Chris Whalen
Mr. James
short story writing
Trust and Responsibility
Approaching ones insecurity can be a radical move, but in order to overcome stages of confusion or insecurity the fear must be confronted. Hemingway approaches this idea with a metaphor associated with a hidden message. An insecure situation which two confused lovers are confronted with, presented by the words “hills like white elephants”. The story is shaped around a dialogue in which results in a bickering of inconclusive thoughts as the girls desperately derails the content of the conversation. Although Hemingway illustrated the story in a very board like spectrum leaving gaps in the storyline for the reader to fill in as he pleases, many things were evident as to hint what the conflict was.
When we as people are placed outside of our comfort zone we tend to peak at the situation instead of looking straight on. This idea was hinted by placing the alcoholic drinks during their conversation. Alcohol is usually associated with the wanting to escape. We can view it as a motif to evade the reality of a situation replacing it with a fantasy. The reality of alcohol is that it allows for gaps that cause us fear to momentarily be filled. Jig, as mentioned once by the american emphasizes that they never do anything but go out and try new drinks promoting the fact that their relationship is taking place in the dark.
Hemingway portrays their discomfort by placing them in a tranquil yet awkward situation which both lack the answer to the situation. Not only does the american misinterpreted various phrases the girl says to him, but he refuses to understand them. There's a huge lack of cohesion between the couple which is what impedes them from truly trusting each other on their opinions which is what matters.
When discussing matters regarding trust, David Foster presents a story that revolves around the lack of responsibility and trust. A childs world works like a sponge, it absorbs any surrounding action, knowledge, ideas, in order to fill in the missing gaps. The fact that a child's world is abundant is space, in the process of being filled with various factors such as knowledge means that it is the babies parents responsibility to compensate for that missing knowledge while it learns. In “Incarnations of burned children”, a plot based on an accidental spill of a pot of hot water on a baby is presented. The story then goes on to express a moment of shock, negligence, and desperation. A moment in which the parents tried to react but the actions wouldn't follow through.
Although the cause of the horrific event was an “accident”, an accident is simply the lack of responsibility. A baby acts more as a material object than a mobile human, depending on its parents to watch out for it. An object won't move if the owner doesn't move it, which implies that a baby won't react if placed in a situation of which it may not know. It is a parents job to prevent a situation that may harm its child especially if the parents don't know how to react.
Both Hemingway and David Foster portray a plot that involves the lack of trust, responsibility, and confrontation. A couple with a relation that resides in the dark, and a baby that its relation with its mom is placed in the dark. Both the couple and the baby with the mom are looking at “hills with white elephants” because they are portrayed in situations that no one is secure in. They are confronted by something that makes them hide within their shells yet they don't wanna step out because they fear something is gonna eat them up. Trust, acceptance, responsibility and conquering ones hardest moments are what shape us as humans, and thats what these two story characters lack.
