The last three words of the latter reading, “Hills like White Elephants,” to me show some amount of dissonance between this man and woman. There is this unknown operation that is going to or scheduled to occur on the woman, and the man seems to have a much higher vested interest in it. While undeclared, I think that this “operation” is more of a cosmetic one rather than something that is life threatening for the woman. Hemingway has really nailed the dry discourse between the two partners. You can tell that neither of them enjoys talking with each other very much at all, even before the woman asks the man to “please please please please please please please stop talking.” They clearly do not get along, and this procedure will very obviously not save their relationship, but it seems the woman is willing to do so as she begrudgingly states that she does not care about herself.

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It is interesting seeing how clearly the author can represent somewhat heavier subject matter in such short stories. In the first reading, a child learns more fully of death and suicide, and the second a man seems to be coercing a woman into some surgery that will benefit him. While the first is much darker, they both paint rather vivid pictures in a short few pages. I think that that is one of the reasons why Hemingway is so highly acclaimed. The readings from Tuesday had me kind of inattentive at best. While they did describe setting and scenery well, they did not grip me. These two, however, had me reaching to the next line in effort to reveal more detail.