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Abortion In David Wallace's Hills Like White Elephants

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In 1973, the Supreme Court made a ruling on the Roe v. Wade case which would grant women the right to legally have an abortion. The ruling made that day has become of the most renowned and debated decisions our Supreme Court would ever make. Even though the operation has been legal since 1973, the controversy surrounding it has not come to a conclusion. In David Wallace’s story “Good People” you get to experience first hand, just how debilitating abortion contemplating can be even if you are a good person.“Good People” follows Lane and his girlfriend Sherri, the young Christian couple is expecting a child. As a result of their faith, you witness how it affects them. Also in Ernest Hemingway’s story “Hills Like White Elephants” you see another …show more content…

Religion is the metal detector that guides people throughout the treacherous minefield, we like to call life. If you were to ask Lane Dean from “Good People” he would likely agree with that assessment. Lane once lived a simpler life, but ever since his unplanned pregnancy he has been completely torn. “It was of two great and terrible armies within himself, opposed and facing each other, silent.” (Wallace 153) Lane is so invested in his faith that it is literally tearing him apart. Moreover, it has him unconditionally questioning every aspect of his life, even his faith which has accompanied him thus far. “He was starting to believe that he might not be serious in his faith.” (Wallace 151) To someone that isn’t one hundred percent devoted to their faith it may seem strange, but be assured instances like this are very common in the real world as well. This is all a result of most religions having strict guidelines to follow when it comes to topics such as premarital sex and abortion.

“Premarital sex involves any kind of sexual contact prior to entering into a legal marriage relationship. There are a number of reasons why Scripture and traditional Christianity oppose this. God designed sex to be enjoyed within a committed marital relationship. To remove it from that context is to pervert its use and severely limit its enjoyment.”

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Regardless of age, gender, and race, everyone encounters different problems in his or her daily life. Whether the problems are as simple as getting up in the morning or untangling the headphones, people need to find a solution to solve them. The only thing that matters is what solutions they will seek. In David Foster Wallace’s “Good People,” he narrates a story about two college students, Lane Dean, Jr. and Sheri Fisher, who face a dilemma of choosing between either abortion or keeping their baby. They are torn between these choices because they come from a religious family, in which abortion is unethical and immoral.

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Charlotte Taft once said “Women who have abortions do so because they value life and because they take very seriously the responsibilities that come not just with birth, but with nurturing a human being”. The Editorial Board at The New York Times believes in this statement as well. The Editorial Board published an editorial on June 27, 2016 titled “A major Victory for Abortion Rights”. The article published, is about a change in Texas 's anti-abortion law and is intended for woman who can or will bear children. The editorial was created to persuade these women that if another woman who is pregnant and cannot keep the unborn child or does not want to keep the child, that these women should have the right to abort the embryo or fetus legally.

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Survival is started to feel unlikely. Throughout the story keeping faith alive or conceding was a constant battle due to these harsh conditions. From questioning the existence of God, to questioning the honesty of one another, and questioning whether they will make it to the south alive; the main characters struggle to keep faith alive. Being on the run and continuously having to watch your back from danger all over, results in a sense of weariness and hopelessness. In this story faith and doubt functions to exhibit the power and significance of each.

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Thus, the couple is stuck in a battle between right and wrong as well as good, and evil. As the story proceeds, one will notice Wallace uses various writing techniques to depict his character, Lane Dean, in order to let readers gain a better understanding of him. For instance, he uses a third person point of view to describe Lane’s struggles, feelings, and thoughts. The usage of third person point of view in David Wallace’s “Good People” enables readers to learn Lane Dean’s struggles.

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