Hills tells the story of a young American man and his pregnant lover waiting for the train that will take them to an abortionist. In addition to the directness of speech characteristic of Hemingway's writing, Hills explores several themes characteristic of Hemingway, to include boredom, dissatisfaction, and self-destruction as a moving paralysis. "And we could have all this," she said. 'And we could have everything and every day we make it more impossible'" (Machete).

Themes of paralysis and dissatisfaction are apparent in several Hemingway novels and stories, to include a Soldier's Home (1926). Soldier's tells the story of Krebs, a war hero who returns from war only to find that no one recognizes him as a hero and no one is interested in listening to his stories about the war. While Krebs' disappointment at the denial of recognition as a war hero mirrors Heminway's own disappointment at being unable to...
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