The phrase, "Hemingway code hero" originated with scholar Philip Young. He uses it to describe a Hemingway character who "offers up and exemplifies certain principles of honor, courage, and endurance which in a life of tension and pain make a man a man."

It's important to note the difference between the "Hemingway hero" and the "Hemingway code hero." Some people (myself included) have fallen into the habit of using these terms interchangeably. The "Hemingway hero" is a living breathing character essential to the story's narrative. Nick Adams is an example of a "Hemingway hero." The "Hemingway code hero" is often times a living breathing character as well, but he doesn't always have to take a human form. Sometimes the "Hemingway code hero" simply represents an ideal that the "Hemingway hero" tries to live up to, a code he tries to follow. An example of the "Hemingway code hero" (in human form) would be white hunter Robert Wilson from "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" To simplify the theory some, Earl Rovit developed a unique naming system. He refers to the "Hemingway hero" as the tyro and the "Hemingway code hero" as the tutor.

For a more detailed discussion of the "Hemingway code hero," you should see Philip Young's 1966 book, Ernest Hemingway: A Reconsideration (in particular the chapter titled, "The Hero and the Code"). See also Earl Rovit's book, Ernest Hemingway (in particular the chapter titled, "Of Tyros and Tutors").

Ernest Hemingway: A Reconsideration