Comparison Of Hills Like White Elephants And A Pair Of Tickets

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The short stories “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemmingway and “A Pair of Tickets” by Amy Tan are both alike and different in terms of plot, characterization, point of view and theme. Through the use of these literary components, both authors are able to tell a story that is both unique and comparable. While the plots of both stories are vastly different, they both have similar underlying fragments. In both stories, there is an underlying message of two mothers who both wanted their babies- both Tan’s mother and the woman in the story by Hemmingway. Tan’s mother in “A Pair of Tickets” had twin girls that she desperately wanted to keep, but was forced to leave behind when fleeing China (Tan 192). The woman in the story “Hills Like White Elephants” is being taken to get an abortion- and foreshadowing at the end of the story suggests she doesn’t want to go through with the procedure (Hemmingway 118). While the context to their wants were different, both women made difficult decisions all while wanting to be with their children. …show more content…

In “Hills Like White Elephants” the female protagonist is portrayed in a fairly indirect light. The reader has to assume and make conclusions about the woman from the text. In “A Pair of Tickets” the narrator of the story is described directly as well as indirectly. In “A Pair of Tickets” the reader also gives vivid descriptions about her family members and the people she comes into contact with. The narrator, Amy, describes herself and her stepsisters as having traits like her mother with “her same eyes, same mouth, open in surprise to see, at last, her long cherished wish” (Tan 195). While the type of characterization differs, both stories contain strong female protagonists who are dynamic. A large portion of the stories are centered around the women growing mentally and making choices. In “A Pair of Tickets” Amy notes the change as she becomes more

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