Roman Fever and Hills Like White Elephants

2111 Words5 Pages

Many times in life things are not as they seem. What may look simple on the surface may be more complicated deeper within. Countless authors of short stories go on a journey to intricately craft the ultimate revelation as well as the subtle clues meant for the readers as they attempt to figure out the complete “truth” of the story. The various authors of these stories often use different literary techniques to help uncover the revelation their main characters undergo. Through the process of carefully developing their unique characters and through point of view, both Edith Wharton and Ernest Hemingway ultimately convey the significant revelation in the short stories, “Roman Fever” and “Hills Like White Elephants” respectively. The use of these two literary techniques is essential because they provide the readers with the necessary clues to realize the ultimate revelations. “Roman Fever” and “Hills Like White Elephants” are two stories that on surface seem very different from one another, but through careful analysis the two are quite similar. Their similarities are mainly evident through the significant use of the dialogues in the both stories. “Roman Fever” has a third person omniscient narrator which the author allows to know the inner private thoughts of both characters, Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley. In contrast, “Hills Like White Elephants” is composed in a third person limited narrative where very little is known about the thoughts of both Jig and the American. At first Ernest Hemingway’s short story can clearly be viewed as the most ambiguous out of the two. With its simplistic style, written mostly in straightforward dialogue which leaves the readers to contemplate over the ultimate outcome of the story and forces them to ... ... middle of paper ... ...even though she is stuck at a crossroad between Madrid and Barcelona, abortion or baby, Barcelona and the lush hills behind the Ebro River show her what she can have, what she initially wanted all along-to settle down and enjoy life with her baby and love. “Roman Fever” and “Hills Like White Elephants” are two different stories that are both very ambiguous in their own ways. Each has a revelation at the end that ultimately paints the grander picture. Even though, Wharton and Hemingway used two very different styles of writing, one full of small subtle details that all fit together as a big puzzle and the other full of simplicity and straightforwardness, both did create dynamic and mysterious characters that, mixed in with the subtle hints and suggestion of their narrators, ultimately helped the readers see and actually comprehend the revelations of each story.

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