How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
There were only two Americans stopping at the hotel. (1)
This is the first sentence of the story and it immediately tells us three things: 1) the story is set in a foreign country 2) it involves people in transit and 3) those people are the "others" in this setting. See, we told you Hemingway was a super efficient writer.
Quote #2
They did not know any of the people they passed on the stairs on their way to and from their room. (1)
This second sentence reaffirms the couple's foreignness in this place, but also tells us something about their attitude and bearing. They are not people who make friends easily; they are, and feel themselves to be, apart. Sounds kind of lonely, if you ask us.
Quote #3
Italians came from a long way off to look up at the war monument. (1)
With this, Hemingway lets us know that we're Italy, but he also does something more. The fact that the people come from far away to simply look at this war monument conveys a sense of national cohesion. The country experienced World War I collectively, as a nation, and it continues to draw them together. Compare that to the distance we feel between the husband and wife, and their