Hemingway's A Clean Well-Lighted Place And Hills Like White Elephants

The story which seems to start off about the old man really becomes about the fear the old waiter has of becoming like the old man. The importance of the characters, setting, and symbolism of the story all help Hemingway to express the hopelessness and loneliness of the old man and the older waiter. The story’s characters consist of the young waiter who is confident but seems to be a bit naïve about what life is really about. His main concerns seem to be about money and sex. The older waiter who has a greater understanding of what is important in life.

He uses an allusion to perform this task. Steinbeck uses an allusion as he describes the men of the inner city: “...the vague ruins of men, the lotus eaters who struggle daily toward unconsciousness by way of raw alcohol.” In this passage, Steinbeck alludes to the Odyssey, a Greek story of Odysseus and the men of his crew. Steinbeck refers to the “lotus eaters” as the men in the inner city who tend to drink alcohol daily. However, the term “lotus eaters” refers to the Land of the Lotus Eaters in the Odyssey, where Odysseus and his men are intoxicated by the fruit of the natives. Using this allusion, Steinbeck makes it clear how the men of the inner city act by referring to the Land of the Lotus Eaters in the Odysseus, showing how the men are intoxicated daily.

He chuckled at the simplicity of it, then shoved himself up and walked crookedly to the bar.” (Pg.29) Robert being confined to his house during the night, fights the urge, brought through the constant struggle with himself and dealing with his past. This creates internal conflict as he realizes his past life is gone so he drinks to get around the pain. Slowly he gets surrounded by his past and it consumes his fight for survival. But, he realizes

Then we can imagine being in a hotel where the walls are peeling and drunks are hanging around. After that, she starts to explain the streets; “The streets of the city now looked like dust tracks, the black citizens wretchedly poor and glum” (Gellhorn p. 69). Then she sets out to describe the priest. She writes, “The priest, a bony fiery-eyed man in a cloak and trousers, crouched and cavorted, tracing magical signs on the dirt floor, but kept a calculating eye on the believers” (Gellhorn p. 70). The last of the three “patterns of illustrate” is exemplification.

The last and most important theme is loneliness. Holden Caulfield has most of his issues because he is lonely. Even though Holden is lonely he tends to do things that he does not like to be around people and fit into society. One example where Holden shows that he wants to fit into society to now feel lonely is when he goes to a bar in Greenwich Village called Ernie’s. Holden does not like all the people because they are phony but he still goes into the bar and gets a table.

How Symbolism Effects The Story Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants” is a very famous story that has been popular and will continue being popular. It is about a young man and woman who are caught in a predicament amongst themselves and they both have different views on what they should do. Hemingway uses the actions and gestures of the man and woman to help the reader better understand and foreshadow what was coming next, as well as the setting to reveal the symbolic meanings throughout the story. The story is about an operation that an American man and woman are trying to decide wether to precede or not. However, both the man and the woman have different point of views on how they should handle the situation.

On the other side of the coin, the older waiter understands the elderly man and the despair he potentially feels, as well as why the man enjoys the café compared to a noisy bodega. The older waiter recognizes the elderly man 's inner turmoil and identifies similar feelings within himself, thus juxtaposing the two elders against the younger

Symbol is a word or phrase that signifies an object or event which stands for a deeper meaning (Abrams 311). Denouement is the outcome of conflict and the ending of the story (Abrams 227). In the article “The Logic of Confusion in: Hemingway’s ‘A Clean, Well-Lighted Place’” by Joseph F. Gabriel, the author argues that the older waiter and younger waiter have contradictory attitude to “nothingness” and show the contrasts in the story. Another critic, Warren Bennett, in his article entitled “Character, Irony, and Resolution in ‘A Clean Well-Lighted Place’,” contends that in the story the dramatic and verbal irony show the negative situation of old man and older waiter, and the situation will transfer to younger waiter in the future. Many people think in “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”, “nothing” signifies the absolute

The work of Ernest Hemingway offers the reader a chance to dwell in the world of struggle and decision-making. Moreover, the interaction between the girl and the American keenly reveals a sense of insecurity within a relationship built on persistent distractions. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway uses simplicity in conversation, essential symbolism, and character development to expose the couple’s immaturity and the choice between romance and family. Hemingway effectively disguises the growing tension between the girl and the American through idle conversation. Several instances demonstrated the uncomfortable air that surrounded the two.

In his story “Hills Like White Elephants”, Ernest Hemingway points out the couple's inability to make the decision: whether to abort the unborn child or not. The reader finds that the story deals with couple's miscommunication through the conversation and the emotions that they express. One can observe that no descriptions are given to the characters, thus, Hemingway creates universal dilemma to focus on the crucial issue. In this way, Hemingway leads the reader to identify with his female character that undergoes a struggle. In the beginning of the story, a description of the setting is presented: “The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white.