Saturday, May 28, 2011
A personal response to "Hills Like White Elephants"
Although this story was written in 1927, this kind of issue between a man an a woman still happen even today. What I felt about this story is that the man is a type of man who can't figure out woman's mind. Women sometimes don't directly say what they really want to say. Then, men have to imagine how they actually feel from their tones, their tension, or their attitude. However, the man in this story seems not to be good at reading women's feeling. What I felt was interesting is that Hemingway showed us their emotion without direct descriptions such as "then, the girl got annoyed","the man felt disappointed." We can catch their feeing from efficient repeats and descriptions of landscape. I like this kind of literal ways. I hope they will be able to make a decision without sadness; especially I don't want the girl to be hurt. Although I'm a man and may not really understand feeling of women who get pregnant nor abortion, I kinda feel women are likely to have more disadvantages than men when it comes to this kind of problems because some men who are irresponsible may regard it as a smaller thing than what is really happening. All men should consider it as seriously as women do and accept what women want to do even if it is sometimes not logical. That's what I felt about this story.
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An interesting post, Chieu.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about something: do you consider women less logical than men? I hope I haven't misrepresented the interactions of the couple to the class in that regard. When I discussed the man towards the end of the story, I had intended to say that he seems to have felt his girlfriend to be less logical than he was. However, I draw a distinction between how the man perceives his girlfriend, and how his girlfriend actually is.
She is imaginative and logical. She has met a man whom she felt was her soul-mate; she trusted him, conceived a baby with him, and wants to marry him. That's logical. The man, though, wants only an unending sexual relationship with no family responsibilities. I suppose that's logical in a different sort of way, but it is the girl who has the greater capacity for both love and creativity. I also think she has a keener understanding of human nature than the man.
I'm also curious about a grammar issue: what are "efficient repeats"?
In any case, I'm glad that you have thought about the story, and I am pleased that you correctly understood the style of narration that Hemingway was using!
I don't mean the girl in story is not logical. I totally agree with your opinion.
ReplyDeleteI mean men sometimes should accept what women want to do even if there is no logic. It's general opinion.
I don't mean women are less logical than men.
But what I wrote might be easy to misunderstand. I should be careful.
I already knew that you are such a nice and sweet guy, but I realize that you are much nicer and sweeter than I expected! I'm sure you know the movie "What Women want". If men can read women's mind, then they can get the whole world :) Am I right? haha.
ReplyDeleteChieu!! You are right! Men don't understand what women think.
ReplyDeleteCan you understand what women actualy want to say?? hahaha
Interesting post.
ReplyDeleteMen and Women are so different sometimes...
This is a really interesting thread that you have started Chieu! I'm very pleased with you and with your classmates for having such a relevant and courteous conversation.
ReplyDelete--
For my part, I have avoided thinking in terms of "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" for many years now. For one thing, if I may speak in generalizations, women in Eastern cultures are very different than women in western cultures. In my own marriage, I am sometimes much more like a western woman, and my wife is sometimes more like a western man. Then again, other times, the roles are different. Sometimes, neither of us greatly resembles the typical gender roles of any culture.
In western countries, it was for a long time traditional for the men to get together and complain about the women, and for the women to do the same thing about men. Nowadays, though, we are becoming more sensitive to the fact that "gender" is much more a socialized concept that is learned and taught rather than something that is innately biological.
I think this is why some people sometimes think I am gay: I want to draw on the full range of human emotions, expressiveness, and actions as I go about my daily life. I don't care if someone says I am feminine or masculine in regards to anything that I do. It's more important for me to be kind, caring, intelligent, and funny, though I'll be the first to admit that I am certainly not always able to be these!
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Hee-Jung, I have not heard of the movie you mentioned, but it sounds like a modern version of Chaucer's "Wife of Bath's Tale" from the Canterbury Tales. It's a great story!