Theodore Roethke has been quoted for saying, “In a dark time, the eye begins to see.” What Roethke is saying is when one is faced with a hardship, the truth of who they are is shown and their true darkness becomes apparent. Roethke’s quote is an agreeable one and can be proved in two short stories by Ernest Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants” and “In Another Country.” In “Hills Like White Elephants,” the man encounters a “dark time” and the girl realizes the man’s true character. In “In Another Country,” the soldiers of World War I expose their true colors after their acts in the war within the hospital. These stories contain evidence to prove Roethke’s quote as fact.
“Hills Like White Elephants” has two main characters, the man, the antagonist, and the girl, the protagonist. The two of them share a relationship that changes and is exposed for its truth, during the conflict of the couple contradicting each other on whether or not to abort her unborn child. The two of them are sitting at a train station in Madrid and discussing the matter over a few drinks. One important symbol is incorporated into the setting itself. One side of the train station is uncared for and cluttered with grain, and has a strong overcast, representing the man’s opinion. The opposing side of the station has clear, far fields, is sunny, and has white mountains to the very background, with life of animals incorporated, representing the girl’s opinion. The white mountains represent the bright beauty of the child, it reminds her of white elephants, originating from the term white elephant meaning something the owner cannot get rid of. The man is trying to convince the girl that ridding the child would benefit them, that it’s safe, easy, and everything would return to the norm afterwards. The girl, however, wants to keep and give birth to this child, even though the man is producing a stressful argument.
In the beginning of the story, they both claim to love each other. Once the story and conflict progresses, however, it becomes obvious that the man does not mean what he says and toward the end the girl realizes she does not truly love him. This pregnancy has been putting an emotional toll on the two of them and once the man is put into the perceivably dark situation of being held down as a father, brings out his true personality which does not support or even acknowledge the girl’s opinion. Abortion is not a measly operation that has no permanent effect, especially during the 1930’s. Women, at the time of Hemingway’s work, had a risk of injury, scarring and death, along with the possible emotional damage. His words toward her lead her to the epiphany that he is not the man she fell in love with and she would be better off aborting him than her child.
Within another one of Hemingway’s short stories, “In Another Country,” Nick and the soldiers referred to as hawks have a changed personality after they