When reading this, I was rather shocked. I thought I knew what it was talking about, but it seemed strange that he would let her go with another girl and then come back to him. The topic of homosexuality was an interesting one to read in the iceberg technique. You think you understand what they are talking about, but I had to go to an analysis just to make sure I would not be making a fool of myself in this blog.
I like the fact that we are reading this after my lead discussion group. During that class we had people write from a similar perspective. It made this a little easier to recognize. While the fact that he is writing about this topic is not at all shocking, it is rather interesting that he makes the male character so understanding of the lady's needs. He not only lets her go, but he even tells her that she will be able to come back to him when its all over. This makes it seem more like an experiment for the girl. Like she's not completely sure what is going on herself.
I feel bad for the male in the story because he obviously is hurt by her decision. It seems like there is pain in his voice when I read it. And the way he watches her leave adds to this. However his change is harder to describe. I think it is just more understanding and a wordliness, but it may be something completely different. It is also interesting that Hemingway names only the barman in the story. Neither the male or female are ever named, unless Phil is the name of the man. I was not sure about that because of the way she said it.
Altogether, although I understood the idea of the piece, the reaction of the man was harder to fathom. In the end, he just kept talking about how he was different, but I was not sure in what way.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Hills Like White Elephant
Though I have read this story before, every time something new catches my interest. The first time I read it, I was shocked to find out that the "simple operation" was actually an abortion. This was something that I did not expect. However, the more times you read the piece, the more obvious it becomes. Now when I read it, I am not shocked by the fact that they are discussing an abortion, I am more shocked at the different way I understand certain sentences every time I read it.
So much depends on the way you read the way the characters' dialogue. If you read it one way, sarcastically, the idea is completely different than if you read it with the girl being completely innocent. This time when reading the story, I also picked up on small sentences that use the symbolism in the beginning. The last paragraph, when he puts his baggage on the other track could mean a new decision, but there is also the idea that the train is not there, which means a decision was not made. When discussing in my group for the lead respondent assignment, all three of us picked up on different sentences throughout the whole that brought new meaning to the piece for us.
This is very much an example of Hemingway's IceBerg Technique. Because of very little narration, the story is mostly about what is being said. This leaves the interpretation up to the reader. You must figure out what you think Hemingway meant when he was writing "Hills Like White Elephants." This has always been one of my favorite stories by him. It was what first sparked my interest in his writing. before reading this in high school, I had only heard of him. After that I really enjoyed his writing. It is his way of saving the best information for himself. In this story we have absolutely no idea what the readers are actually thinking. We can only guess by context clues and the tone we personally read it in.
I am really glad I picked this story for my lead respondent assignment because I cannot wait to hear what each in the class has to say about the different topics we discussed. I know we each had our own ideas when planning the different assignments, but I think the class can bring new insights. I also look forward to hearing from the people that have not read this story before and that maybe don't understand what it is talking about the whole way through.
So much depends on the way you read the way the characters' dialogue. If you read it one way, sarcastically, the idea is completely different than if you read it with the girl being completely innocent. This time when reading the story, I also picked up on small sentences that use the symbolism in the beginning. The last paragraph, when he puts his baggage on the other track could mean a new decision, but there is also the idea that the train is not there, which means a decision was not made. When discussing in my group for the lead respondent assignment, all three of us picked up on different sentences throughout the whole that brought new meaning to the piece for us.
This is very much an example of Hemingway's IceBerg Technique. Because of very little narration, the story is mostly about what is being said. This leaves the interpretation up to the reader. You must figure out what you think Hemingway meant when he was writing "Hills Like White Elephants." This has always been one of my favorite stories by him. It was what first sparked my interest in his writing. before reading this in high school, I had only heard of him. After that I really enjoyed his writing. It is his way of saving the best information for himself. In this story we have absolutely no idea what the readers are actually thinking. We can only guess by context clues and the tone we personally read it in.
I am really glad I picked this story for my lead respondent assignment because I cannot wait to hear what each in the class has to say about the different topics we discussed. I know we each had our own ideas when planning the different assignments, but I think the class can bring new insights. I also look forward to hearing from the people that have not read this story before and that maybe don't understand what it is talking about the whole way through.
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