<P> To Have and Have Not is a novel by Ernest Hemingway ( publ. 1937 ) about Harry Morgan , a fishing boat captain out of Key West , Florida . The novel depicts Harry as an essentially good man , who is forced by dire economic forces beyond his control into the black - market activity of running contraband between Cuba and Florida . A wealthy fishing charter customer ( one of the `` Have 's '' ) tricks Harry by slipping away without paying after a three - week fishing trip , leaving Harry destitute . Harry then makes a fateful decision to smuggle Chinese immigrants into Florida from Cuba to make ends meet in supporting his family . Harry begins to regularly ferry different types of illegal cargo between the two countries , including alcohol and Cuban revolutionaries . The Great Depression features prominently in the novel , forcing depravity and hunger on the poor residents of Key West ( the `` Have Not 's '' ) who are referred to locally as `` Conchs . '' </P>
<P> To Have and Have Not is a novel by Ernest Hemingway ( publ. 1937 ) about Harry Morgan , a fishing boat captain out of Key West , Florida . The novel depicts Harry as an essentially good man , who is forced by dire economic forces beyond his control into the black - market activity of running contraband between Cuba and Florida . A wealthy fishing charter customer ( one of the `` Have 's '' ) tricks Harry by slipping away without paying after a three - week fishing trip , leaving Harry destitute . Harry then makes a fateful decision to smuggle Chinese immigrants into Florida from Cuba to make ends meet in supporting his family . Harry begins to regularly ferry different types of illegal cargo between the two countries , including alcohol and Cuban revolutionaries . The Great Depression features prominently in the novel , forcing depravity and hunger on the poor residents of Key West ( the `` Have Not 's '' ) who are referred to locally as `` Conchs . '' </P>
where does to have and have not take place
where does to have and have not take place
Key West , Florida
Key West , Florida