"Summarize the author's key ideas. Identify at least three examples/details that enhanced your understanding of the story. You can also address questions that the analysis provoked, or parts that you did not understand or agree with."
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In the analytical passage; Allusion, Word Play, and the Central-Conflict in Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants" by Timothy D. O'Brien, he discusses two major, overarching topics that add to the setting and of the dialogue of the short story. Within the topic of setting, O'Brien compares a symbol of fertility (seen through the woman) versus the sterility (seen through the man). He also contrasts an artificial versus a realistic scene of nature brought up repeatedly throughout the story. Within the dialogue section of his passage, O'Brien brings attention to the repetition of the words "know," "fine," and "simple," and discusses how they add to the overall ironic tone. Additionally, he makes a Biblical allusion, comparing the man and woman to Adam and Eve. He then goes on to reveal the importance of the word choice Hemingway chooses, and how it eventually sets up the mood to the story. O'Brien ends his analytical passage by analyzing Jig's theme of independence from the harsh, controlling male figure.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite parts of O'Brien's analysis was his point of the word choice of the name "Jig," : "The name suggests a dance, the music for the dance, and a joke, for instance, and thereby exposes the man's ultimately condescending attitude toward her," (O'Brien 21). This deepened my understanding by making me reconsider the small details held within the story. He goes on to also explain how a "jig" can be a symbol of the man's sexual dehumanizing, since a jig is a mechanical tool that moves up and down. Another point that sparked my interest was when O'Brien explains the woman was "boarding a train for 'madre,' the ironically fitting destination implied by Madrid," (O'Brien 23). This is another double meaning to a single word in the short story I did not originally catch. This emphasizes the conflict of the story, and the maternal characteristics of the setting. O'Brien's overall topic of how the man is "oblivious to the natural surroundings," (O"Brien 20-1) caused me to expand my opinion on the man being selfish (since he doesn't notice or care about the geological life around him) and in turn, uncaring towards his child and the woman.
One question I still had after reading this, was how exactly does the woman and man compare to Adam and Eve?
Wow, I had never thought of the man and the girl symbolizing fertility and sterility. I also really liked how you caught on to the Bible reference during the short story where Hemingway compares the man and the girl to Adam and Eve. However, I think it would be helpful to the reader of your article if you went into further depth as to what the importance of Hemingway's word choice is and to how the diction choice of Hemingway sets the mood of the story. I really liked how you explained why the author chose the girls nickname to be jig, and then how you went on to explain why it was seen as a negative nickname rather than a positive one. Lastly, to answer your question, the American and the girl relate to Adam and Eve because the man is urging the woman to not have the abortion, even though he does not sincerely mean it, just as Adam was begging Eve not to eat the forbidden fruit.
DeleteTimothy O'Brien of the United States Naval Academy sheds light on the effect word-play has on the Central Conflict of Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants". O'Brien Begins his analysis by presenting the central conflict he will be making a case for as the fine line between "The Natural" and "The Artificial". O'Brien focuses his evidence to be oriented around the significance of many single words, how often they are used by each character, and how sarcasm, or the tone in which they were spoken, effects the overall tone and therefore position of each character on the abortion. My understanding of the process by which the couple went through to reach the decision to keep the child has been deepened significantly by O'Brien's elaboration on the importance of the three words:know, fine, and the less obvious, reasonable. He cooks up a very convincing case for the word "reasonable" being a major contributor to the conflict of natural versus artificial, "People are behaving "reasonably"... Hemingway clearly develops this dichotomy by avoiding any description of the man looking at any natural surroundings... the man stands out in sharp contrast to the girl". This broadened my understanding of why Hemingway had the characters use the diction that they did. This analysis may also tie into the Gender-linked Miscommunication analysis because it illuminates the different stances on the abortion due to their gender and affiliation with the "operation". Another way O'Brien enhanced my understanding of the story is by elaborating on the connotation of the word fine. When used by the girl, fine represents the good life they once had, "And I'll do it an everything will be fine." She alludes to their past together and acknowledges that the American wants that more than a new life with a child. Her sensitivity displays the Natural side of the main conflict argued by O'Brien. By having the soon to be mother have the natural view and the un-wanting father have the artificial view, Hemingway qualifies his reasoning for their views on the abortion. Because it is an artificial thing, as in not practiced by our ancestors, it is given to the father, who some may argue hold that view because he is not the one that must have the procedure done on him and is not physically attached to the child. Many theories may contribute to the conflict addressed by O'Brien, but he successfully transposes his argument to paper using very strong concrete detail and analysis to support his claims.
ReplyDeleteI thought your analysis of the article concerning allusion, word play, and the central conflict was good. I also noticed how Timothy O'Brien used the differences between the natural and the unnatural in his article. This comparison is best shown when the couple is talking about the operation. The man tries to make it seem like something everyone does all the time, or natural when it is something that isn't very natural.One last thing is that some of the word play I noticed is that Hemingway uses a lot of questions between Jig and the man. I believe the questions serve to keep the feeling that they are still having a conversation but not a full, hearty conversation that one would find between a couple that was happy and not fighting.
DeletePerham, I thought you post was very well thought out. I also thought that the analysis placed heavy emphasis on the use single words to describe the conflict. The word that I liked the most that the author brought attention to was, “fine.” The use of words that have fine as the root to discuss the central conflict of the story was very interesting. In the term, “confinement,” it represents the situation Jig is suffering from. She is confined by her unplanned pregnancy, but also by the desires of her husband who seem to not truly care for Jig’s well being. Throughout the story many words can be used to describe the central conflict of the story as you stated in your post. However, I think that “fine” served as the most accurate and flexible word to describe the different of aspects of the conflicts in the story. By being able to serve as the root for numerous words it can explain many aspects of the story. Another supporting piece of evidence is the fact that the word, “fine,” plays an important role in the verbal irony present throughout the story. When the American man persuades Jig to get the abortion, she responds with a “fine,” that instead of showing her agreeance with her lover’s opinions it shows her disagreement.
DeleteI found it very interesting that the setting, specifically the natural surroundings, are viewed differently by Jig and the American. While both are seeing hills, Jig interprets them as fertility and the American views them as sterility. While I understood what the hills symbolized from the female perspective, I did not think about the symbolism from the male point of view. You did not include textual evidence in your analysis as to how Jig and the American are compared to Adam and Eve. Was it not included in the article that you read? Also, how does Hemingway’s word choice create the mood of the story? I am glad you included why Hemingway names the girl Jig, I was curious as to why she was named and the American man was not. I agree that her name symbolizes the sexual dehumanizing of the girl, especially because the main issue of the text is abortion. You contradict yourself when you include that the man is “oblivious to the natural surroundings” when you already stated that he views the hills, the natural surrounding, as a symbol for sterility. I agree with your original claim that it is a conflicting symbol between the male and female points of view, fertility versus sterility.
ReplyDeleteTimothy O'Brian took an extremely ambiguous story, Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway, and turned it into commentary about gender stereotypes. In his analysis, Allusion, Word-Play, and Central Conflict in Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants, O'Brian alludes to the story of Adam and Eve from the Bible. He used this story to assert the idea of gender specific characteristics, pulling an example for the 'beginning of time'. Jig, the female character in Hemingway's story, represents emotion, fertility, and nature. The American, the male character in the story, represents sterility, logic, and the artificial. O'Brian's analysis of the the name Jig became a vital symbol in my understanding of the plot and the purpose. Jig has multiple meanings; it is a dance,slang, and, most importantly for the story, it is the name of multiple mechanical objects. This enforces the idea that the American looks at Jig as a sexual object, rather than a natural human being. He looks at their relationship as artificial and logical. Another key aspect of O'Brian's analysis was his commentary on Jig's fixation with nature. The hills looking like white elephants was one of the first things Jig mentioned in the story. She does not let this observation go throughout the conversation and is said to be observing the nature around her while the conversation is continued. Her consistently bringing nature into the conversation enforces her view on the relationship, which is emotional and natural. Jig's and the American's contrasting view on nature and their relationship creates the foundation on their differing views of the abortion. O'Biran comments on man's need to industrialize and contain nature, much like what the American wants to do about the baby. He even claims, "it's all perfectly natural", as if an operation to halt a pregnancy was a natural occurrence. The American, or men in general, are so used to controlling the natural environment that it has become what is natural to them. Jig, or women in general, continue to see nature as the natural. I agreed with O'Brian's analysis of the short story, seeing as it is impactful commentary on men v. women in nature.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your analysis of O’Brian’s article on “Hills like White Elephants”. This gave me new insight on the symbolic representations of Jig and the American. It never occurred to me how Jig kept observing the environment around her and how the American usually opposed these observations. But I agree that their relationship really sheds light on gender stereotypes and that Jig symbolizes nature and fertility while the American symbolizes sterility and artificiality. This topic is similar to the point that David Wyche brings up in his analyzation of HLWE where he discusses the couple “letting air into the relationship”. Wyche also used the conflict of fertility versus sterility but with the setting rather than the actual couple. Wyche discussed how one side was dry and barren and symbolized sterility and how the other had luscious greenery which symbolized fertility. I never took into account how Hemmingway addresses Jig with a name that connotes a mechanical object and how the man is simply referred to as “the American”. I think that this really predisposes the reader to a certain mindset when analyzing the characters.
DeleteTimothy D. O'Brien examined several ideas of figurative language in his analytical essay about the short story, “Hills like White Elephants”. He initially established that the broadest topics in the story were involved with the dialogue and the setting. He observed how the white hills could be viewed as a symbolization of fertility because of their form, or sterility because of their barren terrain. He mentions the discourses of gender, discussing dialogue in his comparison between the male’s voice which was lacking passion and dedicated to fulfilling a desired objective, and the female vocabulary which was vague but emotional. He also mentions dialogue in the use of certain words such as ‘just’ and ‘really’. These words help to characterize the common American male described in the story, with the male figure representing, “…the man stands as an exaggerated version of the male approach to problems in life” (O’Brien 20). The man frequently is indifferent and doesn’t recognize his female partner’s opinions but instead focuses on his own incentives. O’Brien also describes how Hemingway made comparisons between the natural world and the civilized world. In O'Brien's description, “Hemingway clearly develops this dichotomy by avoiding any description of the man looking at the natural surroundings and by linking him in other ways to the settings artificial, even mechanical aspects” (O’Brien 20). While the girl notices her natural surroundings and observes them, the man is completely oblivious and unaware. This is further supported by the man phrasing the abortion as a ‘perfectly natural’ procedure, when in reality it is entirely unnatural.
ReplyDeleteThe man’s lack of consideration and empathy for his partner’s situation are additionally identified in the girl’s name. A ‘jig’ can be also known many things, including a joke or a silly dance, which alludes to the man’s insensitive behavior towards her. A few symbols are referred to which support the theme. One connects the Garden of Eden to the way that the connection was lost with nature through cruel acts, with the mother’s connection with her baby representing natural characteristics and the abortion taking that feature away from her. The work can also be associated with a Greek style of tragedy when O’Brien details, “…when she tries to explain the simile to her skeptical, rational mate, her language becomes more clinical than poetic, as she succumbs to the reality of his discourse” (O’Brien 24). He refers to the way that the girl had an imaginative and brilliant mind, but she was tragically paired with a forcefully persuasive, dull partner. He exits the passage stating how the girl’s hopeless smile to the waiter was her last miserable act of obedience in the story, as she looked toward the hills in passivity, surrounded by the man’s oppression.
I had never made that connection to the Garden of Eden before. Nor about how the American never notices his natural surroundings while Jig does. That seems to be connected to our idea of motherhood, the idea of mother nature. That supports the interpretation that Jig did not have the abortion. She moves toward the side of fertility at the end of the story. She does seem tragically paired with this American. But through all these analysis that I've read, no one really empathizes with what the American is going through. It was his accident just as much as it was hers. He is totally valid in his desire for her to have the abortion. Considering the pressure of the situation, he is certainly being quite reasonable. I don't know, I just think all this stuff about how the American is this insensitive, cold, black hole of a partner is maybe a little too harsh on the guy.
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ReplyDeleteIrith, your analysis on how O'Brien aided in your understanding of HLWE was quite insightful. It gave me a deeper understanding of the text beyond the metaphors, which is what I analyzed, used to develop the text. Looking I find it particularly intriguing where the repetition of the words "know" and "fine" occur. In, "Letting Air Into A Relationship: Metaphorical Abortion," Wyche argues the lack of ability for Jig to make a decisive decision in having an abortion or not with the constant questioning she has. I think the repetition of the word "fine" exemplifies how Jig is unable to make her own decision and will resort to just following what the American does who throughout the story is more decisive in his statements by using words such as "know". Moreover, this shows why the American was the individual who moved the bag from one rail to the other, showing how he is the commanding individual and making this decision while the girl was sitting behind the curtains.
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ReplyDeleteTim O’Brien’s analysis of the setting is very insightful, with his first example being that of how the man and Jig refer to the mountains as sterile and fertile respectively, and how it relates to their opposing desires for the abortion. The man wants to have the abortion for his “selfish paradise” to be together with Jig without the baby, while Jig wants to have the baby while also being able to be happy with the man (5). This creates conflict as their differing desires are pitted against each other, and the rest of the story follows with more examples. One thing I found interesting was that when the man came to pick up Jig after placing their bags away, she only looked at him, and not to the mountains, which symbolized her giving up her struggle against him and reasserting his male dominance over her. Another thing that I found interesting was that Madrid symbolized the operation, and that the trip was meant to end up with the abortion in Madrid, and with that, Jig didn’t want to leave. I originally thought that the time it took for the train to arrive represented their debate, while the time it would take to leave the station represented the operation itself, and that Madrid was the final destination where both would be happy afterwards.
ReplyDeleteDialogue played a very interesting role in the conflict of the story. For example, Hemingway used the part of the conversation where Jig tells the man to be quiet as an example of her trying to suppress his dominant language and persuasive ability to get her to have the abortion. Also, the continued repetition of “fine” at the end represents either her success in rejecting her lover’s values, or represents the man’s ultimate control over her, with “fine” being her last defense against his verbal superiority. One thing that I did not agree with is how the story related to the Eden story of the Bible. I do not believe that in this story Jig and the man are separated from nature or that it is even a reference to the Eden story.
(This is Taeho)
I really liked how you brought out the essential details that was described within the analytical articles and elaborated on it. Especially the part about the mountains were "sterile" and "fertile" which emphasizes this concept of opposing sides of the main predicament that is yet to be solved between the American and the girl. You also included this idea of selfishness by the American and his imaginative mind of being free from this problematic situation he's in because of his carelessness of not considering the consequences of his actions. I also found what you said about her sudden action of giving up interesting. I felt like the repetitive question the man had forced upon the girl caused her to give up on the idea of not having an abortion. I found your analysis of the dialogue being a big role in expressing the story the way it should have been told really insightful. It was something that people would usually ignore since they usually continue on reading without looking for the metaphorical meaning behind the dialogue.
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