In literature, tone is the attitude a literary works takes toward it subject and theme (Booth 147). The tone in the stories, "The Road Not Taken” and "Hills like White Elephants" are very decisive, strong tones toward the subject in each poem. In the story, "The Road Not Taken" the traveler has decided to embark down the path that is less traveled by others. Then in the story, "Hills like White Elephants" the man and the woman are trying to decide if they should have an abortion or not.
The first line in "The Road Not Taken" is "two roads diverged in a yellow wood” (Frost 1). This gives the reader right off of two separate choices that the traveler can choose. The second line is "and sorry I could not travel both” (frost 2). This lets the reader know that in fact the traveler did choose one path. Just by reading the first two lines the reader can already feel the tone of being decisive. Throughout the poem it gives great descriptions as the travel compares to two paths. An example of this one would be line 8, "Because it was grassy and wanted wear". This statement also lets the reader know that the traveler already knew which one to pick by the looks of the road, thus road being the less traveled upon. At the end of the poem, the line 19 &20 lets us know the traveler has made a decision. Though in the traveler’s words one can almost sense sadness. The traveler explains that one day he would like to go back and travel the other path.
In the story, "Hills like White Elephants" the couple has to make a decision. Throughout the story one can gather a sense of nervousness and disappointment. In the first paragraph the setting introduces the tense atmosphere that will continue through the entire story. The couple is in limbo abou...
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...n is. I would lean towards them keeping the child.
My outlook on this type of situation is, if you are going to take the risk then be prepared for the consequences of what the love making could entail. These stories are very different in meanings but yet both have to make big decisions to make. The tones are very, strong decisive towards the subject.
Works Cited
Booth, Alison, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Shorter 9th ed. New York: Norton, 2006. A7
Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills Like White Elephants." The Norton Introduction to Literature.Eds.Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. Shorter 9th ed. New York: Norton, 2006.128-132
Frost, Robert. "The Road Not Taken." The Norton Introduction to Literature.Eds.Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. Shorter 9th ed. New York: Norton, 2006. 988
Booth, Alison, and Kelly Mays, eds. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: Norton, 2010.
Gale. Weeks, Lewis E., Jr. "Hemingway Hills: Symbolism in 'Hills like White'" Elephants. Studies in Short Fiction. 17.1 (Winter 1980): 75-77.
Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway is a short story that deals with the idea of conformity and the conflict caused by internal desire and pressure from another party. The short story is very subtle, and often uses these subtleties in combination with incredible amounts of symbolism interlaced throughout the narrative to cause the reader to look and think deeper into the motives, values and convictions of the conflict between the two protagonists respective desires. When two parties are at an impasse of desire, the conviction of their opposing beliefs become increasingly unshakeable. This results in dissension due to the severe lack of understanding between the parties involved and furthermore, they refuse to be held responsible
Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills like White Elephants." Responding to Literature. Ed. Judith Stanford. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006. 841-44. Print.
Renner, Stanley "Moving to the Girl's Side of `Hills Like White Elephants'." The Hemingway Review, 15 (1) (Fall 1995): 27-41. As Rpt. in Wyche, David "Letting the Air into a Relationship: Metaphorical Abortion in `Hills Like White Elephants'. The Hemingway Review, 22 (1) (Fall 2002): 56-71. EBSCOhost.
Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants” tells the tale of a man and a woman, who at first might seem to be having a normal and rather dull conversation at a train station, but it is only when you look closer into what is actually being said by the characters and find the small clues that Hemingway cleverly knit into the story, that you realize how heavy the conversation actually is. Unlike many authors, Hemingway leaves it to the reader to delve deeper into the story and decipher the situation for themselves, and a seemingly simple story can become something so much more. The woman in the story is contemplating whether to stick to the life she knows or begin a brand new chapter in her life that could change her relationship with the man forever. Sometimes one’s true intentions are not always clear.
Hills Like White Elephants, written by Ernest Hemingway, is a story that takes place in Spain while a man and woman wait for a train. The story is set up as a dialogue between the two, in which the man is trying to convince the woman to do something she is hesitant in doing. Through out the story, Hemingway uses metaphors to express the characters’ opinions and feelings.
---, "Hills Like White Elephants." The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Charles Scribner?s Sons, 1953. 273-278.
Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants", is a story about a doomed relationship. Hemingway uses symbolism, dialogue, and also setting to tell this story. Behind the words said by the characters, and sights explained to the readers, are hidden meanings that when analyzed, bring the story to another level.
Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Miller Hemingway is one of his famous short stories. He introduced many autobiographical elements into the story, specifically his lifelong effort trying to build meaningful relationships. The whole theme of the story is an ongoing conversation between two couples, both making the decision of their life. Hemingway reflects his struggle with depression and alcoholism in his story of these two couple, and also how nature plays a role in peoples lives and may contribute to important decisions in their lives.
Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken.” Literature and the Writing Process. Ed. Elizabeth McMahan et al. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2007. 695-696. Print.
Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills Like White Elephants." Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Ed. Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006. 268-272.
Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” Literature Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. DiYanni, Robert. 2nd ed. New York. Mc Grew Hill. 2008. 400-03. Print.
In “Hills like White Elephants,” the scenery plays a major role in symbolizing the issue that isn’t verbally given to the reader. Hemingway sets up a scene where an American and his girl, “Jig,” are sitting at a bar in a train station, looking at the hills in the distance. Hemingway begins the story by describing the setting: “On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun” and “the country was brown and dry” (Hemingway 196). With these images of the scene, the reader can see how barren and dry the landscape is. Later, the other side of the train station is described when “the girl stood up and walked to the end of the station. Across, on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro. Far away, beyond the river, were mountains. The shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain and she saw the river through the trees” (198). This description illustrates a very rich atmosphere. The two descriptions of the scenery link the indecisiveness of the woman on whether she will have the abortion or not. In the de...
"Use of Literary Devices in Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken." 123HelpMe.com. 03 Apr 2011 .