When reading the past few short stories by Ernest Hemingway I have found myself playing the role of detective trying to read between the lines, see below the surface, piece together the clues and figure out what the heck is going on in the story. I had no idea "Hills Like White Elephants" was about abortion until I looked it up online. It completely blew my mind. How did people clue in to that? It went right over my head. Reading through the evidence and explanation of references to pregnancy and abortion in the story I began to understand. However, I'm not sure that I would have uncovered the story's true meaning on my own even if I read it twenty times.
"Cat in the Rain" wasn't as bad as "Hills Like White Elephants," but I was still pretty off in my interpretation. I read the American wife's obsession with the cat and wanting a cat to be her subtle hints to her husband about wanting a baby. I thought the cat symbolized her quest for a child and how it seems to keep alluding her. George was very standoff-ish when it came to the cat and never paid his wife much attention. I could see and feel the oppression she felt at the hand of her husband. I was wrong about the child however. The cat merely symbolizes the wife and how contained and restrained she feels by her husband. I picked up a little on George's control over his wife, but I read into the cat a little too much. Reading analysis of the story online gave me an "Oooooooohhhh" moment and a twinge of disappointment that I was wrong. It was an improvement from the previous story, however.
Then came my shining moment with "The Sea Change." I nailed this story. I picked up on the subtle hints at the masculinity of the woman and Phil's reference to his rival as "her." From the first page I knew that the woman was leaving the man to pursue a lady friend. George's description of her behavior as a "perversion" and a "vice" supported my assumption and made me feel confident. Further research online proved my analysis correct. Cue triumphant trumpet! What a relief. I finally got a story right. "The Sea Change" may be an easier story to understand, but I feel accomplished. I have slowly gotten better at intensively reading these Ernest Hemingway stories and feel a small sense of pride. The real test will come with the next story...was this just a fluke?
Hi Jenny, I could not help but laugh when reading about your triumph with EH's "Sea Change." Good for you. Sorry the others were frustrating. dw
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I still haven't caught on to understanding Hemingway. I have definitely gotten better at intensively reading, but not good enough. Hemingway is just an interesting author to read. Considering his bizarre life, I understand why his writing is so strange. I had no idea "Hills Like White Elephants" was about abortion and "The Sea Change" was about the woman's sexuality. I did, however, seem to understand "Cat in the Rain" a little bit better. I guess I didn't look into it as much as you did. I'm impressed you finally figured Hemingway's works out!
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