Masculinity Portrayed in Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants” Within literature, a reader can identify the author’s intentional messages. The messages portrayed can be positive or negative and can deal with issues relevant to everyday life. In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants” the presence of masculinity can be detected when reading the dialogue amongst his characters. By writing with such masculinity, Hemingway showcases an ugly side of humanity through dialogue. Not only is masculinity felt through his characters, but also through his writing style and certain things he intentionally places throughout the passage.
The biggest contribution to the presence of masculinity in the piece is Hemingway’s main character, the American. …show more content…
Jig mentions it by saying, “everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe” (Hemingway 553). Absinthe intoxicates someone much like the man intoxicates Jig. He alters her views, emotions, and decisions. She is chained to him much like an alcoholic is drawn to a drink. Author of “The Bittersweet Taste of Absinthe in Hemingway’s ‘Hills like White Elephants’” states that:
“The addictive quality of the drink most certainly is meant to emphasize the addictive nature of the couple’s lifestyle. Like the person addicted to absinthe, the two are addicted to a way of life that will lead to destruction—a situation that the girl is just becoming aware of. It is an empty, meaningless existence that revolves around traveling, sex, drinking, looking at things, and having pointless conversations about these things.” (Lanier 286).
By adding in this reference to absinthe, Hemingway shows the true state of the couple’s relationship. Much like alcohol has an alcoholic in its clutches, the man has Jig in his. This gives a clear representation of just how much his masculinity dominates her life in every
The biggest contribution to the presence of masculinity in the piece is Hemingway’s main character, the American. …show more content…
Jig mentions it by saying, “everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe” (Hemingway 553). Absinthe intoxicates someone much like the man intoxicates Jig. He alters her views, emotions, and decisions. She is chained to him much like an alcoholic is drawn to a drink. Author of “The Bittersweet Taste of Absinthe in Hemingway’s ‘Hills like White Elephants’” states that:
“The addictive quality of the drink most certainly is meant to emphasize the addictive nature of the couple’s lifestyle. Like the person addicted to absinthe, the two are addicted to a way of life that will lead to destruction—a situation that the girl is just becoming aware of. It is an empty, meaningless existence that revolves around traveling, sex, drinking, looking at things, and having pointless conversations about these things.” (Lanier 286).
By adding in this reference to absinthe, Hemingway shows the true state of the couple’s relationship. Much like alcohol has an alcoholic in its clutches, the man has Jig in his. This gives a clear representation of just how much his masculinity dominates her life in every