Of Icebergs, And Compelling Narratives Shaped By Omission

How Hemingway’s technique of saying less can result in powerful storytelling.

Photo by Alexander Hafemann on Unsplash

Introduction: A tale of two (American) Cities

Read the following short story:

“It stung like a slap; it may well have been.

John was used to sitting in the back of the bus. Indeed that was the norm in New York City (Please move to the rear.)

This was not New York though. America had joined the war— and eager to serve just like his father had under General Pershing, John had enlisted in the navy. He thus found himself in Norfolk, Virginia.

Upon boarding a public transit bus there for the first time, he moved to the rear and took a seat like he had done many times before in his hometown.

The driver stopped the bus, came to the back, and said to him in an unpleasant tone: “Hey, sailor, y’all get up here in the front where y’all belong.”

The system could be restrictive in both directions.”

Getting acquainted with the Iceberg Theory

What you read above — A tale of two (American) cities — based partly on the real-life recollections of an individual, narrates a white New Yorker’s experience of segregation in a southern town during World War II.

It is also an example of the iceberg theory of composition.

The iceberg theory was first developed by Ernest Hemingway who describes it thusly:

“If a writer of prose knows enough of what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them.”

The theory functions on the philosophy that your story should be like an iceberg.

Just like an iceberg has a portion that juts out above sea level with the rest of it submerged, your story too should have parts that are explicitly stated in writing, and parts that are hidden — i.e. omitted.

The goal is to provide a captivating read for your audience where the words you leave out of the written narrative have just as much of a profound effect on the story as the text.

Here, racial segregation, which war John is going to fight in, and indeed his race are not explicitly stated.

From an understanding of American history however, all these things become evident.

Sitting at the back of the bus was a common segregation tactic. Pershing, the general under whom John’s father had served, was the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I — so this war has to be World War II. The fact that John is chastised for sitting at the back of the bus in a southern town, coupled with his observation that the system could be restrictive both ways gives away the fact that John is white.

The advantages of omission

Hemingway developed the iceberg theory partly out of necessity — during his time as a journalist.

The foremost skill he had to cultivate and employ during his tenure was brevity.

Hemingway could not afford to spend the limited supply of words he had at his disposal to provide context and interpretation.

He thus developed a minimalist style, favoring omission that also translates well to short story writing and fiction.

How to use the iceberg theory

When you are crafting your fictional world, think about what exactly you should keep to yourself (below the water) and what part you must share with your reader (the tip of the iceberg.)

Rule of thumb: the tip of the iceberg should consist of world-building elements relevant to your story.

Leaving other informative, yet cumbersome details out of the explicit narrative can lead to cleaner, more powerful writing.

TL;DR

The iceberg technique is a powerful writing method pioneered by Ernest Hemingway, where the author will explicitly share with the reader only that material that is directly relevant to the story, hiding the rest, just like the bulk of an iceberg — concealed underwater.

This hidden portion, however, adds substance and weight to the writer’s narrative.

Do you see yourself employing the iceberg theory in your writing? Let me know in the comments.

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