Hawthorne vs. Hemingway: Theme, Symbol, and Moral Voice
This paper compares and contrasts Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" and Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," two short stories that share a common theme: a man pressuring a woman to remove something she instinctively resists, with life-altering consequences. The paper examines how each author treats this theme differently — Hawthorne through overt moral commentary and allegory, and Hemingway through minimalist realism and ironic dialogue. It also analyzes how both authors use symbolism, the birthmark and the hills, to frame their central conflicts, and discusses the distinct narrative voices each employs to convey the emotional and moral weight of the women's submissions.
- Introduction: A Shared Theme, Divergent Treatments: Both stories share a theme of coerced removal
- Authorial Voice and Moral Commentary: Hawthorne intrudes morally; Hemingway stays silent
- Symbolism and the Central Conflict: Birthmark and hills symbolize life and imperfection
- Hemingway's Minimalism and the Language of Subtext: Dialogue and irony carry the emotional weight
- Hawthorne's Allegorical Meaning: Fallen human nature and the danger of pride
- Conclusion: Two Authors, One Tragic Theme: Both women submit; both stories end in loss
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper establishes a clear comparative framework in the opening paragraph, identifying both the shared theme (a man pressuring a woman into a life-altering removal) and the key distinction (Hawthorne's moral allegory versus Hemingway's detached realism).
- Textual evidence is woven throughout, with direct quotations from both stories used to support analytical claims rather than substituting for them.
- The paper draws meaningful parallel observations — such as comparing Georgiana's reluctant consent to the unnamed girl's barely suppressed contempt — that elevate the analysis beyond simple summary.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective comparative literary analysis by identifying a thematic constant across two works and then tracing how each author's distinct narrative method — authorial intrusion versus minimalist dialogue — produces a different emotional and moral effect on the reader. This "same theme, different treatment" structure is a classic and effective framework for literary comparison essays.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a thesis paragraph that names both works, the shared theme, and the central contrast. It then alternates between the two stories across several body paragraphs, analyzing authorial voice, symbolism, and dialogue in turn. A final comparative paragraph restates the shared theme and contrasting outcomes before a brief conclusion. The structure is logical and consistently returns to the thesis throughout.
Introduction: A Shared Theme, Divergent Treatments
Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" and Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants" are two stories with a similar theme and a dissimilar treatment of that theme. Each depicts a relationship between a man and a woman — a relationship in which the man pressures the woman into doing something that goes against her natural instinct, but which she ultimately agrees to in order to please him. In "The Birthmark," the issue is the removal of a birthmark on the woman's face. In "Hills Like White Elephants," the issue is the removal of a baby growing in the woman's womb — that is, an abortion. In both stories, the woman is reluctant to comply but eventually submits, in spite of seeming to possess full awareness of the negative repercussions that will follow.
Essentially, the removal represented in both stories is a removal of life itself, as bittersweet as it may be. It is the insistence of the man — bothered by the burden placed before him, whether an imperfection on his wife's face in "The Birthmark" or a child in "Hills Like White Elephants" — that prompts him to reject the life that has been presented to him. But whereas Hawthorne treats the theme in a moral and allegorical manner, presenting a story that should serve as a morality tale or a warning against impetuously seeking perfection in a world that cannot provide it, Hemingway treats the theme without commentary. Through the lens of realism, Hemingway presents a heartbreaking scene in which a man casually pressures a woman into getting an abortion so that they can be free of the responsibility of parenthood. While Hawthorne's story functions as a cautionary tale, Hemingway's story is a sad reflection that, on the surface, delivers no judgment — but between the lines drips with the tragedy of a heart being repressed.
Works Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Birth-Mark."
Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills Like White Elephants."
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