...“I Spy” by Graham Greene (1930) Charlie Stowe is the main character of the story. He is a twelve year old boy and lives in England. He comes from a family where he does not really have a father. The father he has is unreal to him and they do not spend that much time together, they do not have a close relationship. In the beginning of the text we were told that Charlie does not love his father but when we get to the ending of the story Charlie finally realized that he loves him. But it was too late to tell him because he was taken away by the two strangers. Charlie now understands why his father had not been there for him. In a way Charlie “grows up” and learns how the world functions. However he feels the opposite for his mother. He adores and loves his mother truly, he feels a passionate love for her large boisterous presence and her loud charity filled the world for him. At the country school Charlie Stowe is bullied by his school mates because he had never tried to smoke a cigarette before. In that way they kind of pushes him to steal some cigarettes from his fathers tobacco shop because he wanted to prove himself to them and never be mocked again for not having smoked. He is encouraging himself to do it, he knows that it is a loose-loose situation, if he steals the cigarettes he will lose respect from his father and if he does not steal the cigarettes the boys at school will just continue to bully him. Even though Charlie knows it is a crime to steal he does it anyway...
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...Professor Huot WRT 201 30 March 2015 Analysis of Ernest Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants” In the story “Hills Like White Elephants” the author Ernest Hemingway tells a story of a couple who are at a train station dialoging about an abortion. Hemingway shows how men do not think the same way about abortions than woman do. Hemmingway also sends a message of how men are manipulative towards women. He illustrates how women seem to have a harder time overpowering a man in a relationship. First, Hemmingway shows how men do not think the same way about abortions than woman do because in the story the man says it is a perfectly “natural procedure” (Hemmingway) not thinking of all of the hardship an abortion brings to a woman. According to the criticism “ it reveals perhaps better than any other part of the story the terms of the central conflict” (Madden). The man does not think of what the woman has to go through in the procedure. The emotional state and the physically pain full procedure she has to endure, knowing that she will not be having a child that could be the start of a new family for her. Because of the way that the man does not seem to care that he is getting rid of a child with life and just wants to continue the relationship with the woman after she has to sacrifice so much with the abortion shows the lack of knowledge the man has about the feeling a woman goes through when they have an abortion. Second, Hemmingway sends a message of how men are manipulative towards...
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...“A Clean Well-Lighted Place” Analysis “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”, by Ernest Hemmingway, is a story of two waiters working late one night in “A Clean, Well-Lighted” cafe. The image of the café is central to the story; we get a feeling that outside this place the world is chaos. The story opens with two waiters discussing an old man who frequents the café where they work. He constantly stays late into the night drinking. One of the waiters, a younger man, expresses his dislike of the old man while the older waiter sympathizes and relates to the old man. The younger waiter wants the old man to go home while the older waiter doesn’t seem to care one way or another. This story is a tale of despair and loneliness and how different people deal with it. The older waiter defends the old man him because he can relate to his despair. Loneliness and old age are the common bonds that the older waiter shares with the old man. In time he will be old, unable to work and feel lonely because his lack friends. The old man seems to think there is no meaning to his life. It is like he has given up. There is no good or bad; no right or wrong, the only thing that may matter is making what time he has left somewhat bearable. The fact that he gets drunk every night and stays late at the café shows he has nothing better to do with his last bit of time. Depression puts a negative spin on everything, including the way you see yourself, the situations you encounter, and your expectations for the future...
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...The Importance of Being Earnest, Act 2 In The Importance of Being Earnest, almost every character is in pursuit of another; Jack is in pursuit of Gwendolen’s love, whom is in pursuit of Jack, who she believes is Ernest. Meanwhile in the country, Dr Chausible is in pursuit of Miss Prism’s love, and Cecily of Algernon’s love; similarly to Gwendolen’s situation, Cecily is fooled into believing Algernon is called Ernest. Wilde has created this situation to mock the upper class of the time and also uses it in various ways to build comedy throughout act 2. Within act 2, the audience witness many entrances and exits, one of the most significant from the Merriman during the dispute between Gwendolen and Cecily. During the dispute, Gwendolen and Cecily are disrupted by the Merriman, ‘followed by the footman’, with ‘the presence of the servants [exercising] a restraining influence, under which both girls chafe’. This builds the comedy within this scene as the Merriman sets the table slowly, with ‘a long pause’, further infuriating Cecily and Gwendolen; this creates anticipation within the audience, as they would be anxiously wait for the dispute to continue. One could interpret the entrance and exit of the Merriman as Wilde placing more importance in the servants than the people they are serving, another way to mock the upper class of the time. Another important exit in the act is when Cecily and Gwendolen ‘retire into the house with scornful looks’, expecting the men to chase after...
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...Bracknell, is coming for tea. The discussion turns to marriage when Algernon asks Lane why servants always drink the champagne during dinner parties. Lane informs him that bachelors always have the best wine. Algernon asks if marriage is so demoralizing. Lane informs us that he was married once but only as the result of a misunderstanding, so he is not sure. Lane exits; Algernon comments that Lane’s views seem lax and the lower orders have no use if they will not set an example. He comments that Lane’s class seems to have a lack of moral responsibility. Unexpectedly, Algernon’s friend Jack Worthing drops in. Jack resides most of the time in the countryside and is visiting town. Lane and Algernon are under the impression that Jack’s name is Ernest and refer to him as so. Jack is happy to learn that Lady Bracknell (Aunt Augusta) and her daughter Gwendolen are coming because he wants to propose marriage to Gwendolen. Algernon says that he will not be able to marry her because he flirts with her, which Aunt Augusta does not like. Furthermore, as Gwendolen’s first cousin he will refuse to offer his consent unless Jack settles a question for him. He has found a cigarette case that Jack had forgotten upon his last visit. There is an inscription, which states: "From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack." Jack tries to pretend it is from an aunt. Eventually, he must admit that Cecily is his ward. To escape the...
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...In “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway (1927), the theme is overcoming challenges during major life decisions and the importance of communication and courage during a time of crisis. A few of the symbols in the story were hills, white elephants, and a railroad. This was a story of a couple’s struggle with a life changing decision to have or abort a baby. As they both sat at a train station, they discussed the American’s desire for an abortion and Jig’s want for the pregnancy. She gazed in the distance at the hills on one half of the valley, which were dry, hot, and lifeless. “The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry.” I feel this may have symbolized the couple’s challenges, Jig’s fear of her dead baby, being barren and the American’s desire for their lives to remain the same, stationary, and permanent (or the permanence of a baby). The hills on that side of the valley were compared to white elephants. White elephants are an ironic symbol of an awkward topic needing to be discussed and/or a useless gift. In the white elephant game, a gift is given as a joke and may be of no use to the recipient. As the American and Jig continue to discuss their wishes with the pregnancy, Jig sees the other side of the valley and it’s hills. They are described as alive, growing, and full of life. I feel this is a symbol of Jig seeing this crisis as an opportunity, life, growth, and a renewal for what seems...
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...Idiomatic Expressions Idiomatic expressions can be problems for non-native speakers because the meaning of the phrase is not literally what the words mean. Also known as "colloquialisms," the only true way to learn them is one by one. A poor man's _____: Something or someone not as good as others is "a poor man's version. A writer who uses exotic locations but is not very convincing would be a poor man's Ernest Hemmingway. About-face : One who changes his or her mind completely is said to have done an aboutface. Above board : If things are carried out legally and properly, they are said to be done "above board." Achilles' heel : A person's weak spot is his or her Achilles' heel, so-named because of the Greek hero Achilles, who was invulnerable everywhere on his body except his heels. Acid test : Proves whether something is good and effective or not. Across the board : Something that applies to everybody applies across the board. Albatross around your neck : An albatross around the neck refers to a problem resulting from a past action that continues to keep one from being successful. Alter ego : A very close and intimate friend, from the Latin phrase that literally means "'other self." An old flame : A person with whom one once had an emotional, usually passionate, relationship—a person still looked on with fondness and affection. Apple of your eye : Something or someone very special to you. Costs an arm and a leg : Something very expensive. As the crow flies...
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...Colin Bodet Mrs. Jane Everest ENG 123.15 31 January 2012 The Sun Also Rises: The Design of an Alcoholic Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises is permeated with a multitude of references to alcohol. Hemingway once described it as a “book about a few drunks” (qtd. in Dardis 163). Matt Djos, author of “Alcoholism in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises: A Wine and Roses Perspective on the Lost Generation” and English professor at Mesa State College in Colorado, goes as far as to describe the novel as a “description of the alcoholic mentality” (64). The copious amounts of alcohol consumed by the characters of the novel can presumably be attributed to boredom. As the official biographer of Hemingway Carlos Baker puts it, the characters are “floundering in an emulsion of ennui and alcohol” (Baker 90); he suggests that the characters actions are fueled merely by boredom and an unhealthy consumption of alcohol. However, the hedonistic over-consumption of alcohol by Hemingway’s characters cannot be blamed on boredom alone; there are millions of people on this planet that suffer from boredom every so often, and yet they do not all keep themselves occupied by drinking to excess. Regardless of the reasons, “the drinking behavior in The Sun Also Rises was pronounced and addictive” (Djos 65). As the characters develop, it becomes clear that Hemingway designed the characters of The Sun Also Rises with past lives and personality traits that predispose them to alcoholism. Before determining...
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...Cat in the rain The short story, “Cat in the Rain”, by Ernest Hemingway, describes the relationship between two married American tourists in Italy, where one is striving to get a cat. The American wife wants to bring the cat into they’re room, but the husband is indifferent to her wish. Under these actions, there are a lot of important points. This cat is symbolic and reveals the psychological state and emotional desires of the American wife. The cat is caught by the rain. It needs help and care, but it is ignored by others. Just like the American wife. When you have wanted something for a long time and you haven’t got it, sometimes you just do what you feel is best for you. The American wife does her best to save the cat, which is held back because of the rain. Her husband gives a courtesy and says “I’ll do it” (p. 1 line 14) but he makes no further attempt to help, which gives us a view of him being careless for this cat. The wife never catches the cat. The rain that held the cat back, stopped, and it ran away. The cat is a clear symbol of a baby and the American wife who is held back because of the rain, which symbolizes the husband. The wife is so determined to get a baby, but is unable to, because of her husband’s missing wish for a baby. When the woman comes back to the hotel, she starts mentioning all the wishes she wants in her future. “Don’t you think it would be a good idea if I let my hair grow out?” (p.2 line. 15) she asks her husband, where he answers “I like...
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...Setting Analysis – A Soldier’s Home by Ernest Hemingway The short story Soldier's Home by Ernest Hemingway is a thought-provoking look into a man life that becomes a soldier, goes off to war and returns an entirely different man. There is much that is identifiable in this story, especially those who have served in the military. This story however leaves much to interpretation but it is written in such a way that the author allows you to really experience his emotions well throughout. My own interpretation; being a person who served in the military is that his experiences coming home are not all that uncommon, especially in the Vietnam era. The military changes many things about a person. Primarily it served to allow me to grow up and be accountable, amongst other things. The young man who entered the military was nothing like the man who returned home. I felt truly sorry for Krebs many times through this story. The young man enlisted in the Marines to help his country; in this process he became a man as he was subjected to the horrors of World War I. His life was changed so drastically that upon his return to this small town, his life no longer fits as it once did. Although there is no narration to suggest his life before or during the war, the symbols in the beginning chapters give some idea as to perhaps what life was like for Krebs. He goes from a Methodist college student, which suggests conformity to " [having] been at Belleau Wood, Soissons, the Champagne...
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...Cristian Uribe The war without end, selfishness, nothing to do against death and the scars of the war in Men without women In this essay I’m talking about the main issues present in the following short stories in Men without women by Ernest Hemingway (1928): In another country (25-29), Hills like white elephants (29-33), The killers (33-40) and Now I lay me (83). In another country is about a wounded American soldier recuperating from an injury by receiving treatments from machines in a hospital in Milan, Italy. Machines. With him there’s an Italian major receiving treatment for a shriveled hand. There is a strong optimism of a physician employing the new machines which is contrasted with the skepticism of Italian major who, disbelieving in the machines, nevertheless comes regularly for therapy to his hand. That daily attendance is interrupted only with the sudden death of the major’s wife. The machines were new, as result, the narrator and the major were trying them. And although they both didn’t trust in the machines they were under their treatment because they really wanted to recover. The major wanted to be his wife and the narrator probably wanted to clean his pride because his wound and medals were “fake”. What I think can be infer from the text is that even if the machines have success healing the soldiers, the war for them won’t end because is not just facing enemy on the front line but also picking up the pieces of their damaged lives and facing the prospect...
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...Rational Sentiment: A Formalist Essay on Hills Like White Elephants Rightful choices come whenever the realization of something wrong occuring comes. The various, contradicting dialogues of the characters evident in Hemingway’s literary piece exemplify their baffled minds and frequent loss of reason in seeking for transformation despite the circumstances. The short story focuses on a couple set in Spain who are faced with the argument as to whether she would have the operation or not since according to him, it would be as easy as “let[ting] the air in.” At one part of the text, the man would say, "I think it's the best thing to do. But I don't want you to do it if you don't really want to," where it is clear that he is still giving the woman some options although the American has made his choice final. From the beginning of the story, the American’s decision was made clear to the readers that he wanted no baby, no family, no responsibilities, and only pleasure. Just like what he said, “That's the only thing that bothers us. It's the only thing that's made us unhappy.” It is also seen many times in the text that he would always try to divert the conversation whenever the woman becomes too serious with the issue of abortion so he asks her to drink more beer with him; this line being frequently repeated: "Should we have another drink?" Jig, the woman in the text, had actually took into consideration the idea of giving away her child, as seen in the lines "Oh, yes. But I don't...
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...In this fictional story by Ernest Hemingway, I would like to take part in focusing on several different parts of the story, according to the outline of the textual analysis of the plot. Starting with the beginning of the story, we get a very good description of the exposition. By first introducing us to where the story is happening, with a quick subtle introduction of the characters. This is done by immediately starting the story with the characters doing an action. By the narrator saying, that Nick and his Father got in the stern of the boat. Besides the narrator telling us that Nick, Uncle George and Nick´s father are in the boat, we also know of their heading in the very first conversation. This is heard when Nick asks his father where they are headed. The reply from Nick´s father also reveals why they are heading to the Indian camp. At the Indian camp, we also get a clue of when and what time of the day the story is taking place. The clue can be found when the narrator mentions that a young Indian women is carrying a lantern. This probably means that it´s quite dark, perhaps even night-time. Although this is only an assumption and cannot be proven. The first complication in the story begins with Nick´s father mentioning that they´re heading to a very sick Indian women. This lets us know what their objective is; letting us know that there will be one or several different conflicts when they arrive. The first complication starts in the beginning of the story, which...
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...The “Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” written by Ernest Hemingway, chronicles the events leading to the short-lived figurative adulthood of Francis Macomber, a wealthy American man on a hunting safari with his wife Margaret and professional hunter Robert Wilson. Macomber has two encounters with big game animals (a lion and three buffalos) that lead his developmental growth on the path of maturity. On his journey to adulthood, Macomber experiences fear. And that fear stands in the way of him meeting important needs. However, when his fear is faced it enables him to overcome anything; kill game and liberate himself from Margaret's dominant position. Francis Macomber “[Is] thirty-five years old, [keeps] himself well built, [is] good at...
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...Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), born in Oak Park, Illinois, started his career as a writer in a newspaper office in Kansas City at the age of seventeen. After the United States entered the First World War, he joined a volunteer ambulance unit in the Italian army. Serving at the front, he was wounded, was decorated by the Italian Government, and spent considerable time in hospitals. After his return to the United States, he became a reporter for Canadian and American newspapers and was soon sent back to Europe to cover such events as the Greek Revolution. During the twenties, Hemingway became a member of the group of expatriate Americans in Paris, which he described in his first important work, The Sun Also Rises (1926). Equally successful was A Farewell to Arms (1929), the study of an American ambulance officer's disillusionment in the war and his role as a deserter. Hemingway used his experiences as a reporter during the civil war in Spain as the background for his most ambitious novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940). Among his later works, the most outstanding is the short novel, The Old Man and the Sea (1952), the story of an old fisherman's journey, his long and lonely struggle with a fish and the sea, and his victory in defeat. Hemingway - himself a great sportsman - liked to portray soldiers, hunters, bullfighters - tough, at times primitive people whose courage and honesty are set against the brutal ways of modern society, and who in this confrontation lose hope and...
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