Abortion Essay

Life is filled with decisions, each of which depicts a different outcome. How one copes with these outcomes shapes them as a person. An unfortunate but sadly common problem in society is abortion. The issue of abortion has caused severe problems between families and friends and has an effect like no other aspect of life. In the story "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway and the song "Brick" by Ben Folds Five, the use of literary elements such as symbolism and imagery greatly help to express the tension caused by abortion. In the story by Hemingway, a seemingly young couple is faced with the decision to have an abortion or continue on and have a child together. The authors use of imagery to describe the scene makes it seem as if the reader is actually listening in on the couples conversation in person. When Hawthorne describes the scene by saying, "They sat down at the table...her and at the table" (Hawthorne 3), it makes the reader feel as if they are bystanders. When the couple is talking, the reader soon learns about the indecision between the two about having or not having an abortion. The use of imagery greatly helps to express the problem abortion can cause in a relationship. Abortion is a serious issue in society and can be detrimental to anyone who has it exist in their life. In the song by Ben Folds Five, a man sings about when he was in high school and his girlfriend became pregnant. He sings to reflect his feelings for his past hard times and how he and his girlfriend were faced with the decision of abortion. The use of symbolism throughout the song greatly helps to portray the singers feelings and thoughts on his experience with abortion. The singer states "She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly, off the coast and I'm headed nowhere, She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly" (Ben Folds Five 15-17) to symbolize the troubles he has been through. The brick acts as a symbol for his girlfriends pregnancy because of how it is slowing him down.