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Comparing Gender Roles In The Chrysanthemums, And The Yellow Wall

688 Words3 Pages

CLAIM: “Hills Like White Elephants," “The Chrysanthemums,” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” were written to give social commentary on the strained relationship between men and women of the time by depicting women in lesser roles and unfairly dependant on men. Steinbeck, Hemingway, and Gilman understood the social injustice of gender roles in their society. In each story, women are written in a way which reflects their less influential positions. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway introduces the characters in his story as “man” and “girl” (1). By introducing the male character in this manner, he implies adulthood and importance. By referring to the female character as “girl,” Hemingway gives her a child-like status, which is often seen as inferior to adult status. This gives off an air of tension as the two are then seen as unequal. Steinbeck …show more content…

By portraying Elisa as a gardener and Henry as the businessman, Steinbeck shows that the male often had the role of the “breadwinner” in his time, even though Elisa is depicted as far more capable in the story, written as being able to plant and grow anything (2). Steinbeck included these seemingly minor details to outline the injustice that strained the relationship between men and women. Lastly, in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman writes the Narrator as saying, “Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do?” (1). By writing the narrator as someone who does not work, but wants to, Gilman is

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The Chrysanthemums Literary Analysis Essay

374 Words | 2 Pages

The Chrysanthemums Literary Analysis One of the themes of “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck is gender inequality. In this short story, the main character Elisa Allen was a strong, smart woman who was stuck being a common housewife. Elisa wishes she could go out and be like the tinker, sleeping under the stars and adventuring every day of her life. Elisa’s husband owns a ranch of some sorts, and when he tells Elisa of the business deal he’d just made he gave her an unspecific explanation, or a dumbed down one so he doesn’t “confuse her”.

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Use Of Diction In Ernest Hemingway's 'Hills Like White Elephants'

201 Words | 1 Pages

In “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway employs characterization and diction to illustrate that men can be very powerful and horrible. While introducing the characters the narrator says, “The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building” (1). Ernest Hemingway uses diction to emphasize that there is an American man and a foreign girl. He wants readers to consider that the man has power because he is more experienced than the underage girl. After telling her it’s her decision and trying to sway her decision he reveals “‘I think it’s the best thing to do.

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Hills Like White Elephants Literary Analysis

1554 Words | 7 Pages

Throughout the short story (1), “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway is speaking about a seemingly unwanted pregnancy and a woman’s uneasiness with going through an abortion. However, Hemingway never explicitly says in this work of fiction (2) that it is about abortion or that the woman, Jig, is uncomfortable with it, but uses symbolism (3) to present this to the audience. At the time “Hills like White Elephants” was published, in 1927, abortion was illegal in most places and a very taboo subject that wasn’t to be openly discussed in public. Thus, Hemingway relied greatly upon the use of symbolism to get his message across for this reason as well as the third person narrator (4) that did not give insight into the character’s thoughts within this piece of literature (5) . He uses symbols such as the train station, white hills, the baggage, and the drinks to point towards the underlying internal conflict (6) of Jig’s decision that is being heavily influenced by the American man, who wants Jig to get the abortion.

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The Use Of Symbolism And Similes In Hills Like White Elephants

320 Words | 2 Pages

Through the use of symbolism and similes in his story “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway suggests that weak relationships may not be able to survive unforeseen circumstances especially when one partner is unwilling to empathize Throughout “Hills Like White Elephants” the girl has conflicting feelings on having an abortion, she remarks that the hills “look like white elephants” (1). This alludes to the game white elephant, a game where a person gets an unwanted present. This simile presents how the child is still a gift even if unwanted. Additionally, the girl focuses on how, “Everything tastes like licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for”(2).

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What Is Steinbeck's Central Idea Of The Chrysanthemums

1209 Words | 5 Pages

Steinbeck’s central idea suggests women can be confined by, and conditioned to follow, society’s adherence to stereotypical gender roles. Steinbeck uses the round characterization of Elisa to further his central idea. Throughout the narrative, the author tends to characterize Elisa in traditionally masculine terms: “Her face was lean and strong

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Comparing Isolation In 'Hills Like White Elephants And Salvation'

1559 Words | 7 Pages

“They look like white elephants,” (Hemingway 276) The symbolism of white elephants is huge within “Hills Like White Elephants” is very important to revealing the theme of “Hills Like White Elephants”. A white elephant can be either a troublesome possession, or a possession of little to no value, at least to its owner, it is also often unexpected. In this case, the white elephant is the girl. To the man, she is troublesome, and truthfully, something of little value to him.

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Hills Like White Elephants Figurative Language

148 Words | 1 Pages

One of the most interesting aspects of Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants" is the use of symbols and figurative language to indicate the meaning of his short story. Hemingway's complex writing style conveys a major theme of talking versus communicating. " Hills Like White Elephants" focuses on an American man and a young woman named Jig at a train station in Spain in the 1920s where they discuss if Jig should get an abortion or not. Although the couple has a conversation throughout the entire story, neither of them can articulate their feelings effectively and take the time to listen or understand each other. Hemingway's significant use of figurative language allows the reader to realize that the description of the setting in the

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Gender Linked Miscommunication In Hills Like White Elephants

217 Words | 1 Pages

"Gender-Linked Miscommunication in 'Hills Like White Elephants,'" is Pamela Smiley's critique of Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants" in which she identifies gendered miscommunication between the American man and Jig. Jig is pregnant with the American man's child. However, the American is in search of freedom, which he feels will be lost if the baby is brought into this world. But, for Jig, she expresses subtly, in a gender-linked message, a suggestion that the abortion would have a negative impact upon their lives.  "Even though traditional female language is generally more skillful and creative than traditional male language, because his is more authoritative, and powerful, the male's best effects submission" (Smiley 10).

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Analysis Of Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

1006 Words | 5 Pages

In the story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemmingway, there is an apparent power imbalance between the two main characters. The man in the story is either referred to as the American or the man, while the woman is referred to as the girl. When referring to someone as “the man” Hemingway is implying that he is an adult. While the word “girl” implies that she is a child. This is evidence that the girl is younger than the man or is seen as more immature which results in the man having a significant role of responsibility over the girl.

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The Dialogue In Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

1629 Words | 7 Pages

The dialogue in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” reveals a man’s and a woman’s incongruent conflict on abortion, and the author’s fundamentally feminist position is visible in the portrayal of the woman’s independent choice of whether or not to keep the baby she is carrying. The plot is very simple in the story which is less than 1500 words long. A woman and a man spend less than an hour on a hot summers day at a Spanish train station in the valley of Ebro as they are waiting for a train heading for Madrid. Their dialogue takes up most of the space and only few major actions take place.

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Gender Roles In Soldiers Home By Ernest Hemingway

676 Words | 3 Pages

Two of the major topics that Ernest Hemingway portrays in his writings are gender roles and the lost generation. The story that portrays both of these the most is “Hills Like White Elephants.” This story is symbolism for an abortion that only one of the characters wants. The other story that portrays the lost generation is “Soldiers Home.” Gender roles play a huge part on the lost generation in these stories.

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The Sun Also Rises Gender Roles

996 Words | 4 Pages

Therefore, Hemingway's novel basically goes against the American Dream. The purpose of this paper is to analyze Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises by using the theme of gender roles. An odd trait for by The Sun

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Hills Like White Elephants Feminist Analysis

2033 Words | 9 Pages

In the short stories, “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway and The Hand” by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, the authors have depicted women and their society. Readers can fully grasp the idea of a patriarchal system with how the men in the stories overpower the women. Although both were written and published in the same decade, with "The Hand" wrote in 1924 and "Hills Like White Elephants" published in 1927, there are distinct differences in the way the authors have portrayed women and their strength. One has taken the stereotypical woman route, a submissive individual under restraint while the other took a step forward and showed empowerment of his character over a controversial topic. It is through these stories that the readers could explore women and their society.

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Hills Like White Elephants Literary Analysis

798 Words | 4 Pages

The work of Ernest Hemingway offers the reader a chance to dwell in the world of struggle and decision-making. Moreover, the interaction between the girl and the American keenly reveals a sense of insecurity within a relationship built on persistent distractions. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway uses simplicity in conversation, essential symbolism, and character development to expose the couple’s immaturity and the choice between romance and family. Hemingway effectively disguises the growing tension between the girl and the American through idle conversation. Several instances demonstrated the uncomfortable air that surrounded the two.

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Literary Analysis of 'Hills Like White Elephants'

839 Words | 4 Pages

“Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story written by the American author Ernest Hemingway. The story was first published in 1927 in the experimental literary journal transition and later on during the same year in the second collection of short stories written by Hemingway called Men Without Women. Ernest Hemingway is regarded as one of the most important writers of the 20th century and most of his works are considered as classics of American literature. After a first read of the short story “Hills Like White Elephants”, the reader can clearly see that Hemingway entwined some autobiographical components into the story, especially his lifelong difficulty to engage in meaningful relationships with women in particular.

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