“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway are two compelling short stories that delve into complex themes and emotions. While both stories revolve around relationships and the struggles faced by the characters, they differ in their narrative approaches, character dynamics, and thematic exploration. In this comparative essay, we will examine the similarities and differences between these two literary works, shedding light on their unique perspectives on love, freedom, and the complexities of human relationships.
Plot and Narrative Structure
“The Story of an Hour” follows Mrs. Mallard, a woman who learns of her husband’s death and experiences a range of emotions within a short span of time. The story is characterized by its concise and focused narrative, taking place primarily in one location. In contrast, “Hills Like White Elephants” centers on a conversation between an American man and a woman referred to as Jig. The story is primarily a dialogue-driven narrative, leaving much unsaid and relying on subtext. The plot unfolds as the characters discuss a pivotal decision that could potentially shape their relationship.
Character Dynamics
In “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard is the central character. Her husband’s presumed death triggers conflicting emotions within her, from initial grief to a sense of liberation and joy. Her internal journey and the revelation of her desires form the core of the story. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” the relationship between the American man and Jig takes center stage. Their conversation hints at an underlying tension and power dynamics, as they grapple with a life-altering decision regarding the possibility of an abortion. The story explores the complexities of their relationship and their individual desires.
Themes of Freedom and Independence
Both stories touch upon the theme of freedom and the desire for autonomy. In “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard experiences a sense of liberation upon learning of her husband’s death. She envisions a life free from the constraints of marriage, imagining the possibilities that lie ahead. However, her newfound freedom is short-lived when her husband unexpectedly returns, leading to a tragic conclusion. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” the characters’ conversation revolves around the potential consequences of the decision they face. Jig desires independence and freedom from societal expectations, while the American man seems more focused on maintaining the status quo.
Symbolism and Imagery
Both stories employ symbolism and imagery to enhance their narratives. In “The Story of an Hour,” the open window symbolizes the possibilities of freedom and escape, while the heart trouble Mrs. Mallard suffers from represents her emotional constraints within her marriage. The imagery of the hills in “Hills Like White Elephants” represents the central conflict and the choices the characters must make. The white elephants may symbolize the burden and the difficult decisions they face.
Conclusion
“The Story of an Hour” and “Hills Like White Elephants” offer thought-provoking explorations of love, freedom, and the complexities of human relationships. While they differ in terms of plot structure, character dynamics, and narrative style, both stories highlight the struggle for autonomy and the consequences of choices made. “The Story of an Hour” delves into the internal journey of Mrs. Mallard and the fleeting nature of freedom, while “Hills Like White Elephants” delves into the dynamics of a relationship and the potential sacrifices individuals make to maintain it. Through their distinct storytelling approaches, Chopin and Hemingway present readers with compelling narratives that leave lasting impressions and invite contemplation on the intricacies of the human experience.
‘The primary purpose of a narrative is to search for meaning,’ notes literary scholar Katherine Hayles. The need for meaning and interpretation is at the foundation of narrative in modern literature. She calls narratives a technology, which we employ in our search for meaning. Narratives allow us to make sense of the complexities of life, and as human beings, we are constantly seeking to make sense of things. We use the time to structure our understanding of life, and so narrative tends to incorporate a succession of acts and consequences which gain meaning through their chronology and narrative form. Stories structure selected events: developments establish significance. Our search for meaning drives narratives. In modern literature, narratives illustrate experiences of life and enable us to better understand others and ourselves.
They also embody our desire to communicate. Over time, fiction has altered, following a succession of varied desires of audiences and writers. According to McAdams, storytelling is a dialogical interaction that creates and communicates meaning. Storytelling in modernism implies a connection between the teller and the receiver. The teller may imply meanings, the receiver may interpret the story. Narratives yield meaning as a result of the communication from the writer to the reader.
Ernest Hemingway (1899 – 1961) equally revolutionized narrative conventions by writing less about feelings, not more. He urges writers to be to the point, with simple, short sentences. The creator of the iceberg theory and one of the most pivotal writers of the twentieth century, Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954 ‘for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style.’ Shaped by his time as a reporter for the Toronto Star, he believed the impossibility of complete impartiality leads people to distort their communication of it. Human beings are too wrapped up in their own expectations, political motivations, and emotions, to tell the truth without embellishment. His argument was that the internal world is too great an influence on our perception of the external.
Genette distinguishes a ‘first narrative’ and ‘secondary narrative’. First narratives, or main narratives, beginning with the story as it is written. Hemingway’s short stories evidence this distinction between time as it unfolds in the story, and the main narrative, the order the author reveals events in. Within the main narrative, we are told the man picks up ‘two heavy bags. Only by picking bags up would the man know they were heavy— an impartial extra-diegetic narrator could not know. The second narrative emerges as heaviness hints at the fact the couple has been away for some time. The conversation has until then been related by an extra-diegetic narrator, these inflections imply the man is the narrator. Hemingway’s authorial silence is unveiled as the man’s inability to share his feelings clearly. Details allow the reader to build a much larger secondary narrative. The man’s impatience in waiting for the train is implied when states he ‘could not see the train’, and walks through the barroom and thinks of the people there: ‘all waiting reasonably.’ A sense of time as being wider than the story is conveyed through details and Hemingway’s use of anachronism. Anachrony, such as proleptic and analeptic deviations, also creates a secondary narrative. Near the end of Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway focalizes on the young man, who looks at the bags and remembers ‘the hotels where they had spent nights. This analepsis gives the reader a sense of the past. The presence of the parallel tracks, as well as Jig’s conjectures they won’t ‘have it all, leaves the reader on the brink of a prolepsis we are invited to imagine for ourselves. The unanswered question lingers over the short story, the conversation heavy with the implications of the future. The reader is left curious as to where the couple is headed, both in terms of the train and in terms of their relationship. Their conversation is haunted by the weight of expectation. Hemingway chooses to be focalized through the man. The man’s distance from the piece hints at the discomfort he feels.
Genette categorizes methods of narrative into three types of focalization: zero focalization, internal localization, and external focalization. In his short stories, Hemingway uses internal and external focalization to control information. Hills Like White Elephants reads like a reported conversation, from the point of view of an extra-diegetic narrator. As Genette notes, he offers no authorial interpretation. The focus on dialogue and description, as well as the brevity of the piece, give a sense of the story having been stripped back to its essentials.
In Hills Like White Elephants, Jig states everything tastes of licorice. This annoys the man: “Oh, cut it out”. The jig may mean life lacks much depth of flavor, or of everything tasting bittersweet, as aniseed does. Hills Like White Elephants displays ‘ behaviorist’ narration, whereby actions inform the implied reader. The jig would like to escape from the conversation, which we understand from her repeatedly looking away. First to the hills, then at the beads on the curtains. She begs her partner to ‘please stop talking. This conversation demonstrates a behaviorist narrative.
The ‘vision’ an author chooses allows different means of communication. While Hemingway, using external narration, allows the reader to interpret emotive states and internal thoughts, Woolf writes through the lens of internal narration. Her diegetic narration follows zero focalization, interchanging between a variety of characters’ perspectives, as in her most experimental masterpiece, The Waves.
Hills are often representative of obstacles to surmount. Jig, the woman, compares the hills to ‘white elephants. A white elephant is sacred but expensive to maintain. In Thailand, the king would give a white elephant to a rival, or courtesan he was displeased with. Maintaining just one was often enough to cause ruin. A white elephant is a burden, sacred but unwanted. The man responds: ‘I’ve never seen one,’ the man drank his beer.’ Drinking his beer as he replies is interpreted as a lack of interest in both the hills and what Jig conjectures. Her response: ‘No, you wouldn’t have,’ implies she believes him incapable of understanding. He is uninterested in bearing the expensive burden and can rid himself of the responsibility of an unwanted child.
Conclusion
Hemingway also uses train tracks to connote parallel but disparate courses. The tracks are symbolic of the relationship between the two characters, and of the separate courses of thinking in their minds, they have chosen. Both sides of the station represent a different life. The first side is dry land, ‘without trees or shade’, devoid of natural life. As Jig looks out to the hills, she sees ‘fields of grain and trees along the banks. She sees life, not only the life of their love child but of their love itself, which the baby has become symbolic of. She remarks: ‘[they] could have all this,’ meaning the possibilities beyond the hills, the life with a child, and a happy marriage, but implies they won’t. The abortion shows the cracks, the conditionality of their love. The couple grows distant. Their emotional separation is written across Hemingway’s portrayal of their environment. Projections of the internal across the external allow the reader to better understand the narrative.
To have braveness is to do what you desire, barring the care of what others will think. By that preference, Earnest Hemingway is a very brave man. During a time when abortion used to be such an unspoken taboo, Hemingway threw a warning to the wind and wrote `Hills Like White Elephants`, a story about an American man and his girlfriend, Jig. The couple is at an educated station in Europe on their way to Madrid to get Jig an abortion. Symbolism performs an integral role in `Hills Like White Elephants`.
Three indispensable forms of symbolism are shown via Jig`s name, the reference to white elephants, and the bamboo beaded curtain in the teaching station. Symbolism can be needless to say mentioned or it can be barely extra subtle. The pick out of the woman, Jig, is a photograph all in itself. In the book, Jig says ‘I desired to attempt this new drink. That’s all we do, is no longer it–look at matters and strive for new drinks?’ (from the story) Her title displays this due to the fact a jig is moreover a shape of the dimension of alcohol. What is additionally interesting about their names is that the man is a doubt referred to as `an American` and only Jig is given a name, this leads the readers to create the characters into whomever we would like, and by means of way of the symbolism in the title Jig, we are capable to conclude that is the couple is used to being carefree, and they like to phase and `try new drinks`. The largest form of symbolism in the course of this whole story is the symbolism involved with the White Elephants. The white elephants are symbolic of the baby.
A white elephant is a valuable item that has a rate that perhaps surpasses its usefulness. The White Elephant symbolizes distinctive things for both the man and Jig. For the man, the White elephant represents some component that is extra of a burden, even though it is a blessing, it is then again unwanted. ‘They seem like white elephants,’ she said. ‘I’ve in no way viewed one,’ the man drank his beer` (from the story ) This change of phrases shows that he is now not open to considering the opportunity of maintaining the child and desires the girl to have the abortion operation. For Jig this represents more of the treasured factor of the unborn child. The bamboo curtain is additionally used as a symbol that is used to signify the issues that this couple has due to the possibility of a new life. This is due to the reality that Jig needs the toddler and the man doesn`t, as a result, pregnancy acts as a curtain between them. The story describes this curtain by stating, `Close toward the side of the station there used to be the warm shadow of the building and a curtain, made of strings of bamboo beads, hung at some point of the open door into the bar, to hold out flies. (from the story )
The curtain between the couple looks to turn out to be more and greater of a problem due to the fact ‘the female needs the baby, not the abortion, what she says will make no distinction in their relationship and which hypocritically he persists in assuring her he does no longer favor if she objects to it’ (Weeks). As Hemingway said, ‘Writing is easy, you simply need to take a seat at a typewriter, and bleed.’ To me, this quote plausible that you need to be fearless in your writing a write about what you want, besides having to worry about repercussions or what others will suppose about what you are writing about. That is precisely used with the aid Hemingway, did with this story, by way of writing about abortion in a time when abortion used to be such a taboo. I consider that Hemingway completed creating more open thinking in the average being, with the use of his symbolism. He by no means surely makes use of the phrase abortion, and he does not give an opinion as to whether or now not or now not abortion is good. He certainly uses all of his symbolism to nearly provide existence to this unborn child, while additionally conveying the idea that all selections are hard ones, and no longer all picks are made with all of the influences of the determination being wholly on board with what is thought. Hemingway is intentionally very indistinct in his writing and this gives, in addition, that skill to the story by using way of giving it the title ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ which needs to be interpreted and notion about by way of the reader, therefore which include larger depth to the story in simple terms with the title. Hemingway leaves us with an open ending, however, the symbolism for the duration of the story leaves us with simply sufficient statistics so that we are successful to draw our very very own conclusions.
The symbolism indicates through Jig`s name, the reference to white elephants, and the bamboo beaded curtain in the coach station truly helps to supply meaning and direction to a story that would in any other case be bland and confusing. `Hills Like White Elephants` is no longer `raisin bread` as Hemingway would put it, It aspects Hemingway`s clean, plain-style prose; his `iceberg principle of omitting elements and forcing the reader to decode the story
The variety of literary works can easily teach the reader or make to change the reader’s mind and attitude to a situation. On the one hand, the works and their messages differ because of various authors, periods of time, and interests.
On the other hand, the similarities between the works of absolutely different authors are united by their messages to help the reader evaluate this life and make the necessary improvements.
The analysis of Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway and Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin proves that different approaches to life and its challenges, unique visions of the writers, and certain writing techniques may lead to one purpose – promote the reader to think about people around and grasp the ways of how to understand each other.
Such fiction elements like plot, characters, and settings in the two short stories are perfectly described and serve as powerful means to explain the essence of the stories: plots of the stories touch upon the relations of two relatives (a couple in Hills Like White Elephants and brothers in Sonny’s Blues), who need to takes important decisions and think about their future lives in spite of rather depressive and disappointing settings.
The success of the story usually depends on a properly chosen author’s technique. In case with the works of Hemingway and Baldwin, their choices of techniques are justified and rather effective. The plots of the stories under discussion are all about human relations and the necessity to find out the connection and understanding.
The peculiar feature of Baldwin’s plot is the idea to use flashbacks and add to the plot more captivating details and facts. It may seem that the reader knows enough to accept one more idea, however, a new flashback adds another circumstance that should be evaluated on a new level, and the relations between two brothers become more interesting and understandable.
Hemingway describes a certain period of time between two people, who are going to make one of the most important decision in their lives. And even in the situation, when the decision should be taken by both, male domination is still evident, and a girl does not have enough powers and skills to live in accordance with her own principles and demands.
In Hills Like White Elephants, a young couple is bothered with an idea of having a baby. A girl believes that “things are like white elephants” so strange, so innocent, and so beautiful (Hemingway 121). She wants her unborn child help her to accept this world as it is and enjoy its beauty and charm.
However, her couple is not ready to forget about his interests and desires and devote his life to their baby. Almost the same is observed in relations between two bothers in Sonny’s Blues. Sonny tries to demonstrate his brother the beauty of music and the grounds of his choice, but it is hard for the elder brother to follow his brother’s dreams and thoughts.
Settings of the stories deserve more attention, especially the one used by Hemingway. His idea to unite setting with symbolism is winning and more noticeable in comparison to Baldwin’s attempts. Though “there was no shade and no trees” (Hemingway 119), the situation seems to be uncertain.
Everything is not as it should be, and the characters should be ready for a new challenge. The author does not give concrete descriptions but it becomes clear that the idea of abortion is burning. The setting of Sonny’s Blues is clearer: “the people, the houses, the music, the dark, quicksilver barmaid, with menace” (Baldwin 11). The author does not want to use specific setting to attract the reader but relies on his powerful use of flashbacks.
Both reading unite all fictional techniques in a proper way; each writer uses one certain technique better that makes these stories captivating and effective in their own ways. Flashbacks in the plot make Sonny’s Blues more captivating and intriguing for the reader, and powerful examples of symbolism in setting cannot stop amazing the reader of Hemingway’s works.
Works Cited
Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” In Sascha Feinstein and David Rife The Jazz Fiction Anthology. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2009.
Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” In Margaret Bishop Single Scene Short Stories. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith, 2007.
People often face situations that require them to make tough decisions and they have to live by them for the rest of their lives. In the story Hills Like White Elephants, Ernest Hemingway writes about a couple that is in a dilemma about an unborn child and they have to decide on the best decision to take regarding the pregnancy.
Jig and his companion the American are in Spain at a rail station taking drinks while awaiting a train. The American tells Jig to abort the fetus because the procedure is simple. He does not entertain the thought of becoming a parent. After, the deliberation on the issue, Jig decides to carry out the procedure.
Jig and the American man is an unmarried couple who have consummated their relationship and as a result, Jig is pregnant. Her boyfriend the American tells her to get rid of the pregnancy even though the author does not use the word abortion we can deduce its meaning from the conversation, “It’s just to let the air in” (Hemingway 1). The man tells Jig, “It’s really an awfully simple operation. It is not an operational at all” (Hemingway 1).
The American wants the fetus aborted because he does not want it to interrupt his adventurous lifestyle. He is a man who likes to travel from one place to another, their travel bags had labels from the various hotels they had checked into during their travels (Hemingway 1). On the other hand, Jig wants to have the baby as she hints in the conversation. She seems to be tired of the adventure and wants to settle down.
The American man manages to manipulate Jig psychologically by telling her not to abort if she does not want to because he senses her hesitance, “I think it’s the best thing to do. But I don’t want you to do it if you don’t really want to” (Hemingway 1). He tells her that after she aborts they can have everything they want in the world.
However, she does not agree with him and tells him that, “No, we can’t” (Hemingway 1). She is aware that once she loses her child she can never have it back, “And once they take it away, you never get it back” (Hemingway 1). In spite of that knowledge, she seems like she is willing to go through with the procedure not to lose her American. Jig seems afraid of losing the American man “And if I do it you’ll be happy and things will be like they were and you’ll love me” (Hemingway 1)?
The question shows that she is not ready to lose him and says, “Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me” (Hemingway 1). The only thing she cares about is being with him and his love. She also wants to make him happy and reduce his worry because he says the only thing making them unhappy is that baby. Therefore getting rid of the baby will remove the hurdle to their happiness.
She also decides to abort because maybe she knows that marrying a man who is not wiling to settle down would only mean a difficult marriage. The American hints that he is ready to settle if she decides to keep the baby,
“You’ve got to realize …that I don’t want you to do it if you don’t want to. I’m
perfectly willing to go through with it if it means anything to you” (Hemingway 1).
This does not reassure her because the American keeps bullying her into procuring an abortion by drumming in the message that the procedure “is perfectly simple” (Hemingway 1). Thus, she chooses to have the abortion as it seems as the only way out of her current predicament. They do not discuss other options of dealing with the pregnancy such as giving up the baby for adoption and hence she might have decided to abort.
Finally, I think Jig should not abort simply because I belief that abortion is morally wrong. She does not seem to have her own voice. She is controlled by the American because she is willing to go along with his suggestions even if she does not agree with them.
She should keep the baby because she hints that she knows of people who have gone through the procedure and they are not happy. If she goes through with the procedure, she will live with regrets for the rest of her life because she will never be able to bring back her dead child to life again as most of the women who have gone through the procedure attest.
Even if, keeping and raising the child will be a burden she should be willing to bear the consequences of her actions instead of trying to look for an easier way out. She should be firm and tell the American that she will keep the baby and that it is time they stopped their adventurous lifestyle. On the contrary, if she goes through with the abortion she should take precaution not to become pregnant again by using contraceptives because she will find herself in the same predicament yet again.
Work Cited
Hemingway, Ernest . Hills Like White Elephants. gummyprint.com. n.d. Web.
The debate on whether Ernest Hemingway is a misogynist still rages with critics and adherents backing their side of the story. Nevertheless, an essay with a closer investigation into his books might give a hint or two concerning this controversial topic that has refused to exit from scholarly circles.
According to Johnson, “misogyny is a cultural attitude of hatred for females because they are female (1); therefore, a misogynist is someone who upholds this culture. From Hills like White Elephants to The Short Life of Francis Macomber, Hemingway’s style of writing is full of misogyny. It becomes effortless, therefore, to state with clarity Hemingway’s perspective towards women in general.
Firstly, in the majority of his short stories, unhealthy man-woman relationships are prevalent, characterized by imperfections and doomed to failure. Interestingly, in all these cases, women are to blame, as they appear nagging, inadequate, domineering, and selfish. Generally, in Hemingway’s eyes, women are utter failures plunged in emotional apathy by their inability to express their feelings. In short, Ernest Hemingway’ssexist nature is exposited in Hills like White Elephants and The Short Life of Francis Macomber.
The Short Life of Francis Macomber
The main character in this story that turns out to be pathetic is a woman, Margot Macomber. As the story opens, Margot is domineering, literally dictating the life of her husband, Francis. Interestingly, when Francis wields courage to rise above his wife Margot, she cowardly takes his life. What a timid way of dealing with the struggle for power.
Nevertheless, in this case, Hemingway mentions that the only way women can remain in power is through intimidation. As aforementioned, at the beginning of the story, Margot is tyrannizing, while Francis is intimidated. Wilson, the hunter, is the only man who exudes any trait of manhood. Hemingway uses Wilson deliberately as an ideal man that Francis would be if Margot got out of the way.
Hemingway does not hide the uselessness of Wilson in the eyes of Margot; she only uses him as a toy, and even after they have sex Hemingway still questions it. He says, “What’s in her heart, God knows, Wilson thought. She had not talked much last night. At that, it was a pleasure to see her” (Hemingway 21).
Even Wilson feels his uselessness in this woman’s life as he concludes only God knows her intentions in taking him to bed. In this incidence, Hemingway depicts Margot as an emotionally incompetent being who cannot express her feelings freely and earn her place in a man’s heart by merit. She has to employ the only tool she has, intimidation. This is just but an introduction to many of Hemingway’s misogynist nature through Margot.
Francis finally starts to show gradual change towards reclaiming his position as the head of the family only to face a stubborn and scheming Margot. Being the man he is, Wilson sees and applauds Francis’ efforts towards becoming a man, albeit minimal. Pointing at Hemingway’s misogyny, Weeks offers, “Wilson… is the man free of woman and fear. He is the standard of manhood…His dominance over the lady is apparent from the moment she sees him blast the lion from which Macomber ran” (Weeks 120).
Not that Margot cares or even loves Wilson; far from it, she is only interested in the boldness, a trait of masculinity that he possesses. Unfortunately, due to her weaknesses, Margot cannot contain a permanently dominating man in her life; she can only have one on demand, and Wilson comes in handy in this case. Hemingway hates Margot by virtue of being a woman, and this underscores the misogynist he is.
Hemingway’s choice of words exposes his dark side, the grimy side of a man who would otherwise pass for a good writer of all the times. At the slightest show of Macomber’s courage, Francis becomes “clearly a changed being, one who will never allow his wife’s domination again. Complementing this reversal of roles, we find that Margot had been afraid during the chase, and now, feeling nauseous, wants refuge in the ambiguous and evasive shade” (Monk 136).
What more could a weak, insufficient, selfish, and emotionally pathetic woman do? Well, Hemingway knows better, and the best one can offer in reciprocation is hatred, which is something that he offers philanthropically. He hates women with passion; no wonder, Margot could only be a failure in this story. To cap her weaknesses, Margot kills Francis after realizing his growing dominance in their relationship. Evidently, Francis’ life is shorter than what Hemingway evokes in the title of the short story, courtesy of Margot.
Hills like White Elephants
The unlucky woman in this short story is Jig, an incompetent woman incapable of communicating her feelings or making any independent judgment. Hemingway introduces Jig as ‘the girl,’ “the American and girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building” (Hemingway 87).
Jig here passes for a nameless girl, at least in Hemingway’s perspective. Throughout the short story, Hemingway fails to bring out the “girl’s” emotions or attitudes concerning anything that happens around her. Hemingway paints Jig as a clueless, pathetic, and tasteless woman who cannot make simple decisions like what to drink. She admits that it is hot; nevertheless, she cannot state with clarity what drink to take.
Instead, she asks, “What should we drink” (Hemmingway, 87). As aforementioned, Hemingway deliberately chooses his words to belittle women at every encounter. The fact that Jig cannot take a stand and say I will take this or that opting to consult the American is a strong indication of how frail she is. Jig’s naivety comes out clearly; after it emerges that, she cannot even order the drinks, for she does not understand Spanish.
Therefore, she has to depend on the male figure in this case. One can conclude that feminism in Hemingway’s works is not present in any aspect. As opposed to The Short Life of Francis Macomber, where Margot is domineering, Hemingway uses Hills like White Elephants to show how voiceless and weak women are by their failure to stand on their own. The indecisiveness of Hemingway’s female characters stands out conspicuously when the issue of abortion raises in this short story.
Jig knows for sure she does not want to abort her child; however, she chooses to remain silent about the issue. When the American suggests, “I know you wouldn’t mind it, Jig. It is not anything. It’s just to let the air in” (Hemingway 90), Jig remains silent. She finally gives in citing, “I don’t care about me…I care about you” (Hemingway 90).
In this case, Hemingway gives the impression that women are indecisive, bound to compromise their principles in the name of love and care. If Jig does not care about herself, she cannot probably care about anyone else. One cannot give what she/he does not have. How can she care about the American if she does not care about herself? Hemingway uses this instance to ridicule women and satisfy his misogyny.
Reducing women to such humbling levels is tantamount to stripping them of their dignity and self-worth. Nevertheless, the reason why Hemingway does this is that he hates women with a passion for purposes best known to him. The reader can only speculate, and the only valid speculation here is that he hates women by virtue of being women, and this underscores him being a misogynist.
To some extent, Jig is also gullible. She keeps on changing topics even in the middle of a seemingly essential discussion. For instance, she keeps on referring to the ‘bead curtain,’ which is unrelated to the point in dispute; that is, abortion. Portraying women this way strips Hemingway of any respect for women exposing the misogynist novelist that he is.
Conclusion
Whether Hemingway is a misogynist or not, is no longer a point of debate; his works speak it all as exposited in this writing. Women, just like anybody else, have shortcomings and strengths alike; unfortunately, Hemingway is blind towards the strengths, he can only see the weaknesses.
Consequently, he writes what he sees viz. weaknesses, and this explains why his writings concentrate on exposing women’s weaknesses. Margot, in The Short Life of Francis Macomber, rules her husband only to silence, inferiority screams that rage within her. On the other hand, Jig in Hills like White Elephants cannot make even a simple decision like choosing the drink to take. At his best, Hemingway is a misogynist, a woman-hater for no apparent reason.
Works Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Scribner, 2003. Web.
Johnson, Allan. The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology: A User’s Guide to Sociological Language. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Inc, 2000.
Ernest Hemingway’s 1927 short story “Hills like White Elephants” has lately become an important short story, despite being ignored for more than 50 years due to its lack of conventional literal characteristics. From a critical view, the story has several in-depth meanings that were previously ignored. In particular, the feministic view of Hemingway’s society is evident in the story. Hemingway attempts to express the feministic movement of the mid 20th century.
Using Jig as an example, the author has attempted to show how the early 20th century European and American societies viewed females. The story provides an example of male dominance over females in all aspects, which makes women unable to make their own decisions. Arguably, the author uses Jig to portray the development of women rights and feminist movements against the male-dominated world, which is demonstrated by the American boyfriend.
Jig is probably 19 or 20 years, judging from her perceptions and expression of ideas. She seems to be naïve but ready to settle down for marriage or bring up her children. On the other hand, she is afraid of her American boyfriend, and cannot express her ideas, fearing to disappoint him. However, her character changes significantly towards the end of the story.
According to Renner (1), the development of Jig’s character and perception is a representation of the development of women through feminist movements and can be divided into four basic stages. The first step concerns the submissive and passive presentation of Jig’s behavior, which was a social expectation of women before the early and mid-20th-century feminist movements. In this particular situation, the author portrays the gender roles of the time. In particular, the dominance nature of the male is evident.
While Jig realizes that she is not ready for the “small operation” that the American suggest and insists, she is unable to express her concern and decision not to take the “small operation.” She is submissive right from the first time. For instance, the story starts with Jig asking the American boyfriend, “what are we going to drink?” (Hemingway 572).
The American replies by ordering drinks for the two without asking what Jig wanted. This proves the dominance of males at the beginning of the story. As Hemingway continues with the narration, the audience is introduced to several other aspects that show how males dominated females in society.
For instance, Jig wants to try ‘Anis del Toro,’ her favorite drink for the day. However, she cannot order it without the man’s approval or permission. Thus, she requests him for permission to try the drink. In reply, the man takes the responsibility of asking the drink from the waiter. This further proves that Jig, as an example of female plight before the 20th-century feministic movement, is respecting the man such that she cannot order the drinks of her preference.
Moreover, when Anis del Toro is brought, the waiter asks whether they would like to take it with water. The American asks Jig whether she wanted it with water, but she replies that she did not know. She asks her boyfriend whether “it is good with water,” to which the man replies, “It is alright.”
Thus, the man seems to be responsible for what the young girl drinks. This is a further reflection of the character of the society at the time when males influenced or dictated even the simplest decisions that women were supposed to make about their welfare.
It is also evident that the American man does not give Jig a chance to express her answers to the waiter. He dominates the conversation, which is meant to let every customer express his or her preferences. The man is deciding for Jig, even without considering her preferences.
From a critical view, it is clear that the man’s behavior is a step towards the analysis of his behavior towards the girl when it comes to more important issues. The author uses the first section of the story to show that the man was dominating every decision the girl makes right from the beginning. In the second step, the man expresses his oppressive and dominating nature when the issue of abortion is placed on the table.
He also seems to have a chauvinistic attitude regarding the “operation,” which is most likely used about abortion, which the girl is being made to consider. According to Renner (3), the American is so high-handed about the “procedure” that he pretends to know everything about it. Despite being a man and unable to know the procedure, he tells the girl that it “…is a really simple procedure…like letting the air in” (Hemingway 573).
He seems to ignore the risks involved in taking abortions, especially at the time when it was a risky, illegal, and unethical act. He does not consider the trauma involved or the possible mental, moral, legal, and religious conflicts likely to arise after the operation. It appears that all that he wants is to have the Jig maintain her girlish status. He also wants to avoid children to have her on his side as he makes leisure trips around the world. He attempts to downplay the procedure in all aspects.
In the second step of Jig’s personality evolution, Jig expresses her attitudes but avoids invoking a conflict or disobeying her boyfriend. She says that she will take the procedure because she “does not care about me.” Hemingway attempts to show the selfishness in the man and Jig’s ability to show her attitudes. She wants to express her feelings towards the procedure and the man’s continued dominance in decision-making, even those that concern her more than him.
In this case, she seems to have evolved a step further because she has realized that the man is forcing her to take a risky procedure, which she knows is not only risky but also morally, socially and ethically illegal. At this stage, both individuals are portrayed as happy. However, Jig has only agreed to the man’s decision to please him. She seems to be happy, yet she is still aware of her boyfriend’s selfish behavior.
In the third step of Jig’s evolution of personality, she mentions that the hills above the railway line look like white elephants. From a shallow perspective, she was referring to the hills that were surrounding the area. It seems that the setting was in summer in Spain, which made it possible for the couple to move around for leisure. Nevertheless, a deep examination of the meaning reveals that Jig was using the phrase to symbolize her perceptions of the man’s decision to take an abortion.
She was making him note that the procedure is a difficult task to her, despite his constant argument that it is a small process. Also, it is possible that the “white elephant” was used about an unborn child, which is rare, precious, and sacred. In the normal terms, “white elephant” is a term that means a rare, precious and sometimes sacred animal.
To Jig, the unborn child she is probably carrying is a rare and precious thing to her. She expects to have her child in the normal way and lead a normal life. She is also in love with the kid and holds to the belief that an unborn child is sacred and should not be killed.
Towards the end of the story, the author describes the fourth step in the evolution of Jig’s feministic personality. Here, she seems to have come to a decision not to take an abortion, regardless of the man’s reaction. The man says, “I want to take the bags to the other side of the station” when the train was almost arriving. It seems that he has realized that Jig has refused to accept his suggestion. It seems that Jig has decided not to talk about the issue anymore, probably after making her own decision.
Therefore, the evolution of Jig’s character in this story signifies the evolution of female roles and feministic movements up to the mid 20th century. Like Jig, women were initially submissive and unable to express their concerns. Later, a conflict between them and males arose when females realized that males were using their dominance to force them to take certain decisions. The arising of feminist movements placed pressure on males, making them admit that females have the right to make important decisions.
Works Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2006. Print.
Renner, Stanley. “Moving to the Girl’s Side of Hills like White Elephants”. Hemingway Review 15.1 (2009): 27-42. Print.
The story, set in a bar at a Madrid train station is about an American man and a Spanish woman having a conversation about possibilities of aborting their unborn child. The title itself bears the image of the hills symbolizing the distended stomach of a pregnant lady which captures the expectations on the side of the woman. Apart form the title, imagery is also implicit in the story. The pair is in a train station that is situated between two sides with variant features: one side is full of lush green vegetation, and the other one is dry and barren.
Birth brings forth life while abortion leads to lifelessness. Lack of harmony between both sides symbolizes the divergent views that the man and woman have. The man opts for abortion, which in his view will bring freedom from the responsibility of child bearing and rearing while the lady cannot wait to experience the birth of her baby which will be a new beginning.
On either side of the station, there are tracks. The fact that they run parallel to each other is an implicit image for a clash of opinions between the two. Also, at the end of the story, a decision is not made just as the tracks that run parallel never meet. The couple disperses five minutes to the arrival of a train, and the reader is left wondering whether such an arrival symbolizes the birth of a baby or beginning of freedom for a young couple as envisaged by the man.
Imagery in James Baldwin’s ‘Sonny’s Blues’
‘Sonny’s Blues’ is set in Harlem where the narrator, a teacher, exposes struggles of a young man, Sonny. The struggles within members of Harlem society are symbolized in the story, particularly as a struggle between evil or darkness and light. There is turmoil between forces of good and evil in Harlem neighborhoods where youths struggle to escape from it through drugs, crime, art, or denial.
In various instances, an image of light is brought out. In the beginning, flickering headlights of a car provide illumination for the narrator as he reads about the arrest of Sonny. Towards the end, the narrator fears that bystanders will be destroyed by too much light as they stand behind the band stand. It symbolizes the care with which they should tread in their efforts to seek truth and happiness in life. This is because the world is said to be “hungry as a tiger”, symbolizing the harsh realities of life in Harlem.
Darkness symbolizes ignorance and suffering; people that are on edge seek nourishment through song, dance, and drugs. At one time the narrator mistakenly blames jazz as the cause of his brother’s addiction only to see the ‘light’ at the end when he witnesses his brother perform which serves as an awakening of sorts. After the performance, Sonny places scotch and milk on the piano, and the narrator sees the glass glow reinforcing the awakening.
Another image of light is the moonlit road which the narrator’s mother remembers as he informs her sons about an uncle who died earlier. Light symbolizes a break from the past; where their mother is ready to reveal secrets. Apart from light and darkness, ice is mentioned concerning the shock of receiving news of Sonny’s arrest. The image of ice settling on the narrator’s berry is one of an unpleasant experience for a teacher who is struggling to understand his brother and rise from upheavals in Harlem.
Authors frequently use elements of nature in their works to underline conflicts, illustrate an idea, reflect the feelings of characters or amplify the drama. Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Swift, Maugham, and many others often intertwine individuals with surroundings. In his short story, “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway also uses landscape features in a meaningful way. The author’s depiction of Ebro valley in this literary work is symbolic of a choice to have a child, and the dry, treeless land on the opposite side is representative of the life after abortion.
Jig’s indecision about birthgiving is reflected through the change in the metaphorical perception of the valley and hills. Through the power of the character’s observation and imagination, these natural sights become a symbol of life, something that is pleasant and full of energy and force as opposed to a flat country that is “brown and dry” (Hemingway 475) Yet, in some instances, brief moments of doubt about the decision to have a child, she stops recognizing elephants in hills and fails to believe that she could reside among those lively green spaces.
Consequently, hills cease being a symbol of life and become lifeless terrain elements again that serve solely as beautiful natural decor. This change in the role of a natural element is representative of a difficult choice of whether to give birth. The disbelief in the reality of the valley echoes the same fear. There are also other landscape features that are connected with this dilemma.
The barren land on the other side of the railroad is juxtaposed to the greenery and hills in the aspect of harmonious and loving family relationship versus abortion and relationship stalemate. If river banks represent the positive outcomes of a maternity decision, then that which is beyond their eyesight are the notions they dread. Jig, looking at the valley, says, “We could have all this,” which seems to be life, pleasure, love, and harmony (Hemingway 477).
She changes her mind again and contradicts this remark. The positive symbolic elements that the valley and hills represent will lose their relevance if she decides against having a child. Thus, the landscape on which nothing can grow, such as the wasteland on the other side of the railroad, represents abortion. The elements of this barren terrain vividly illustrate the outcomes of it. The two types of scenery are also intricately connected to symbols in other ways.
The valley, as opposed to flat, treeless plains, can be symbols of happiness and infertility, respectively, that represent a family and the end of the relationship. The valley is the dream of a happy life that abortion will make impossible. Jig understands that once the abortion is made and the life is taken, “you never get it back,” which might mean that she may lose the potential to give birth again (Hemingway 477). Nature illustrates this decision when she looks at the barren side of the landscape. It appears that nature as a whole, including hills and dry land, forms a strong connection to the protagonists’ dilemma.
In conclusion, the valley and treeless wasteland are symbolic of the consequences of the protagonists’ life choices. Rich with vegetation, Ebro valley represents new life which becomes evident from Jig’s desire to animate the hills and concentrate on observing the beauty of trees and rivers. On the other hand, the dry land is the symbol of death and infertility which is seen through the dialogue with the American.
Work Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills like White Elephants.” The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction, edited by Ann Charters, 6th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003, pp. 475-478.
The writers representing the Lost Generation produced works that influenced the development of literature after the First World War. In particular, Ernest Hemingway and Ezra Pound challenged the traditional way of writing and established the modernist era. Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants and Pound’s In A Station of the Metro share several similarities even though they belong to different literary genres. Both works use the theme of conflict, examining the opposite, contrasting concepts. Hemingway’s (1927) story explores talking versus communication, as well as family versus freedom of choice. Pound’s (1913) poem contrasts reality and imagination, arrival and departure. Although these literary works describe different contexts, they are similar in their existentialist nature and the theme of confusion. In Hemingway’s (1927) Hills Like White Elephants, the girl feels unsure about “an awfully simple operation” that the man pressures her to undergo (p. 2). In In A Station of the Metro, the reader is confused since trains arrive and depart quickly, only revealing people’s “faces in the crowd” for mere moments. No background is provided for the characters, which emphasizes the implicit nature of both works.
Another similarity can be seen in the author’s word choice, which serves the purpose of creating vivid imagery. Hemingway’s (1927) character describes hills that “look like white elephants,” which is a symbol of something unwanted and too massive not to notice (p. 1). This symbol stands for the woman’s unborn child, whom she seems to want to keep. Similarly, Pound (1913) uses words to paint a vivid image of a metro station: “apparition”, “petals on a wet, black bough.” Furthermore, the style of both works is precise, sparse, and full of symbols. Overall, Hemingway’s short story and Pound’s poem are similar in their use of imagery, inner conflict, and a sense of life’s ephemeral nature.