Ernest Hemingway in his story “ Hills Like White Elephants” describes love between the American man and Jig. Love in the story was expressed differently between the couple. The American man loved Jig in an obsessive way, which was expressed in various parts of the narrative. He was self-centered and did not show any consideration to her desire when he made his mind about the abortion. He wanted their relationship to go on without any commitment, while Jig dreamed of long lasting relationship and hoped that having a baby would work as an insurance and fulfill her wishes for a happy and a complete relationship.
So if we reflect on Wiliam Blake views of love in his poem “The Clod and the PEBBLE” we can see some similarity expressed by Pebble. According to the Pebble, people fall in love just to please themselves rather than pleasing their partners. That would be accurate if we say that the American man in his love to Jig didn't really care for her feelings; not only concerning her feelings about the abortion, but as well about his way of treating her. For example, when they were outside the bar drinking beer, Jig was trying to have a conversation with him, and he was cutting her off all the time. This type of treatment shows the type of relationship they have and cast light on the American man personality. I think he is not a pleasant person to be with; he was neither affectionate nor considerate. The girl was about going to have an operation, which she knows nothing about. She has been worried about her health, her baby and in top of that she was insecure about the future of their relationship. Hence, Pebble’s description of love was expressed by the American man’s actions. He tried to please himself and bend his lover for his own delight. On the other hand, I do not know if it is accurate to describe Jig’s love as the Clod’s description of love. She was lean at the beginning and she wanted to please the American man but her attitude changed at the end of the story when she realized that he doesn’t love her the way she wanted him to. I think I can say she was in despair and wanted him to provide her with a heaven.
Wow--well done, Sabha! I think you have compared the two works very well, and with insight. I particularly liked what you said at the end about the girl wanting to provide her with a Heaven. As for the girl herself, I tend to see her as equivalent to the Clod, but your interpretation, while different from mine, is also a good one.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I really enjoyed one amazing sentence you wrote, though it had a small error: " I think he is not a pleasant person to be with, he was neither affectionate nor considerate". The comma needs to be a semi-colon. Aside from that, though, it's a wonderful sentence, and I especially liked the second clause, which was very eloquently written.