Literature Analysis of Book Titles

📌Category: Books, Literature
📌Words: 729
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 31 March 2022

Although most stories give a general idea of through the titles name, others may have a more hidden and perhaps even flexible meaning. What are the relationships behind the stories and the themes they portray? How do they relate to the title(s)?

"The Things They Carried" By Tim O' Brien uses many different themes and the title refers to not only what the soldiers were physically caring, but also emotionally. They were all young men filled with fear, love, shame. "He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence, Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war." (O' Brien. 618) The phrase implies that Jimmy Cross was distracted by his picture of Martha, leading to the death of his comrade-in-arms, making him feel responsible. Another example that doesn't involve any mental or physical side is "They carried the sky. The whole atmosphere... all of it, they carried gravity.” (O'Brien. 817) The author is listing non-portable things to build up the soldiers presence to the situation. 

"Hills Like White Elephants" By Ernest Hemingway provides the theme of Relationships and choice as it dives into the conversation between a man and woman who are discussing their unexpected pregnancy.  The meaning "white elephant" is the unwanted possession of something that at times could be a hassle and yet extremely valuable. The female first brings up the white elephants as a way to be imaginative and sound smart when looking in the night sky, but eventually evolves into something more meaningful.  “They don't really look like white elephants. I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees” (Hemingway. 666)  The white elephant represents that the couple is given something that the female doesn't want to get rid of and the male either seems to be not ready or unwilling to have. This in which ties into the idea of a "white elephant party" where people give or take things from others. "No, it isn’t. And once they take it away, you never get it back."(Hemingway. 668) this shows that the woman is nervous about what if she does go through with the operation and ends up regretting it. 

"The Birthmark" By Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the darker side of romance and human nature. The story is about the relationship between a man and woman named Alymer, a scientist, and Georgiana, who happens to have a birthmark on her cheek. The man loves her but wishes to help perfect her, as he subjects her into his experiment, bringing out the wonder of what Alymer is truly passionate about, the love for his fiance or his love for science. In the quote “It was the fatal flaw of humanity which Nature, in one shape or another... either to imply that they are temporary and finite, or that their perfection must be wrought by toil and pain” (Hawthorne. 387) The narrator is implying the human flaws are natures ways of imprinting unique qualities, while on the other hand, Alymer sees it as an only temporary mark and devotedly wants to help. "If she were my wife, I’d never part with that birthmark”(Hawthorne. 389) this is showing the selfishness of Alymer and how he fails to accept Georgiana's natural beauty. 

The Themes that Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson" consists of, include Social class, Equality, and Shame. Sylvia asked miss Moore the price comparison of a toy boat to a real one and Miss Moore decided to make a lesson out of it, forcing Sylvia to figure it out on her own. "if you're gonna mess up... swim day least you could do is have some answers." (Bambara. 150) She then goes to the toy store with sugar but ended up anxiously backing down as during this time period they felt out of place for being poor African Americans.  "Everything so hushed and holy ... I just couldn't go through with the plan.'(Bambara. 150) 

In the short story "yellow wallpaper" By Charollet Gilman, the conveying theme is man/woman vs reality, mental illness, and the need to self-express.  "If a physician of high standing...a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do?...(I)am absolutely forbidden to “work” until I am well again." (Gilman.571) This is telling the reader that she is being forced to stay in without anything to do but stare into the yellow patterned wall.  In the line "Life is very more exciting than it use to be" (Gilman.578) The narrator is saying this because as she becomes more and more obsessed with the pattern on the wall she is no longer bored and her mind had drifted away from her body.

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