Things They Carried By Ernest Hemingway: An Analysis

When Meggie called her grandson’s gay lover, Gabriel, she asked him to come because he knew Eduard the best, and she would like to know more about Eduard. It was very apparent that Gabriel did not feel comfortable with visiting the woman that was noticeably ashamed of Eduard’s sexual preferences “‘well, thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Williams. But I don’t understand… Is something wrong?’” (109), however, he did visit her. Gabriel and Eduard had a good, stable relationship and Gabriel was willing to sacrifice his own comfort in order to make the person who raised Eduard content. Nevertheless, Meggie dreamed about Gabriel and Eduard strong relationship,”... and Eduard floated before her in the rushing air and quickly turned around into the comforting arms of Gabriel..” (112). In other words, Meggie who was a religious person and did not believe that individuals from the same gender should or can love each other dreamt about her grandson carried by his boyfriend like he is being carried by an angel. It shows the positive impact that Eduard and Gabriel’s …show more content…
Hemingway writes,”the girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on” (361). In short, the girl looking at the ground is a metaphor for the girl looking for stability. The girl is experiencing the opposite of Eduard, her relationship is unstable. In addition, their unstable relationship is demonstrated by their belongings, “... the bags against the walls of the station. There were labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights” (362). The man and the girl had bags full of labels from the hotels they have been in. This is a proof that they did not share a home together, and their relationship is a lot about traveling and less about settling down. Eduard and Gabriel’s relationship help to emphasize the dysfunctionality of the man and the girl’s