemmingway?

Certainly, in one sense, every piece of literature is a
reflection of its author, as you can hardly write about something convincingly that you
have not lived, to a certain extent, yourself. However, it is true that Hemmingway's
fiction in particular reflects his life and in particular in this story we can see how
Harry could be identified with the author, both in terms of his many women and the
bohemian wanderings that are true to Hemmingway's life. In particular, perhaps we can
find an interesting parallel through the theme of writing and
art.

Hemmingway himself struggled with his writing and the
success that he wished he could attain and we can see that Harry's failure to achieve
the artistic renown that he hoped for in life is one key theme of this story. The
flashbacks that plague Harry as he dies depict a very Hemmingway-esque Harry in his
former years, devoting his life to writing and living in Paris. His decision to leave
that time of artistic purity is one he deeply regrets, and he feels that his subsequent
pursuit of rich women and hedonistic pleasures has compromised his artistic
talent.

It is important to notice how Hemmingway
establishes a direct connection between the gangrene that is killing him and his
perceived failure. Note how Harry says "Rot and poetry. Rotten poetry." In spite of the
way he has let his talent languish, ironically it is at the moment of his death when we
see his creative talent return strongly as he imagines a beautiful, haunting scene of
salvation and being lifted up to the snows of Kilimanjaro. This transcendent ending
perhaps shows the triumph of artistic talent that shows itself to be superior to
death.

Thus we can establish many parallels between the
character of Harry and the author, though of course we can only take those parallels so
far.