Hills-Like-White-Elephants赏析

HillsLikeWhiteElephantsByErnestHemingwayIntroductiontoErnestHemingway(1899-1961)Hemingway'sbirthplaceinOakPark,Illinois.Hemingwayfishingasayoungboy.TheKansasCityStarbuilding,whereHemingwaytookhisfirstjobasacubreporter.IntroductiontoHemingwayHemingwayatthetimeofhisgraduationfromhighschool,1917HemingwayinhisWorldWarIambulancedriver'suniformbeforehisinjuries.HemingwaytryinghishandatbullfightinginSpainHere,hecanbeseen(rightofcenter,inwhitepantsanddarksweater)confrontingachargingbull.Alifelongbullfightingaficionado…twoticketstotheupcomingbullfightsinPamplonawerefoundinhisdeskdrawerafterhisdeathin1961.Hemingwayshowingoffhismarlincatchwithhisfriend,AmericanbullfighterSidneyFranklinDiscouragedbyatroubledfamilybackground,illnessandthebeliefthathewaslosinghisgiftforwriting,Hemingwayshothimselftodeathin1961.1925Inourtime(publishedinParis)《在我们的时代里》（包括《印第安营寨》）1926TorrentsofSpring《春潮》1926TheSunAlsoRises《太阳照常升起》1927MenWithoutWomen《没有女人的男人》1929AFarewelltoArms《永别了，武器》1932DeathintheAfternoon《午后之死》1933WinnerTakeNothing《胜者无所得》1935GreenHillsofAfrica《非洲的青山》1937ToHaveandHaveNot《富有与贫穷》1940ForWhomtheBellTolls《丧钟为谁而鸣》1950AcrosstheRiverandIntotheTrees《过河入林》1952TheOldManandtheSea《老人与海》HisMajorWorksPulitzerPrize(1953)TheOldManandtheSeaTheNobelPrizeinLiterature1954forhismasteryoftheartofnarrative,mostrecentlydemonstratedinTheOldManandtheSea,andfortheinfluencethathehasexertedoncontemporarystyle•Colloquialstyle:influencefromMarkTwainandhisjournalistcareer•Concrete,specific,common-foundwords•Simple,short,evenungrammaticalsentences•Direct,clearandpositivestyle,yethighlyconnotative•Thestylewasdescribedas“iceberg”•TheNobelPrizeCommitteepraisedHemingwayhad“powerfulstyleformingmasteryoftheart”.FeaturesofhiswritingIcebergPrinciple•HowistheicebergprincipleusedinHemingway'sworks?•Hemingway'stheoryofomissioniswidelyreferredtoastheicebergprinciple.Byomittingcertainpartsofastory,heactuallystrengthensthatstory.Thewritermustbeconsciousoftheseomissionsandbewritingtrueenoughinorderforthereadertosensetheomittedparts.Whenthereadersensestheomittedparts,agreaterperceptionandunderstandingforthestorycanbeachieved.IcebergPrincipleSymbolism•Hemingwaydislikeddiscussionsregardingthesymbolisminhisworks.Theicebergprinciple,however,byitsverynature,invitessymbolicinterpretationsandHemingwayacknowledgedthisinhisownsubtleway.•Nogoodwritereverpreparedhissymbolsaheadoftimeandwrotehisbookaboutthem,butoutofagoodbookwhichistruetolifesymbolsmayariseandbeprofitablyexploredifnotover-emphasized.HillsLikeWhiteElephants《白象似的群山》Themes,Motifs,andSymbolismin“HillsLikeWhiteElephants”SettingTheactiontakesplaceinthemid-1920satatrainstationinZaragoza,amajorcityinnortheasternSpainontheEbroRiver.Zaragozaisapproximately170milesnortheastofMadrid.TheregionaroundZaragozareceivesscantrainfall.ThegreeneryobservedbyJigmayhaveflourishedthroughirrigation.CharactersJig:WomantravelinginEuropewithamalecompanion.Theauthordoesnotdisclosewhethertheyaresingle,engaged,ormarried;however,itappearslikelythattheyaregirlfriendandboyfriend.TheAmerican:MantravelingwithJig.TheWoman:Waitressatthetrainstation.StudyQuestionsforcomprehensionandconsideration•1.Whatisa“whiteelephant”accordingtothedictionarydefinition?Whatdoesa“whiteelephant”symbolizeinthestory?•Whiteelephantmetaphoricallyreferstosomeexpensivepresentswithlimitedvalue.•Itmaysymbolizethebaby,toocostlytokeepinthatitdemandsnotonlymaterialprovisionbutalsoresponsiblenurture.•Hillslikewhiteelephantphysicallyresemblethefatwhitebellyofapregnantwoman,asymboloflife,incontrasttothe“brownanddrycountry”.•2.ListtheevidencethattellswhatkindofoperationJigisconfronting.Howriskyisitphysicallyandemotionally?•Sincethemansays“it’sasimpleoperation”,“justlettheairin”,plustheirrelationshipoflovers,wereadersmayunderstandthisisanabortionoperation.•Physicallyitisquitedangerousforitwasbackinthe1920s’,whenmedicalconditionforanabortionwasnotwhatitistoday.Besides,thisoperationispracticedillegallyinSpain,arigid,pious,romanCatholiccountrythatequalsabortiontomurder.•Theemotionalstressisalsotwo-fold:theguiltyofmurderingyourownchild,andthepreoccupationabouttheconsequenceofthis“murdering”.•3.HasJigmadeuphermindtodotheabortion?•Yes,otherwiseshewouldnothavedrunksomuch.Inaddition,shealwaysusessubjunctivemoodtoindicatethebabything:“wecouldhavealthis”,“wecouldhaveeverything.”“wecouldgetalong.”•4.Ifabortionissomethingalreadydecidedon,thenwhatupsetsJig?Whatistherealconflictbetweenthecouple?•EvenifJigmakesuphermindtodotheoperation,thisdoesnotcontradictherfeelingofguilty,pityandworrysincerealityleavesherlittlechancetochooseotherwise.•Butweshouldnoticethatbabyisnottheonlyonebiting.Sheasamatteroffactthinkmoreaboutthefutureoftheirrelationship,asisquiteobviouswhensheaskstheman:“Thenwhatwillwedoafterward?”“Andyoureallywantto?”“Youwillbehappy?”“IfIdoityouwon’teverworry?”•5.Isthereanythingsignificantintheman’soversensitiveresponsetothegirl’s“everythingtasteslikelicorice.Especiallyallthethingsyou’vewaitedsolongfor,likeabsinthe.”•Absintheishighlyalcoholicanise-flavored,distilledliquorcontaining