Reading Response #2

Marlena Szumowski

En-102

Reading response #2)

            Reading the short stories “Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway, “The Sun, The Moon, the Stars” Junot Diaz, and “How” Lorie Moore, I think that the message the authors are trying to send is not to be pushy in a relationship when things aren’t supposed to be. In other words, don’t try to force someone to love you back when clearly it doesn’t even exist.

            In the short story “Hills like White Elephants” it talks about an American man and a girl with the name of Jig. They are waiting at a train station that’s going to Madrid. While waiting at the train station we catch a conversation it is that the two are having. Jig mentions that she wants things to go back to normal between the two that she has to go through with this operation. The American in fact does mention the line “I don’t want you to do it if you don’t want to” a couple of times. Jig feel obligated to have this procedure done she says “And if I do it you’ll be happy and things will be like they were and you’ll love me?” and that’s followed by a response from the American guy and then she says “Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me.” This story shows that Jig is only doing this to get approval from the American guy and is willing to go to any extend, even if it does cause her any kind of hurt or harm, she just wants to make his happy and have him love her back.

            In “How” by Lorrie Moore, there is a woman who doesn’t seem so happy in the relationship that she is in? In the beginning she already starts off by not wanting to move in with the guy that she’s with, then it progresses to where they’re going to weddings, and has serious plans about having a family. This seems to push her even more off ease and she distances herself a little more. One part of this short story that really caught my eye and shows how much this man wanted approval from his girlfriend was on pages 138 where she talks about all the things that he would do that she does just to get his approval. This seems to annoy her more than ever. Upon trying to leave the relationship the guys comes down with a medical condition and she feels like she has to stay. During this time that her spouse is sick, all she can think of is him dying. To really want the person you’re with to die, you must be severely unhappy. She’s decided that she has to stay with him, but on the side had an affair with another man. While she was out the guy she was living with probably had an idea of what’s going on and she was giving him things to do to keep him busy. When she finally had told him that she’s leaving him, she expected him to just about the reason. If she was really that unhappy she should of just left in the first place and not have to keep putting it off.

            Lastly, “The Sun. The Moon, the Stars” by Jubot Diaz is also a good example of trying not to force love into a relationship. Yunior had cheated on his girlfriend Magda and really act as though it was a mistake and he still really loves her. After Magda had found out about the affair through a letter, she had then distanced herself from Yunior and he does say “Magda started turning into another Magda.” Trying to fix the bumpy patch that Yunior had created in this relationship he bought the two of them tickets to San Domingo. On the trip Yunior really tried to show Magda where he came from and just overall his culture and all the experiences he had. She doesn’t really seem to acknowledge anything and just nods her head. She breaks down crying one night and says that she doesn’t want to be here, that she rather be on a beach. Yunior then calls a hotel the next morning and makes reservations and they leave that day. While there she acts as if Yunior isn’t there and just wants him to leave her alone. At the resort, they were having a party which Yunior and Magda had to decide to attend. That’s when she told Yunior that she wants him to leave her alone tonight. He was angry and that’s when she told him “I didn’t want to come here, you made me.” This too was an example of how Yunior made a mistake that pushed Magda away from him and that he was willing to do anything to make things go back to being perfect. But it seemed that their love had no longer existed.