'Hills Like White Elephants Vs. A Temporary Matter'

632 Words2 Pages

In both stories, a couple lives through hardships. Both couples share elements of tension, disconnection and lack of communication. “A Temporary Matter” is told in a messy fashion because it throws the reader in the reading without any set-up or background information. Flashbacks are used by the author to fill in gaps about the narrative. Although the flashbacks serve its purpose by providing background information, it was not efficient. On the other hand, “Hills like White Elephants” captivates the reader more than “A Temporary Matter” because it is told in a 3rd person objective point of view that intrigues the reader. The story unfolds only through dialogue between the two characters which makes is easier for the reader to remain focused. Opposition might say that “Hills like White Elephants” might be a harder read because of the vast number symbolism used, however, since the length of the story is short, it is easier to digest the symbolism. “Hills like White Elephants” is a better story-teller than “A Temporary Matter” because the 3rd person point of view narration is thought-provoking to the reader, the story unfolds through dialogue which makes it easier to remain objective while analyzing the story, and finally, it is a significantly a shorter length story than “A …show more content…

The story beginnings with Shukumar and Shoba, Shukumar’s wife, reading a notice sign outside their apartment saying that their electricity would be cut off at 8:00pm for five nights. Without much information, the reader immediately notices that the couple is way past the romance stages because of their mundane interaction with each other. Only through a flashback, the reader discovers that Shukumar and Shoba were happily married until their first child died at birth. The bitterness, sorrow and grief never left the souls of Shukumar and Shoba. Even though they moved on with their lives, deep down it destroyed them and their

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