Hills Like White Elephants by Term Paper

Goodman Brown is clearly a pious and spiritual man and evil creates great conflict in him. Hemingway's characters are not spiritual, that is clear from their dialogue and from the fact that they are considering "the operation." Both sets of characters are facing moral dilemmas that will affect them now and later, and they both handle those very differently, and that is another element that sets these two stories apart. The writers were different, they wrote in different eras, and their stories reflect these changes in time and place. Their similarities are there, but so are their differences, and these differences are just as important to both stories' success as their similarities are.

While the outcome of the two stories is ultimately the same, the characters are certainly different people, the setting is different, and they react differently to their difficulties. The Hemingway characters seem almost resigned to their fate, as if nothing can change their fate and their future. Hemingway writes, "I said we could have everything.' 'No, we can't.' 'We can have the whole world.' 'No, we can't.' 'We can go everywhere.' 'No, we can't. It isn't ours any more'" (Hemingway). His characters are world weary and resigned, while Goodman Brown is more naive and unbelieving that such evil as he encountered in the forest could really exist in the world. Hawthorne writes, "With heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!' cried Goodman Brown" (Hawthorne). Goodman Brown thinks he can stave off evil and finds he cannot. The Hemingway characters know they cannot stave off evil, they are in the middle of it, and they also are more resigned to the evil in the world. They would probably not be surprised to find the devil in the forest, they would be sure he existed anyway. These stories are very similar, and the outcomes are similar, but the characters are different, and that is what makes them unique and interesting.

References

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." Online-Literature.com. 2005. 9 July 2005. http://www.online-literature.com/hawthorne/158/

Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills Like White Elephants." Purdue University. 2005. 9 July 2005. http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~conreys/101files/Otherfolders/Hillslikewhitepg.html.....