Writing style is a crucial element in the design of literature. An author's writing style sets the point of view and tone of the narrator. This affects how the reader interprets the story and changes their experience. Differing writing styles allow for similar or even identical stories to be told in a multitude of ways. For example, Good People, by David Foster Wallace, has almost the same plot as Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway, however, the narration styles of each story are almost opposite in nature. The differences between these two Short Fiction works make each work distinctive, and offer a new experience for the reader. There are many notable similarities between these two short stories. For example, each story is narrated …show more content…
Both stories are character driven, but done in a different manor. Good People achieves this by delving deep into the thoughts of the characters' minds. Hills Like White Elephants relies heavily on dialogue to develop characters. Both stories are written from a third person point of view, but each narrator uses a different type of third person perspective. In Hills Like White Elephants, the narrator uses a third person objective point of view, while Good People uses a third person omniscient view. Evidence of this can be found by observing the amount of dialogue used in these works. The majority of Hills Like White Elephants is dialogue between Jig and the man, while Good people has no dialogue at all. The narrator of Good People describes dialogue between Lane and Sheri, instead of explicitly telling the reader the exact spoken words. The entire story of Good People is the narrator describing the people, their thoughts, and the events occurring in great detail. This is in sharp contrast to Hills Like White Elephant, where very little of what is going on is described by the narrator. Instead, the narrator of Hills Like White Elephants chose to be more like a 'fly on the wall', to allow the reader to listen in on the conversation taking
Hemingway provides the reader with insight into this story, before it is even read, through the title. The girl in the story mentions the hills that can be seen from the train station and describes them as looking like white elephants. Jig is at a crossroads in her life, accompanied by her partner. She is pregnant and cannot decide whether to choose life for the baby, or to get an abortion. Throughout the story, she experiences persistent uncertainty over what she wants to do with her life. Whatever decision she makes will have a drastic impact in her later years as a woman. While seated at the bar inside the train station, the girl says, “The hills look like white elephants” (Hemingway). The hills that are spotted in the distance directly parallel the decision that Jig must make. Critic Kenneth Johnston was recorded stating, “A white elephant is a rare pale-gray variety of an Asian elephant held sacred by the Burmese and Siamese. The girl’s reverence for life is captured by this meaning of the phrase.” Johnston also says, “A white ...
The similarities are prolific in their presence in certain parts of the novel, the very context of both stories shows similarities, both are dealing with an oppressed factor that is set free by an outsider who teaches and challenges the system in which the oppressed are caught.
Both stories are one of a kind and deserve to be read. They share both common and uncommon ideas, but in the end, both are nice.
The main characters in both stories are similar. Both are young men who are well educated, with one who attended Harvard and the other who attended the Sorbonne in Paris. The two men are both teachers, each working on his own ‘life’s work’. Interestingly enough, neither story mentions any close family or friends the main characters might have.
both stories shared similar ending and moral which is receiving enlightenment in first hand. "The
In the story, Jig watched the hills and said: They look like white elephants. The man replied: ‘I h...
...ers were portrayed in both of these stories. Each character has a personal story that most people can relate do on a couple different levels. A common thread can be found in each of these books. It is easy to relate with these characters because no matter when these stories were written, the themes can be timeless. Parts and pieces of the novels can still be found in our world today and in our day to day life. Perseverance and courage is a trait that can be brought away from reading both of these books.
In addition to the theme, the crafts of the two stories are different and alike. Similarities in the craft would be they both use foreshadowing. (Add evidence for We are Liars, explain, repeat for
...ce, although both writings are interesting in their own ways, the most interesting aspect of both writings together is that they both have a similar plot and theme. It is rare that two
Authors of great stories often use good technical writing skills. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two short stories: Where Are you going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates and Hills Like White Elephants by Earnest Hemingway. The comparison and contrast will be done based on their use of plot, point of view and character development.
“The Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story that is about an American man and a girl called Jig. They are sitting at a table outside a train station, waiting for a train to Madrid. While they wait they order drinks and have a heated ongoing conversation over whether or not Jig will have an operation that would be of great significance to their relationship. “The Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway has two important symbols in the story, the hills and the drinks both of which help to give us a better understanding of what is going on between the American and his girl.
“Hills like White Elephants”, a short story written by American author and journalist, Ernest Hemingway, is about a couple facing a sort of crisis in their relationship. The story goes on with a lady and a man name Jig, who are conversing about something very important, but they never really get to what they mean to say. For a story to go on in such a manner, and for the readers to comprehend it, there must be a clear understanding of the genres of the story. A genre is a kind of writing that has special characteristics that distinguish it from other kinds of writing (“Learning about Genre”). In other words, a genre is a guide to understanding what the story is actually trying to portray. In “Hills like White Elephants,” Hemmingway’s style of writing falls under these two genres— Minimalism and Principles of iceberg.
Even though these two books may seem very different, they also share many similarities. Though they are not related through their plots, they definitely share some very important themes and resemblance of characters. Through these similarities, two different stories in completely different time frames and locations can be brought together in many instances.
The story "Hills Like White Elephants" is a conversation between a young woman `Jig' and an American man waiting for a train at a station in Spain. The author never names the topic of their discussion but as their dialogue progresses; it becomes evident that Jig is pregnant. The man wants Jig to abort the unborn child but she is unconvinced and wants to become a mother. Hemingway has brilliantly written the story's dialogue which "captures the feel of a private conversation while at the same time communicating the necessary narrative background" (O'Brien 19). At the end of the story, it is unclear as to what decision has been made; however, Hemingway gives the reader several clues regarding what Jig feels, and what she wants to do. Jig's private thoughts are illuminated by Hemingway's description of the setting, the character, and the conflict. Stanley Renner suggests that, as a result of the couple's discussion, "Jig has become able to make a more clear-sighted estimation, and perhaps a better choice, of men" Wyche(59). The couple's inability to communicate effectively their true thoughts and emotions makes their dialogue very appealing. The story examines the gender differences and miscommunications as they influence the decision whether to abort the unborn child or not (Smiley). In his book on Hemingway, published in 1999, Carl P. Eby points out that "[f]or the past two decades, Hemingway criticism has been dominated by a reconsideration of the role of gender in his work" (Bauer 125).
The setting in hills like white elephants is very important because it refers to the natural landscape for references. The couple is outside a