Monday, February 11, 2013
Rachel Zuckowich Blog 2 Hills like White Elephants
In “Hills like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway,
there is a repetitive symbolism of light versus dark, and the superiority of the
male, American character. Throughout the text the girl keeps referring to the white
hills and how they contrast with the dark country. The white hills symbolize
innocence, and youthful daydreams. There is a connotation that the operation
the couple reference is an abortion. In the quotation, “Once they take it away
you can never get it back.” The girl could be talking about a baby; once they
take it away you can never get that life back. The white hills could resemble a
pregnant looking belly, and the dry country would be the bad relationship with
the man and no baby. The decision itself on whether to have an abortion or not
is a burden as heavy as an elephant. I can tell there is tension between the
two. The man wants to discuss the topic, while the girl would love for him to “please
stop talking.” I think there is an age difference between the two, the girl
seems very immature. The man appears to be in charge in the relationship. Although
he wants the girl to decide for herself, it is very obvious that he is pushing
for the operation. By the narrator calling the man by “American” it makes him
more superior. He thinks of himself as above everyone else, particularly women.
When calling over the waitress he says, “Listen.” Rather than asking, he demands.
There is obviously a language barrier, the man orders for the girl and
translates for her. She is dependent on him and he is in control. When calling
the girl character “the girl”, it automatically degrades her, not having her be
worthy of a name. Even the girl finds herself worthless when saying, “I don’t care
about me.” She is desperate for love and wants to please her lover, but is worried
about how the operation will affect their relationship. The couple gets ready
to board the train, and it is unknown what the girl decides.
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Based on what you know from the text, what is your opinion as to what she decides?
ReplyDeleteI liked your analysis of the white hills. I didn't think about how they could symbolize innocence, especially in contrast with the otherwise dark landscape. I agree that the man plays the dominant role in the relationship. When the girl kept telling him to stop talking, I thought she was overwhelmed by the topic and couldn't/didn't want to handle dealing with it, but I can see how that also makes her appear immature. I also thought it was interesting that the characters are fairly anonymous. The girl does have a name, but I'm not sure if it's her real name or a nickname, and the man is simply "the American."
ReplyDeleteI agree with the language barrier and your example used to describe how the man is in control, or demanding. I can see where you think there is an age difference as well. The girl giving the "American" superiority by giving in to what he says and not caring about what she feels. This might have to do with the age difference in maturity and respect, but this also shows that she is truly dependent on him in whatever he has to say about it all.
ReplyDeleteRachel,
ReplyDeleteYou write, “In “Hills like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway, there is a repetitive symbolism of light versus dark, and the superiority of the male, American character. The syntax here suggests the “superiority of the male” is a symbol as well. Is this what you mean? Sentence as a whole needs a bit of reworking.
“The girl” = Jig; she’s named in the text
“The white hills symbolize innocence, and youthful daydreams.” Entirely possible, but you’ll need to explain the assertion. Are they meant to symbolize Jig’s naïve hopes while the dark valleys symbolize the American’s dilemma?
Same here – “In the quotation, “Once they take it away you can never get it back.” The girl could be talking about a baby; once they take it away you can never get that life back. The white hills could resemble a pregnant looking belly, and the dry country would be the bad relationship with the man and no baby.” Interesting ideas to be sure, but why/how does the “dry” country” = “bad relationship”? Explain.
I like this: “The decision itself on whether to have an abortion or not is a burden as heavy as an elephant.”
“I can tell there is tension between the two.” Is this then an external conflict between two characters?
“I think there is an age difference between the two, the girl seems very immature.” The text does imply this, yes, but you’d need to provide textual evidence supplying proof of said immaturity.”
“By the narrator calling the man by “American” it makes him more superior. He thinks of himself as above everyone else, particularly women.” Doesn’t the use of “American” also connote that Jig . . . isn’t? And that he’s in a foreign country? Not sure whether you’re doing Reader Response or New Criticism yet, but if you choose N.C, you’d want to highlight “American” as one of those “ambiguous” words that has a denotative (literally identifies him geographically and by nationality) and a connotative (suggests he and Jig aren’t from the same place AND that he’s “above” her) meaning.
“He thinks of himself as above everyone else, particularly women. When calling over the waitress he says, “Listen.” Rather than asking, he demands.” Good observation – his mannerisms and tone suggest he’s used to getting what he wants and being heard.
“When calling the girl character “the girl”, it automatically degrades her, not having her be worthy of a name. Even the girl finds herself worthless when saying, “I don’t care about me.” Some truth to this ,and good job using the text to support your point, but she IS named (but yes, also referred to as ‘the girl’).
“The couple gets ready to board the train, and it is unknown what the girl decides.” This deserves a lot of attention in the paper. IF you’re doing Reader Response, then this is an obvious gap requiring the reader to “fill in”, and you’ll want to explain how (and why) you fill it in as you do. You might do so using both textual signals that imply the conclusion and your own reasons for drawing a conclusion (i.e., a reader might decide Jig prevails because she’d like to think she herself would in a similar situation). If you’re doing NC, then this conclusion likely doesn’t solve a paradox , leaving the “problem”, ironically, just as much a problem as it was prior to the conversation mean to fix said problem.
In any case, I hope this helps you as you write/finalize your paper. Definitely on the right track. Make your theoretical intentions clear very early on.
A
In the words of Bridget Jones from Bridget Jones's Diary "[Your analysis] is a searing vison of the wounds our century has inflicked on, on traditional masculinity." The girl was undecided about marrying the dude to say the very least, she was prompting him to make a commitment to settling down. And quite frankly, he demonstrated as obviously as he could he didn't want to do that.
ReplyDelete