Definition of Love in Hills Like White Elephants and The Disappearance Essay

The Disappearance written by Chitra Banerjee Diakaruni and Hills like White Elephants written by Ernest Hemingway, are two short stories that share an issue of a relationship where the woman has an obligation, and the man expresses his controlling behavior. Although the reactions of the women to their mistreatment by their significant other are opposites, many couples worldwide go through very common situations of this abuse.

The Disappearance and Hills like White Elephants both associate common characteristics of an abusive relationship where the man dominates the womans life and her decisions. The Boyfriend, in Hills like White Elephants, abuses his girlfriend, not physically but emotionally, in a king and gentle way to nag and manipulate her mind into thinking she can make her own choices. For example, when the girlfriend, Jig, questions her situation, her boyfriend assures her if you dont want to, you dont have to. However, the boyfriends hidden agenda is to unnoticeably pressure her by offering his love and happiness in return, but only if she cooperates with him. Ernest Hemingway suggests this when Jig asks her boyfriend what they would do afterward and why. The boyfriend replies, Well be fine afterward. Just like we were before. Its the only thing thats made us unhappy. Later, he also promises her that they could have the whole world in his selfish attempt to get his way. Both men mistake the selfless definition of true love with the selfish definition of love for ones self. The husband in The Disappearance also demonstrates this selfishness. Although his abuse is more extreme than the mild case in The Hills like White Elephants, the husband is more vulnerable to his wrong doings. Like the boyfriend in Hills like White Elephants, the husband overpowers his Indian wife in the decisions that she makes, only he offers no negotiations. When the wife suggests going back to school or getting a job, the husband had to put his foot down. However, just like the boyfriend, the husband will talk to her in a gentle way and softly comfort her. He always softened his nos with remarks like, What for, Im here to take care of you He would pull her onto his lap and give her a kiss and a cuddle Divakaruni depicts the wife as hopeless, dependant, and unhappy, just like Jig, the girlfriend.

Although the general plot in the two stories of the overpowering man and the obligated woman is the same, there are many factors that are not shared. For example, the couples themselves are very different from each other. The couple in Hills like White Elephants was together out of choice. But the man and wife in The Disappearance were together from the result of an arranged marriage (which foreshadows what really happened to the wife towards the end of the story). Which means because there were mutual feelings, the couple did have quarrels. The girlfriend, although not very confident, spoke up and gave her opinions to her boyfriend during a conflict. Also, Hemingway gives a sense of freedom that the couple possesses. The setting, in Northern Spain, in what is described as exotic and beautiful just by the name of the story. Also, the couple is at a bar drinking beer and at a train station. These two things indicate that this couple is young and loves to travel, which gives us a clue as to why the boyfriend feels strongly for Jigs decision. He is not ready to settle down and have those responsibilities yet.

The husband and wife, however, are the exact opposites. Throughout the story, the author suggests that they are a very conservative and traditional couple. For example, the arranged marriage (with help from the husbands mother) with the silent and obedient well-bred Indian girl and the working husband, shows that they are not the free couple as demonstrated in Hills Like White Elephants. The wife, following her Indian traditions and beliefs, was not outspoken, unlike Jig. She always did what her husband asked. But on the inside, and even on the outside, she was very unhappy with her trapped lifestyle. And unlike Jigs boyfriend, the husband was oblivious to her depression. After some time, though, she would quit struggling and let him do what he wanted. But that was nothing new. That could have nothing to do with the disappearance.

In Hills like White Elephants, Jig and her boyfriend have a visible conflict of whether to have an abortion, which is what the husband pushes for, or keeping the baby. After a few of Jigs attempts of asking politely for her boyfriend to let the subject go, his constant nagging mind tricks of I dont want anybody but you and its perfectly simple finally cause her to give in, so she could feel loved or so the author suggests at the end of the short story when she stops protesting against him, grows silent and says theres nothing wrong with me. I feel fine. In contrast, the conflict of the unhappy wife is an invisible conflict, unknown to the husband. After years of keeping to herself, the wife finally grows the courage to leave him, without warning or negotiation. She chose independence, and Jig chose security.

Two very different stories were presented with the same message. Relationships all around the world face issues where the woman, or even the man, must come to a decision to stand up for themselves. In the beginning, both stories share common similarities of the man taking control. However, in the end, the boyfriend gets his way, while the husband receives a rude awakening.