Comparing Hills Like White Elephants And Good People

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Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and David Foster Wallace’s “Good People” are widely famous and well-known short stories. Both of these stories have endings that are fairly open to interpretation, with limited concrete details for a resolution. The two couples never end up making a decision regarding their pregnancies. Although these are the more subtle comparisons, the main similarities are. is how they both dive into the complexities of relationships. Despite having these similarities, the two stories show these complexities of relationships through different contexts, literary devices, and characterizations. The major difference between the two that is seen is the context. The “Hills Like White Elephants,” follows a couple …show more content…

One can assume that she wanted an abortion because she did not receive the burdens pregnancy has on the woman's body or because she was not ready for a child. “Good People,” follows the difficult decision two teenagers have to face. These teenagers are in college and have been presented with an unexpected pregnancy. This unexpected pregnancy turns out to be more complicated than originally thought. Religious and personal desires clash within the story. Assuming the characters follow Christianity, it is seen as a sin to be pregnant before getting married. Along with questioning their faith, the man, Lane, starts to question his love for Sherri, the woman. Lane’s uncertainty of the situation started to show during the story. Regardless, both stories describe and show how difficult decisions can be, especially when considering the decisions about pregnancy. The complexities of the two couple’s relationships are revealed. Despite showing the complexities of the story through the context, the two reveal the difficulties through different literary devices. The literary devices of the two stories differ greatly. Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” explores a simpler

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