“The Killers” is a classic coming-of-age tale for Nick Adams, marked by his loss of innocence. Coming-of-age stories, or bildungsromans, from the German words Bildung, “education,” and Roman, “novel,” are a well-established literary genre that explores the transition from childhood to adulthood. These narratives often revolve around a character’s personal growth, maturation, and the loss of their innocence as they confront the complexities and challenges of the adult world.

A prominent character featured in numerous Hemingway short stories, Nick Adams undergoes a transformation from boyhood to manhood in “The Killers.” At the story’s outset, he is portrayed as innocent and naive: Though his age is undisclosed, he is referred to as a “boy” (44) by the two killers. Even when forced into an alarming and perilous hostage situation, Nick’s innocence persists. This is represented again through language; while George and the hitmen both use a racist slur to refer to Sam, Nick never does, calling him “the cook.” This abstention from using racial slurs reflects how Nick has not been influenced by society’s racism in the same way.

Additionally, he believes he can help Ole Andreson, and he bravely and somewhat naively chooses to warn him.