A Comparison Of Hills Like White Elephants And The Oval Portrait

Despite the time gap in literary history, pieces from Modernism Prose and Dark Romanticism are comparable in many ways. Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Oval Portrait” are two short stories that highlight the almost misogynistic dynamics that exist within relationships, as well as incorporate imagery and the idea of sacrifice into their pieces. “Hills Like White Elephants” demonstrates the impact of pressure on a relationship and individual, as the woman is stripped of her own thoughts and feelings regarding her abortion. On the other hand “The Oval Portrait” is a more mysterious piece regarding the ignorance and death of an artist’s wife. Though comparable in many other ways, the two short stories

In Poe’s piece he vividly describes an eerie chateau, noting specifically that it appeared to “[be] temporarily and very lately abandoned” (Poe). Through usage of the dark romantic trait, Poe implements an uncanny and almost sinister feeling to the short story which in turn established an eerie and mysterious impression amongst his audience. The presence of imagery not only allows Poe to establish the setting and tone of the piece, but also allows the reader to foreshadow the death of the woman, as death is typically set in the environment described when pertaining to the dark romantic era. Hemingway also explores the use of imagery through his characters when he compares the hills near the train station to “‘white elephants” (Hemingway). The term ‘white elephant’ typically describes something unwanted, like the junk gifted as part of the Christmas tradition in which many Americans participate. The woman’s

For example, in “Hills Like White Elephants” the man attempts to pressure his significant other into an abortion by explaining how it’s “‘an awfully simple operation’”(Hemingway), when in reality the process is both physically and mentally grueling. He uses his established dominance over the woman to attempt to downplay the seriousness of having an abortion as well as pressure her into going through with it. His willingness to jeopardize the woman’s health in order to maintain their relationship not only shows ignorance, but also demonstrates his lack of value for her as an equal in their relationship. Similarly, in “The Oval Portrait'' the painter is so obsessed with preserving his wife’s beauty that he created the perfect image of her. The visitor notes that “The arms, the bosom, and even the ends of the radiant hair melted imperceptibly into the vague yet deep shadow” (Poe) of the portrait. The man used his artistic abilities in order to document and preserve her image perfectly; however, in doing so he created an idealized version of her which he had the power to manipulate to emphasize her beauty. This misuse of power causes him to become so absorbed in the imaginative version of his wife that he doesn’t take the time to realize that she had long perished. In addition to pressuring for an abortion, the man in “Hills Like White Elephants” also shows