"Indian Camp" by Ernest Hemingway

 The theme of "Indian Camp" by Ernest Hemingway

I think the theme of this short story is education. In the old days, there were not so many children who actually knew what their fathers were doing in the workplace. Compared to that, in this story, the father, who is a doctor, gives his little son the chance to observe his real task. The action itself is well considered as education. Although he makes his son think about what life is, as a result, at the same time, it becomes an event which makes the son think about what death is, deeper than life. He worries about the shock of the unexpected incident to his son, and talks to him to imagine it, and to educate him if needed. I guess his son gets some toughness from the experiences. This is really education.