Hemingway and Inescapable Loneliness

In many of his short stories, Ernest Hemingway stresses unhappiness and loneliness in relationships as a major theme. In the story Hills like White Elephants, Hemingway writes about a couple drinking at a bar and discussing an abortion that they are planning. The woman makes it clear that she does not want the abortion when she says, "There's nothing wrong with me. I feel fine". This is an allusion to the fact that she is fine with her pregnancy, though her husband is not. This enforces the theme of loneliness because even in a relationship the woman is alone in her feelings and beliefs. Another story by Hemingway, Cat in the Rain, is about a different couple. In this story, a woman wants to rescue a cat that is hiding from the rain under a table. The husband's indifference to what his wife wants can be shown when he continues reading even after she goes out in the rain. Their conflicts can also be shown when the wife starts telling her husband all the things she wants and he doesn't seem to care. He tells her to "shut up and get something to read". This also shows a lack of communication and synergy. In her relationship, she is alone and her husband neglects her wants and needs. In a third story, The End of Something, a couple goes out fishing but eventually breaks up because of their different aims for the relationship. This can be shown when Marjorie says, "They're feeding" and Nick replies, "But they won't strike". This is an allusion that Marjorie wants to get married, but Nick will never propose. This is yet another display of Hemingway's distrust in relationships and belief that they are bound to go wrong because of conflicts of interest.

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