Krebs does not even attempt to find meaning. He knows there is nothing inside of him, and everything in life is too much "work." He is empty and dead inside - the war has killed him even though he survives. In a way, Krebs mother is the antagonist in the story, because she is the one who pushes him to do things he does not want to do. She is the totally opposite of her son, a little ignorant, spiritual, and sure life makes sense. She represents everything the soldiers were fighting for, and yet, she represents everything Krebs did not want to return to. She makes him remember things he would like to forget, and she makes him "love" when he has nothing inside of him. She pushes him to lie, which he hates, and he hates her because of it. Hemingway uses the idea of truth in this story to indicate the things people are not supposed to say or think in public. Everyone tends to "edit" what they say and do to gain approval from those around them. Krebs no longer needs approval, he no longer needs his mother, and she antagonizes him to the point of his deciding to leave. She says she loves him, but she does not understand him. She pushes him to leave because she has no idea what is going on inside him, and never takes the time to learn about him. This clash of basic beliefs and values splits the family apart, and illustrates how ignorant people can be when...
People, like his mother, need to "hear" the word "love," but they really do not know what it means, and Hemingway shows this by using this clash.
Hills tells the story of a young American man and his pregnant lover waiting for the train that will take them to an abortionist. In addition to the directness of speech characteristic of Hemingway's writing, Hills explores several themes characteristic of Hemingway, to include boredom, dissatisfaction, and self-destruction as a moving paralysis. "And we could have all this," she said. 'And we could have everything and every day we
The conflict is real and it is too big for him to tackle on his own, so he shuts down and checks out emotionally. Another story that deals with inner conflict is "Now I Lay Me." This story is completely internal and it becomes the narrator's way to keep from losing his mind as he fights insomnia. He is suffering from shell shock. The conflict is the narrator's inability to
Ernest Hemingway is considered by some as the greatest writer in American History, by those who do not consider him so, he is still considered one of the greatest American writers. While many have written articles and entire books on the subject of Hemingway, one need only read his books and short stories to understand the man. Hemingway's writings are a window into his soul and very often mirror happenings
Ernest Hemingway & T.S. Eliot Modernism in Literature: Comparative Analysis of the works of Ernest Hemingway and T.S. Eliot As the world entered the 20th century, world literature have become influenced with the emerging ideology of modernism, a new thinking that promotes the potential of humanity to achieve more than they imagined possible. That is, modernism has promoted the idea that humanity has the potential achieve more than the present state they
Thus, they felt alienated, or lost, from society. A similar theme of alienation from society is found in the Andre Dubus short story entitled the Fat Girl. This story's alienation from society comes from being fat. In a world where skinny is everywhere, people who do not meet this prototype are ostracized, or feel lost from their community. Interestingly enough, the story opens with "Her name was Louise." (Dubus, p.
Either way, what they shared is gone. The interesting thing about this story is the boyfriend's inability to see things from Jig's point-of-view. He does not have to deal with the emotional aspect of abortion, so he can say things like, "It's not really an operation at all" (Hills Like White Elephants 1391). The nameless man is selfish and a liar because he tries to convince Jig "It's really
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