Today is Friday (Hemingway)

Disclaimer: This summary was generated by AI, so it may contain errors.

Today is Friday

1926

Summary of the Short Story

Microsummary: Three Roman soldiers discussed the crucifixion they witnessed earlier while drinking at a Hebrew wine-seller's place, commenting on the behavior of the crucified man and the loyalty of his female followers.

Three Roman soldiers were in a drinking place at night, surrounded by barrels and a Hebrew wine-seller behind the counter. They were a bit tipsy and discussing the different types of wine available.

👮🏻‍♂️

1st Roman Soldier — Roman soldier; impressed by the crucified man's behavior; friendly towards the wine-seller.

👮🏼‍♂️

2d Roman Soldier — Roman soldier; skeptical about the crucified man's actions; critical of the wine-seller.

👮🏽‍♂️

3d Roman Soldier — Roman soldier; suffering from a stomach ache; less talkative than the others.

🍷

Hebrew Wine-seller — wine-seller; tries to please the soldiers; neutral about the crucifixion.

One of the soldiers complained about having a stomach ache, and the wine-seller offered him a concoction to help with the pain. The soldier reluctantly drank it, making a face at the taste.

The conversation then shifted to a man who had been crucified earlier that day. The soldiers debated whether or not the man wanted to come down from the cross, with one soldier insisting that he didn't want to. The wine-seller, however, didn't take any interest in the matter.

I thought he was pretty good in there today.

The soldiers continued discussing the crucifixion, mentioning how the man's followers had abandoned him, leaving only the women to stand by his side.

One of the soldiers mentioned that he had known the crucified man's girlfriend before he did, and that she used to have a lot of stuff. They agreed that the man hadn't brought her any good luck. The conversation then turned to the soldier who had stabbed the crucified man with a spear, with another soldier warning him that he could get into trouble for doing that. The first soldier defended his actions, saying that it was the least he could do for the man.

As the night wore on, the wine-seller informed the soldiers that he needed to close up shop. The soldiers decided to leave, with one of them telling the wine-seller to put their drinks on their tab. The wine-seller hesitantly agreed, asking if they could give him a little something on account, but the soldier assured him that they would pay on Wednesday.

Once outside, one of the soldiers called the wine-seller a derogatory term, while another defended him as a nice guy.

You been out here too long.

The soldier with the stomach ache insisted that they go back to the barracks, as he was feeling terrible. The others agreed, attributing his discomfort to having been stationed in the area for too long.