The Iliad By Homer And Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway

The conflict between men and women is one of centuries, and will continue to be one for many years to come. The very concept of an autonomous woman was a foreign one to those who lived during the Greek times, but as time went on and societies evolved, autonomy became less and less one gendered. Literature captures the oppression of women and allows the memories to be immortalized. The growth of women’s position in life can be evaluated through looking at that literature. The differences in the epic poem The Iliad by Homer and the short story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway show just how much the roles of changed while still having similarities. These changes bring forth a plethora of impacts that have affected society,

Hemingway allows the female in his short story to have the illusion of power. The Jig the women in “Hills Like White Elephants” begins the short story by arguing with the man, a behavior which would have not been seen in ancient greek times. The overall narrative in “Hills Like White Elephants” has the American man trying to convince Jig to get an abortion but in the end allows her to make the final decision even if it was heavily influenced by the American. In contrast, the women in Ancient Greece are not given any form of real autonomy. The treatment of these women can be seen clearly in The Iliad, men give and take women as if they are nothing more than an object. During this time there was no illusion of autonomy anywhere in the