Character Values in Lady with the Pet Dog Barn Burning, Hills like White Elephants and Horse Dealers Daughter
Human beings are naturally burdened with character imperfectionsthat, to a great extent, define who they are as people. Theidiosyncrasies, character flaws, actions, and turns of phrasecharacteristic of every individual are personifications of the "not soperfect" world. In literature, the acknowledgment of character flawsallows the reader a glimpse into the human psyche of the characters of aparticular story, and, as such, a glimpse into the human psyche of theauthors themselves, as well as the specific cultural milieu in which theywrite. Indeed, literary works of all kinds can give the reader greaterinsight into the eternal question of "why people do the things they do."Perhaps this is especially true for the American reader of the shortstories, Lady with the Pet Dog, Barn Burning, Hills Like White Elephantsand Horse Dealer's Daughter, for, within these works, the reader can notonly glimpse, but gain a real internal understanding of some of the pivotalissues and dilemmas embedded in the cultural "Americas" from which theauthors sprang-issues and dilemmas highlighted by the values of love, Faulkner's 1939 classic short story, Barn Burning, opens with
Here, Hemingway illustrates the cultural value (dominant in much ofHemingway's work), of travel, drink, and the carefree life, and the realityof the very thin veneer over such a life-a life of seeing new things and"trying new drinks. Earnest Hemingway's short story, Hills like White Elephants opens witha couple drinking in a bar in a train station. Further, she has no real interestin him. Indeed, in The Horse Dealer's Daughter, the reader is all toopainfully aware of the hollow sham that Jack and Mabel's "marriage" isdoomed to be-and the role that pity and honor have played in thatmarriage's creation. Worse, the reader also knows that Mabel and Jack arecaught in a trap by that honor, and senses that the guise of love is atragedy for both of them-not the romantic story that society expects. ", and mean to convey allthat the, seemingly, idle chatter between Hemingway's couple manages toimpart to the reader. Knowing this, and despondent over her plight, she nearly drownsherself but is saved by an extremely idealistic young doctor named Jack. The dialogue itself communicates the tensionbetween the ideal of the carefree "good life," and the deeper value oflove, and their ultimate incompatibility quite clearly. What follows is a scathingdescription of the events of the case, as well as the nature of his father,Mr. Unfortunately for Jack, the reality of thesituation does not escape him, and he is acutely aware of the honor-trap hehas fallen into, and, despite feelings of "pity-love," he resents it, yethis idealistic sense of honor prevents him from acting otherwise. After all, one could presumably write, "Love is deep, varied, andcomplex-not given to thrive in shallow waters.
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Acceptance Essays
