Alex Boyle eng 102
Alex Boyle
Eng 102
Kranidis
Draft 1
Helplessness within the Unseen Modern Heroes
Why do authors write about helplessness so much? Well they are pretty good at what they do so that could be why. Regardless Ernest Hemingway and Charlotte Perkins Gilman really know how to illustrate such catastrophes in their writing. These two stories, “Hills like White Elephants” & “The Yellow Wallpaper” despite their time frame differences have a lot of similarities. From lack of clear communication as written by Gilman, “John does not even know how much I suffer” to even the frustration over miscommunication and non-mutual feelings “’All right. But you’ve got to realize ------.’’I realize’ the girl said. ‘Can’t we maybe stop talking?’” Such feelings can cause people to become irritated or even insane like written in the stories. Some would even say it left them feeling.. Helpless.
“Hills like White Elephant” by Ernest Hemingway, consists of an American couple at a train station on a hot clear day in Spain, ordering beers until their train arrives. They are traveling to have a particular unspecified procedure in Madrid, but we can assume it is to obtain an abortion. While the two wait, they just drink and talk to kill the time. The tension between the two is almost as sizzling as the heat of the Spanish sun. The man, while urging the girl to have the operation, says again and again that he really doesn't want her to do it if she really doesn't want to. However, he clearly is insisting that she do so. The girl is trying to be brave and nonchalant but is clearly frightened of committing herself to having the operation. Soon after the girl realizes that the man will never change his mind, but the arguing and bickering lead to so much uneasiness that the girl just asks to stop talking at one point. The Spanish Bartender informs them about their train arriving in five minutes so after finishing their drinks, the American carries their bags to the platform and then walks back to
Eng 102
Kranidis
Draft 1
Helplessness within the Unseen Modern Heroes
Why do authors write about helplessness so much? Well they are pretty good at what they do so that could be why. Regardless Ernest Hemingway and Charlotte Perkins Gilman really know how to illustrate such catastrophes in their writing. These two stories, “Hills like White Elephants” & “The Yellow Wallpaper” despite their time frame differences have a lot of similarities. From lack of clear communication as written by Gilman, “John does not even know how much I suffer” to even the frustration over miscommunication and non-mutual feelings “’All right. But you’ve got to realize ------.’’I realize’ the girl said. ‘Can’t we maybe stop talking?’” Such feelings can cause people to become irritated or even insane like written in the stories. Some would even say it left them feeling.. Helpless.
“Hills like White Elephant” by Ernest Hemingway, consists of an American couple at a train station on a hot clear day in Spain, ordering beers until their train arrives. They are traveling to have a particular unspecified procedure in Madrid, but we can assume it is to obtain an abortion. While the two wait, they just drink and talk to kill the time. The tension between the two is almost as sizzling as the heat of the Spanish sun. The man, while urging the girl to have the operation, says again and again that he really doesn't want her to do it if she really doesn't want to. However, he clearly is insisting that she do so. The girl is trying to be brave and nonchalant but is clearly frightened of committing herself to having the operation. Soon after the girl realizes that the man will never change his mind, but the arguing and bickering lead to so much uneasiness that the girl just asks to stop talking at one point. The Spanish Bartender informs them about their train arriving in five minutes so after finishing their drinks, the American carries their bags to the platform and then walks back to