nothing captures the bittersweet nature of love and place better than hemingway's "islands in the stream." in the first section, "bimini," thomas hudson lives in a house on a hill overlooking the sea. he has created an isolated life as a painter, has sworn off love to protect his own heart and women's, and heads down to mr. bobby's to drink. his three sons come to the island for the summer, and even before they arrive he's dreading their leaving.