Hemingway's Misogyny In 'Hills Like Women'
analytical Essay
781 words
Misogyny is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the hatred and lack of respect of women. Hemingway appeared to have a misogynistic view of females, and that was evident in his writing. One of his novels, MEN WITHOUT WOMEN, contains quite a few female characters that are portrayed in a negative manner. Although these women were distinctly different, they all shared some common aspects. The following will explore the mistreatment of three of these women. I will analyze the similarities of each of these women, and I will attempt to bring to light how they are terribly treated. My claims will be backed up by thorough descriptions of the treatment of each woman,
Firstly, Jig from “Hills Like White Elephants” was in a highly controlling
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes hemingway's misogynistic view of female characters in his novels, men without women. they will analyze the similarities of each of these women and attempt to bring to light how they are terribly treated.
- Analyzes how jig from "hills like white elephants" was in a highly controlling relationship with her partner, the american, who wanted her to follow through with an abortion even though she didn't fully agree.
- Analyzes how in the short story "10 indians," nick adams was in love with an indian girl named prudence. nick's father fabricated a tale about her, saying she was "having fun" with another man.
- Analyzes how the deceased wife in "an alpine idyll" was a prime example of negative treatment of women in the book.
- Analyzes how each of these women were, in some form, powerless. prudence did not have a voice throughout the entire story, thus lacking the ability to defend herself against the claims made against her.
- Analyzes how jig was manipulated into following through with an abortion that she didn't want. nick adam's father manipulated prudence’s image into something that was not accurate.
- Analyzes how jig allows her partner to dominate relationships, emotions, and ultimately, her actions. prudence was figuratively killed when the father destroyed her reputation without concern for her feelings.
- Opines that the resemblances these women share are not desirable. being a powerless individual is never good. the characters that used manipulation to obtain what they wanted, consequently robbed them of their dignity.
- Concludes that each of these women were mistreated. jig was controlled, prudence was given a false image, and the deceased wife was treated like an object for her husband’s pleasure.
Early on in the story, Prudence was compared to a skunk. Shortly after, the other characters teased Nick about being in love with her. This shows that the characters in this story think of Prudence in a negative manner. Nick’s father then fabricated a tale about her, saying that she was “having fun” with another man in the woods. The father was more than willing to destroy Prudence’s reputation in order to save his son’s.
Lastly, the deceased wife in “An Alpine Idyll” was a prime example of negative treatment of women in this book. She passed away in the winter, therefore her body was not able to be laid to rest until the season came to an end. Instead of respectfully placing his beloved into a pine box to await the end of the season, the husband decided to prop her up against the shed wall. If this was not impudent enough, he then decided to “hang a lantern” from her mouth. From these actions, it is clear to see that this man lacks any kind of respect for his
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Prudence did not have a voice throughout the entire story, thus lacking the ability to defend herself against the claims made against her. The wife was deceased, completely vulnerable to her husband’s odious actions. Although Jig had a voice in “Hills Like White Elephants,” she chose to let her partner be in control of the relationship, and disregarded her feelings in order to make her partner happy. Unlike the others, she was given an option to defend herself, but since she chose not to stand up for herself, she was voluntarily powerless.
Likewise, each these women were manipulated in some way. Jig was manipulated into following through with an abortion that she did not want. Nick Adam’s father manipulated Prudence’s image into something that was not accurate. Lastly, the deceased wife’s dead body was manipulated into an object. In addition, it is noteworthy to consider that while two of these characters are involuntarily passive, Jig is passive by choice. She allows her partner to dominate the relationship, her emotions, and ultimately, her actions. Ironically, all three women are either literally dead or figuratively dead. Prudence was figuratively killed when the father destroyed her reputation without concern for her feelings. Finally, Jig dismissed her own desires in order to please her partner, resulting in her metaphorically killing her
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