The Fear of Change: A (Short) Short Story Analysis
After a semester of many enthralling stories, it was difficult to pinpoint two specific short stories to write about one last time. In the end however, my heart and mind worked together to agree on an outcome. That outcome ended up being the two great short stories known as Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway and Children of the Sea by Edwidge Danticat. Although the two stories are completely different in nature, they have one impactful thing in common, which is change. To put that perspective into even more depth, the fear of change is showcased in both Hills Like White Elephants and Children of the Sea.
Even though Hills Like White Elephants was not particularly written for the eyes of people today, its deeply concealed meaning is still relevant. The not-so-direct topic of abortion is mentioned between a man and woman (who is increasingly enough referred to as a girl). Blinded by the fear of change in his well-traveled life, he opted for the route of an abortion, saying, “But I don’t want anybody but you. I don’t want anyone else. And I know it’s perfectly simple,” (Hemingway, 5). He loved his life and claimed to love the woman the same, so there was absolutely no room for anyone else— the fear of change.
The same concept applies in the story Children of the Sea, but in an entirely different way. The main characters were not worried about traveling the world and whether or not they should have a child. Instead, they were fearful of the change that came from the world. The two characters were escaping for the sake of their futures and one another. In a letter from one character to another, it was stated: “We have our whole lives ahead of us. You used to say that, remember? But then again things were so very different then,” (Danticat, 5). The inability to know what the next day held instilled fear within their hearts and minds. The fear of change, specially their future, is that truly resonated in the story.
Although there are many other stories that highlight the theme of fear of change, Hills Like White Elephants and Children of the Sea embody issues that are going on in the world today. The topic of abortion and issues going on outside of the United States are not new concepts, and the stories show that even more. Change is not always a bad thing, but it is commonly intertwined with the feeling of fear. Through those stories, perhaps people will gain some comfort in change and learn to embrace it rather than fear it.
Even though Hills Like White Elephants was not particularly written for the eyes of people today, its deeply concealed meaning is still relevant. The not-so-direct topic of abortion is mentioned between a man and woman (who is increasingly enough referred to as a girl). Blinded by the fear of change in his well-traveled life, he opted for the route of an abortion, saying, “But I don’t want anybody but you. I don’t want anyone else. And I know it’s perfectly simple,” (Hemingway, 5). He loved his life and claimed to love the woman the same, so there was absolutely no room for anyone else— the fear of change.
The same concept applies in the story Children of the Sea, but in an entirely different way. The main characters were not worried about traveling the world and whether or not they should have a child. Instead, they were fearful of the change that came from the world. The two characters were escaping for the sake of their futures and one another. In a letter from one character to another, it was stated: “We have our whole lives ahead of us. You used to say that, remember? But then again things were so very different then,” (Danticat, 5). The inability to know what the next day held instilled fear within their hearts and minds. The fear of change, specially their future, is that truly resonated in the story.
Although there are many other stories that highlight the theme of fear of change, Hills Like White Elephants and Children of the Sea embody issues that are going on in the world today. The topic of abortion and issues going on outside of the United States are not new concepts, and the stories show that even more. Change is not always a bad thing, but it is commonly intertwined with the feeling of fear. Through those stories, perhaps people will gain some comfort in change and learn to embrace it rather than fear it.
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