Reflections_Of_Personal_Relationships

Reflections Of Personal Relationships Though the plot and setting differ in “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway and “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses” by Irwin Shaw, both short stories explore the division many men and women experience in their relationships. Hemingway’s couple, Jig and the American, struggles with the decision to terminate an unexpected pregnancy. Shaw’s Frances and Michael confront the issue of Michael’s roving eye. Though the men and women in these couples seem to genuinely care for each other respectively, they nevertheless are unable to reconcile their differences. Although the characters of these stories express their affection for one another, due to conflicting personal desires they ultimately become estranged from each other. In “Hills Like White Elephants” Hemingway examines the sensitive issue of abortion and the conflicting emotions involved. The heroine Jig is uncertain about the decision to terminate her pregnancy. Whereas the American is confident that the procedure is “perfectly natural.” Although these two characters care for one another, they have come to a turning point in their relationship. Hemingway reveals the actual desires of each character. The American is satisfied that an abortion is “an awfully simple women, michael, frances, jig, hemingway, american, although, men, decision, stories, girls, each, desires, abortion, white, though, summer, shaw, relationship, made, husband, both, become, wife, way, ultimately, two, thing, terminate, states, short