...Cathedral A common and natural thing that we all do when we meet new people for the first time is to put them into boxes. By putting people into boxes we create prejudices, which is very hard to get rid off. Especially if we meet someone who has a handicap we start to get nervous and many hides their “fear”, thinking that the person with the handicap can’t see or feel our discomfort. But a blind person for example, can easily sense out fear and insecurity because he has a bigger awareness. But if we act nervous around blind people when we meet he/she for the first time, we should act different every time we meet new people. Because there are many ways of being blind and most people are blind to a feeling or emotion, that affect us more than we think. Raymond Carver has in his short story “Cathedral” portrayed this kind of blindness, where the seeing person is blinder than the actually blind person. The short story starts in media res and is set in the present. Our main character is a first person narrator, where we see things from his point of view. He has limited knowledge, which means that he works as an observer, where he doesn’t know anything about the other characters’ inside. It helps us understand why he has a hard time adjusting and accepting the blind man, because we can only hear his thoughts. The language is informal and very everyday like with a lot of dialogs. The dialogs affect the story because, it is in the dialogs that our main character develops, and...
Words: 922 - Pages: 4
...Baseball, War, and Romance Both written by Ernest Hemingway, “The Three Day Blow” and “A Way You’ll Never Be” are short stories that focus on the life of Nick Adams. The two short stories center on important events that take place in Nick Adams’s life as a young man. Hemingway uses these events to show how Nick Adams’s past experiences affect him in the present. Based around baseball, war, and romance, these stories are significant by explaining how past experiences can have a lasting impact on a young man. “The Three Day Blow” and “A Way You’ll Never Know” are short stories that emphasize Nick Adams’s experiences with baseball, World War I, and Marjorie. “The Three Day Blow” is a short story by Ernest Hemingway that describes Nick Adams’s love for the sport of baseball. At the beginning of the short story, Nick Adams and his older friend Bill Smith are in Bill's family cottage in Michigan, and they are enjoying their time drinking liquor and talking about sports, especially baseball (McSweeney 1). Nick and Bill mention the trade of Heinie Zimmerman from the Chicago Cubs to the New York Giants, which takes place in 1916 before the American entrance into World War I (Flora 2). Hemingway uses the baseball references in “The Three Day Blow” to show a timeline of events in that happen in 1916 (Hurley 45). The references include Nick and Bill’s mention of John McGraw's recent acquisition of Heinie Zimmerman, transacted on Monday, August 28, 1916 (Hurley 45). As a result of Hemingway’s...
Words: 1224 - Pages: 5
...The Enforcers continued to surround the downed buggy, their weapons trained on Hemmingway as he laid on his back. The sun beat down on them all...But the Caravan boss knew that he was the only feeling the heat. Those suits were masterful marvels; it was a damn shame that kind of technology was only driving people apart now. Spilling innocent blood and pushing the goal of unity ever farther from reach; would there even be any chance of peace. No...Anselm and his empire were a plague. One that could only be cured through complete and utter annihilation. The only problem was, the bastard felt that about anyone that dared to oppose him. And as much as it pained him to admit it.... Those thoughts the King had were ones he once shared. "Seems...
Words: 802 - Pages: 4
...“I Spy” by Graham Greene (1930) Charlie Stowe is the main character of the story. He is a twelve year old boy and lives in England. He comes from a family where he does not really have a father. The father he has is unreal to him and they do not spend that much time together, they do not have a close relationship. In the beginning of the text we were told that Charlie does not love his father but when we get to the ending of the story Charlie finally realized that he loves him. But it was too late to tell him because he was taken away by the two strangers. Charlie now understands why his father had not been there for him. In a way Charlie “grows up” and learns how the world functions. However he feels the opposite for his mother. He adores and loves his mother truly, he feels a passionate love for her large boisterous presence and her loud charity filled the world for him. At the country school Charlie Stowe is bullied by his school mates because he had never tried to smoke a cigarette before. In that way they kind of pushes him to steal some cigarettes from his fathers tobacco shop because he wanted to prove himself to them and never be mocked again for not having smoked. He is encouraging himself to do it, he knows that it is a loose-loose situation, if he steals the cigarettes he will lose respect from his father and if he does not steal the cigarettes the boys at school will just continue to bully him. Even though Charlie knows it is a crime to steal he does it anyway...
Words: 611 - Pages: 3
...,July 21st 2009 ENC 1102 M,W, 7:45am Term Paper “The Theme of Human Struggle in the Works of Ernest Hemingway” In my research paper I will show how elements of life and death, folklore/fables, myths, and rites of passage support the theme of human struggle against nature in the stories "The Old Man and the Sea," "Indian Camp," "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro” by Ernest Hemingway. Through comparative analysis of these stories' underlying themes I will address the initiation experiences of his heroes. Human dignity, morality, and the formation of human individuality through mental strife and the struggle against nature are often themes of Hemingway. Humans cope with the complexity of the world by developing simple mental models based on opposite parts. Life and death are together, two extremes of one energy. Life is the active force and death is the inactive force, but they cannot be separated. Thus, they are two aspects of one reality. When people are reading about living beings and mythological beings or those who are dead, they view the word of the dead as a living world. The dead eat, sleep and move. In the book “The Hero in Hemingway's short stories”, J. DeFalco points out that: " in the Myth there are usually three dominant movements which are cyclic in pattern. They are the departure of the hero, the initiation, and the return from heroic adventure." (17). The movements of the hero to the world where...
Words: 1980 - Pages: 8
...The style of Faulkner and Hemmingway in “Barn Burning: and “A Clean, Well-Lighted place, respectively, is completely different. The writing of Hemmingway is quite unique due to which he can be considered different from other authors. There is a slow tempo of the story at the beginning and create a serene feeling for the reader. In contrast, Faulkner is quite extreme and takes a completely different approach by utilizing complex terms. Hemmingway prefers to write short sentences in comparison to Faulkner whose sentences are quite lengthy at times and make up a complete passage. Furthermore, the vocabulary used by Hemmingway is quite simple and easy to understand, however, this might pose a problem as well-educated readers will probably lose...
Words: 266 - Pages: 2
...not think the same way about abortions than woman do. Hemmingway also sends a message of how men are manipulative towards women. He illustrates how women seem to have a harder time overpowering a man in a relationship. First, Hemmingway shows how men do not think the same way about abortions than woman do because in the story the man says it is a perfectly “natural procedure” (Hemmingway) not thinking of all of the hardship an abortion brings to a woman. According to the criticism “ it reveals perhaps better than any other part of the story the terms of the central conflict” (Madden). The man does not think of what the woman has to go through in the procedure. The emotional state and the physically pain full procedure she has to endure, knowing that she will not be having a child that could be the start of a new family for her. Because of the way that the man does not seem to care that he is getting rid of a child with life and just wants to continue the relationship with the woman after she has to sacrifice so much with the abortion shows the lack of knowledge the man has about the feeling a woman goes through when they have an abortion. Second, Hemmingway sends a message of how men are manipulative towards woman. In the story the man continuously keeps talking about how the woman should have an abortion without considering her opinions to the aspect. The man says “it’s a simple solution to a clear problem.” (Hemmingway) The fact that the man says it is a simple solution shows...
Words: 651 - Pages: 3
...Just like I stated in the first response journal that was done on this book, Hemmingway’s writing digs into the depth of morals and themes using metaphors. Throughout the text Hemmingway’s writing style remained the same. A few examples of metaphors that Hemmingway used throughout this entire novel were related to drinking. The consumption of alcohol becomes a part of social communication in this novel. The characters that do not drink such as Cohn are socially awkward. Another metaphoric example that was used in this book was relative to fishing. When Jake and Bill fished, it was a way for them to connect and obtain value from the natural world. This made them feel peaceful, calm, and happy. Ultimately, it represented an old fashion practice that held value. Also throughout the book Hemmingway, used the same narrative perspective as he locked onto it without changing it at any place in the...
Words: 1666 - Pages: 7
...Hills like white elephants essay Ernest Hemmingway´s “Hills like white elephants” (1927) is an essay, about a man and a woman waiting for a train to Madrid, all the while discussing an operation. The story takes place in a train station bar, surrounded by hills, in a valley in Spain. The story contains three characters, two protagonists and one lesser character; The American, the girl (aka “Jig”) and the bartender. The American is the male protagonist, whose name is never revealed. Throughout the entire story the American behaves very masculine. This is a classic Hemmingway feature; a masculine man who is tough as nails, yet intelligent and in control. Throughout the story he tries to convince the girl to have the operation, ignoring the problems that the girl has and oversimplifying the whole thing. In contrast to the American, the girl is less independent, and changes attitude often (for example regarding the hills surrounding the train station). She is also uncertain whether she wants the operation or not, and she can’t even order drinks at the bar, relying on the Americans Spanish skills. She gives all power to the American. This is classic Hemmingway, as it depicts traditional gender roles. Throughout the story, there is only conversation between the two protagonists. The omniscient teller is almost completely out of the picture. This is very ironic, since that even though they only talk, it seems as if there is no true communication between the protagonists. Another thing...
Words: 596 - Pages: 3
...In “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway (1927), the theme is overcoming challenges during major life decisions and the importance of communication and courage during a time of crisis. A few of the symbols in the story were hills, white elephants, and a railroad. This was a story of a couple’s struggle with a life changing decision to have or abort a baby. As they both sat at a train station, they discussed the American’s desire for an abortion and Jig’s want for the pregnancy. She gazed in the distance at the hills on one half of the valley, which were dry, hot, and lifeless. “The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry.” I feel this may have symbolized the couple’s challenges, Jig’s fear of her dead baby, being barren and the American’s desire for their lives to remain the same, stationary, and permanent (or the permanence of a baby). The hills on that side of the valley were compared to white elephants. White elephants are an ironic symbol of an awkward topic needing to be discussed and/or a useless gift. In the white elephant game, a gift is given as a joke and may be of no use to the recipient. As the American and Jig continue to discuss their wishes with the pregnancy, Jig sees the other side of the valley and it’s hills. They are described as alive, growing, and full of life. I feel this is a symbol of Jig seeing this crisis as an opportunity, life, growth, and a renewal for what seems...
Words: 501 - Pages: 3
...Cristian Uribe The war without end, selfishness, nothing to do against death and the scars of the war in Men without women In this essay I’m talking about the main issues present in the following short stories in Men without women by Ernest Hemingway (1928): In another country (25-29), Hills like white elephants (29-33), The killers (33-40) and Now I lay me (83). In another country is about a wounded American soldier recuperating from an injury by receiving treatments from machines in a hospital in Milan, Italy. Machines. With him there’s an Italian major receiving treatment for a shriveled hand. There is a strong optimism of a physician employing the new machines which is contrasted with the skepticism of Italian major who, disbelieving in the machines, nevertheless comes regularly for therapy to his hand. That daily attendance is interrupted only with the sudden death of the major’s wife. The machines were new, as result, the narrator and the major were trying them. And although they both didn’t trust in the machines they were under their treatment because they really wanted to recover. The major wanted to be his wife and the narrator probably wanted to clean his pride because his wound and medals were “fake”. What I think can be infer from the text is that even if the machines have success healing the soldiers, the war for them won’t end because is not just facing enemy on the front line but also picking up the pieces of their damaged lives and facing the prospect...
Words: 921 - Pages: 4
...A Women’s Civil Right The speech ”A Women’s Civil Right” was written in 1969 and the feminist author Betty Friedan delivered it. Betty Friedan was a proponent of the modern women’s movement and claimed that women in 1969 and onwards should not be trapped in the stereotypical housewife role. Friedan was convinces that social barriers in the society kept women imprisoned in “the housewife trap”. She wanted women to have better career opportunities, introduce equality with men and to eliminate the illusion of “the happy housewife”. This specific speech announces that abortion should be a part of a women’s civil right. Betty Friedan singles out women to be the invisible minority in America. The invisible women in the American society are the ones who take an active share in the important resolution of the government and not the women who take care of the domestic duties. Friedan compares the invisibility of forward-looking women to the Afro-American permanent residents in America. For many years, the Afro-American people in the U.S. have been the invisible section of the population in the Southern states. Racial segregation in America became a crucial part of life until the segregation legally ended in 1964 because of the Civil Rights Act. The blacks were in those days invisible according to their voting rights. The voting rights of blacks were systematically restricted because the black’s voting papers did not manage to be registered. Many Afro-American were killed because...
Words: 1315 - Pages: 6
...Cat in the rain The short story, “Cat in the Rain”, by Ernest Hemingway, describes the relationship between two married American tourists in Italy, where one is striving to get a cat. The American wife wants to bring the cat into they’re room, but the husband is indifferent to her wish. Under these actions, there are a lot of important points. This cat is symbolic and reveals the psychological state and emotional desires of the American wife. The cat is caught by the rain. It needs help and care, but it is ignored by others. Just like the American wife. When you have wanted something for a long time and you haven’t got it, sometimes you just do what you feel is best for you. The American wife does her best to save the cat, which is held back because of the rain. Her husband gives a courtesy and says “I’ll do it” (p. 1 line 14) but he makes no further attempt to help, which gives us a view of him being careless for this cat. The wife never catches the cat. The rain that held the cat back, stopped, and it ran away. The cat is a clear symbol of a baby and the American wife who is held back because of the rain, which symbolizes the husband. The wife is so determined to get a baby, but is unable to, because of her husband’s missing wish for a baby. When the woman comes back to the hotel, she starts mentioning all the wishes she wants in her future. “Don’t you think it would be a good idea if I let my hair grow out?” (p.2 line. 15) she asks her husband, where he answers “I like...
Words: 684 - Pages: 3
...Indian Camp; Relationship between Nick and his father At the beginning we are presented Nick and his father, who has a positive relationship. We see this in the sense that Nick’s father wants to spend some time with his son, by showing him how life is and about helping other people. We get the picture of a son travelling frequently with his father. This is shown at the beginning of the story where Nick just goes into the rowboat without asking any questions about destination or anything. “At the lake shore there was another rowboat drawn up. The two Indians stood waiting. Nick and his father got in stern of the boat…” Here the reader realizes that Nick trusts his father and believes the dad knows what’s best and therefore, Nick is not asking any questions, until after they sailed out of the bay and out onto the river. So; Nick is comfortable being with his father and feels safe and secure. The following proves this “Nick lay back with his father’s arms around him”. You get the impression that they have a close relationship and that Nick’s father is most certainly trusted by Nick. This, at the same time, shows that they enjoy spending time together as father and son. I believe that Ernst Hemingway wants to emphasize that Nick’s father intends to be respected for what he does and, to get Nick interested in his work. In the Indian camp, Nick’s father tries to feel a part of the team. Page 13-14 line 26, 1-2.: “And while it was heating he spoke to Nick.” This lady is going to...
Words: 860 - Pages: 4
...“A Clean Well-Lighted Place” Analysis “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”, by Ernest Hemmingway, is a story of two waiters working late one night in “A Clean, Well-Lighted” cafe. The image of the café is central to the story; we get a feeling that outside this place the world is chaos. The story opens with two waiters discussing an old man who frequents the café where they work. He constantly stays late into the night drinking. One of the waiters, a younger man, expresses his dislike of the old man while the older waiter sympathizes and relates to the old man. The younger waiter wants the old man to go home while the older waiter doesn’t seem to care one way or another. This story is a tale of despair and loneliness and how different people deal with it. The older waiter defends the old man him because he can relate to his despair. Loneliness and old age are the common bonds that the older waiter shares with the old man. In time he will be old, unable to work and feel lonely because his lack friends. The old man seems to think there is no meaning to his life. It is like he has given up. There is no good or bad; no right or wrong, the only thing that may matter is making what time he has left somewhat bearable. The fact that he gets drunk every night and stays late at the café shows he has nothing better to do with his last bit of time. Depression puts a negative spin on everything, including the way you see yourself, the situations you encounter, and your expectations for the future...
Words: 919 - Pages: 4
