The two stories, “Hills like White Elephants” and “The Story of an Hour”, resonate around the feminist and Marxist ideas in unique and interesting ways. The stories are narrated from a third person with the authors keen to bring out capitalism and the ever present male chauvinism. It is this paper’s position that the two stories though within the same context, express different political ideology. The “Hills like White Elephants” appears to support the chauvinist approach in life while “The Story of an Hour” contends and disparages male chauvinism while promoting feminism. This paper shall analyze the political undertones as presented by the two stories and advance the argument that the authors of the stories lie in two different political folds with the former being an express chauvinist while the latter being a feminist expressing the plight of women with an extreme example in context. It is also the position of this paper that both stories are premised on the capitalist approach in life and in many ways support capitalism through the development of the characters. In that context, it can be postulated that both texts discredit Marxism as their basis of argument tends to support a capitalist lifestyle.
Ernest Hemingway molds his characters within the male realm. As he puts the case, it is clear that the American character is male. In addition, the American is quite patronizing and controlling to the young girl. He decides the courses of action and any other activity the pair engage in. It is the American who makes the orders and it is him who has to agree whether they can take beer or not. In addition, Hemingway deliberately makes the American knowledgeable and ensures that the accompanying girl has limited knowledge and information. This attests to the male chauvinism out in the world where the men know and their women merely take orders. This is further developed by the fact that it is the American who controls the discourse and conversation. It is he who decides which train and what time they will leave. Hemingway attempts to mild this patronage in the ending when the discussion about doing something arises. The American, clearly interested in the activity pretends not to be the compelling type. He insists that he it is perfectly simple yet he will not force the girl to do it. Hemingway, nonetheless, makes the girl naive and uninformed. The girl has to rely on the information at the disposal of the American. Despite her hesitancy, the American lures her into accepting to do it. This introduces another dimension to the male chauvinism. That is, despite the transfer of decision making powers, the decision made is premised on information emanating from the male. It can be argued that the arrangement is not as fruitful as the girl cannot make an independent decision given the prevailing circumstances. In addition, Hemingway creates the bar attendants as female showing his position on the gender roles. He appears to give the women inferior roles while giving males superior roles. The fact that the American who controls everything, is male while the girl and the bar attendants are both females, shows Hemingway’s attitude of women in society.
Kate Chopin employs the same framework as used by Hemingway. However, for Kate, she subtly attempts to suggest that real freedom of choice and life will come with the disposal of the man. She places Mrs. Mallard in the unenviable position of having lost her husband. It is expected that the woman would wail and cry at the loss of her husband. Mrs. Mallard fulfills this stereotype at least externally. She wails upon the reception of news of the death of her husband. She cries with wild abandonment. However, this wails and regrets are soon outweighed by the relative freedom that would accompany the death of her husband. She sees herself as being in an endless freedom, freedom in both mind and body. This demonstrates the plight of the women under men’s control. It illustrates the feminist approach to life. Kate suggests that Mallard will now be able to live for herself and not live for someone else. This is a subtle postulation of the man’s world where the woman does not enjoy freedom and has to live for her husband. This pain and lack of freedom under the control and yoke of man’s leadership is attested to in the description of Mrs. Mallard. The author observed that Mrs. Mallard’s face was young showing that she was still young but that her face betrayed her repression and torture. The author seems to suggest that women in that society live under the yoke of the men. The feelings of Mrs. Mallard betray the feminist sentiment. While it is naturally expected that she would wail at the departure of her husband, it is equally expected that she would feel remorseful, regretful and awful. However, her feelings are twofold. Externally, she shows her regret and mourns her loss. This is shown be her demeanor upon reception of the news. She wails with wild abandonment and locks herself in her room. However, after that, her inner feelings are illuminated by the author. She apparently discovers her new freedom. She anticipates the future to be filled with freedom and peace. She also starts thinking of living her life for herself. This discovery takes control of her body and feeling to the extent that she becomes overwhelmed. It is at this point that her love for her late husband is illuminated. She almost confesses in her thoughts the fact that she hardly understood love and that at some time she loved her husband but in many occasions did not love her. She relishes at the arrival of new freedom. She will be accountable to herself and no one else again. This new discovery excites her to the extent that she temporarily accepts her loss. She will live on and start afresh without her husband. The theme the author attempts to communicate through the feelings attached to Mrs. Mallard is feminism. The author attempts to communicate the fact that women will gain their freedom without the man. In that context, for a woman to experience real love and freedom, she needs to do away with her man. This non-reliance on men is a stack opposite of the approach taken by Hemingway in “Hills like White Elephants”. In the latter, Hemingway places a lot of control and reliance on the men. He develops the American as all-knowing, wise and convincing. In addition, Hemingway deliberately hides the patronizing nature of the man. But from the text, one sees that the American manipulates the decision making process and elects what to say so as to win favor of the girl. This is contrasted in the “The Story of an Hour” where for a moment Mrs. Mallard will only rely on herself to make decisions and run her on life. The patronizing husband will be no more. It is, therefore, factual to purport that while Kate Chopin writes from a feminist background, Hemingway writes from a male chauvinist background. Kate Chopin deliberately gives the female the key roles in an effort to punctuate the feminist agenda in society. She makes Mrs. Mallard the lead character in the story. This empowers the females and brings out the plight of the women and the need for the women to be given her rights. However, her conclusion shows a lack of hope as she (Kate) decides to have the main character dead reflecting the lack of hope for feminists in the society. In the long run, it can be summed up that both writers reside back to the societal practice, that is, the male chauvinism. For Chopin, this is shown by the fact that the man never died. This reduces Mrs. Mallard’s feelings to mere fantasy. It is this cynicism and skepticism that occasions the death of Mrs. Mallard. However, for Hemingway, the American eventually gets his way around the issue in relation to doing the thing.
It is the position of this paper that both texts support and promote Capitalism against a Marxist lifestyle. This can be seen in the nature of setting in which the stories are narrated. The authors do not either directly or indirectly attempt to decry the capitalist society. On the contrary, both authors seem to borrow, adopt and adore the capitalist approach to life. The texts do not in any way attempt to suggest the Marxist way of life. However, it is possible to bring out the effects of capitalism as was suggested by the Marxist.
In Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants”, he makes the main character American. The American is all knowing and with lots of money. He orders for drinks which he seems to have a knowledge and experience of. He calls the drinks out in their real names and at no time does he appear uninformed about any drink. In fact, it is the American who suggests that the second drink be taken with water. The little girl does not know the difference between drinks taken dry and the ones accompanied by water. This shows a capitalist way of life. The American being rich, can access information and resources. He, therefore, can make possible anything that he wants. He knows drinks by name and the drinks seem to be the exclusive types that are a reserve for the wealthy. No wonder the young girl does not know about the drinks and what to drink them with. This brings out the capitalist effects as propounded by Marxists. In addition, the capitalist system splits people into classes. Owners of factors of production seem to enjoy the benefits while keeping the other on labor services. Hemingway demonstrates this again in the bar setup. It is the American who orders the drinks which they drink. It is important to notice the system of ordering for drinks. One simply shouts the name of the drinks over the curtain and a laborer (waiter) in the bar serves the guests with the drinks. This is the capitalist system where the owners of factors of production enjoy from the toil and work of the laborers. The mode of transportation similarly brings out a capitalist practice. The train system is a capitalist product that is meant to move people from one place to another for purposes of work. The train is set from Barcelona to Madrid which are industrial cities predicated on the capitalist economies. It is no surprise that it only moves with a strict adherence to time.
Kate Chopin in, “the Story of an Hour”, equally brings out a capitalist approach nuanced with gender roles. Foremost, the concept of work is illustrated. Mr. Mallard works in the rail company together with Richard the friend. They serve as workers who could be assigned regular jobs such as the railroad assignment. On the other hand, Mrs. Mallard is left home to do the house chores. This illustrates a gender role approach in which it is the men to work for economic returns while the women are charged with house chores. In addition, the nature of work Mr. Mallard has been assigned is risky and exposes him to fatal accidents. He has to work to earn a living and manage the family. This is characteristic of capitalism whereby one has to work to fend for the family. In addition, according to Marxist class system, laborers would be willing to take up anything in the market so as to earn a living. It is the need for laborers to earn a living that the owners of factors of production take advantage of to the detriment of the workers. Mr. Mallard is a perfect example of people who work in a risky environment merely for the money.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour: And Other Stories. New York: Pinball Publishing, 2010.
Hemingway, Ernest. Hills like White Elephants. New York: HarperCollins, 2013.
Kahle, Antje. First Wave of Feminism in Politics and Literature. New York: GRIN Verlag, 2010.
Shmoop . Hills Like White Elephants: Shmoop Literature Guide. New York: Shmoop University Inc, 2010.
