Toni Morrison and Ernest Hemingways Stories - Essay Example

Toni Morrison and Ernest Hemingway described the rationale behind the emotions and responses ofpeople towards various daily and life-changing situations. It is mainly explained by the principles of the society they are living in and their own family values which enforce them to react in a certain way. The family upbringing is another significant aspect which moulds the human personality. Hemingway explained this by signifying the need for male supremacy in a family where as Morrison based it on racial discrimination, family reliance on independency and conforming by the order of traditions. Morrison’s description of the events that unveil in the story blatantly criticises the lack of emotions white people have towards the black people. Racial discrimination has always been a prevalent phenomenon which has hindered the development of the African community. The African community, Bottom in Ohio, has been victim of such treatment as well. They have been ostracised from the whites as a weak, dim-wilted community of people, whose easy acceptance of the belief of living on a hill came from its proximity to God. Their gullibility makes them an easy target to further humiliation at the hands of the people of Medallion. No amount of change in their lifestyle or hardworking attitude could provide them respect and recognition from the whites. The inherent belief that the whites have for the black is something Morrison expressed in numerous occasions in the book. This has been substantiated throughout the story where they have mistreated and ignored the blacks. Nel and Helene were disrespected by the bus conductor en-route to New Orleans, followed by disregard of the Bottom grounds to construct the golf course. Further evidences include the callous attitude towards Chicken Little’s dead body and not hiring the people from Bottom for work. Morrison also brought to the forefront about the importance of following norms and boundaries of the society. Throughout the book, the need to willingly pursue the social norms constructed by the community or one’s own family background was explicitly shown. Sula’s and Nel’s families, as protagonists, personified this facet of societal lifestyle where familial bonding was shown as an influential trend. Matriarchy practiced in Sula’s family and the upbringing to live an independent life influenced her life till her death. Whereas Nel’s family who followed norms to ensure stability, influenced her life to act in the same manner as her family appreciated. Both these classic examples highlighted the influence of upbringing and its impact in moulding personalities and embedding sensibilities which would help in responding to various stimuli from the environment in a particular manner. As the story unfolded, the reactions and emotions that involved death, sacrifice, love and obligation were marvellously affirmed by Morrison’s protagonists. Throughout the story, melancholy, or lack of there-off makes the reader wonder about the people who did not grieve the mortality of human beings when death knocked on their loved one’s door. This is where the sacrifice for love hits the nail in the head. To sacrifice for love by ending the loved ones misery was tremendous than dying in pain. Rather than waiting for death to come, ending the misery seemed the best option. That is why Eva murdered her son because she could not stand him suffering; she also let her daughter burn in fire. Similarly, Shardark hated dying too, which is why to soothe his agony he initiated the suicide day annually. However, for Sula it was entirely different. She awaited her death. Her life lost its charm as she ventured out and lived her life to the hilt. For her, death was painless. To Morrison, death seemed the viable option to end depression of the loved ones; similar stance was also taken by Hemingway in his two stories. The Indian man, whose wife had been in labor for over two days, could not watch her suffer so he ended his life by committing suicide. Moreover, Hemingway also explained the conventional stereotypes following the male dominion and pride. Instead of discussing matriarchy, Hemingway discussed the patriarchy and its precedence over female and the weaker ones. In the two short stories, Indian Camp and The Doctor and Doctor’s Wife, authority figure was Nick’s father who had control over his family and others under him. The Indians were subservient to him and so was Dick, the wood-cutter. Hemingway asserted in both stories that a man has the power to enforce his opinions on others. Nick’s father was the persona of a man with pride and authority. He wanted to teach his son stoicism and masculinity. Therefore, he took his son everywhere he went. And whenever Nick questioned him, rather than delving into details, he answered in monosyllables or few words. The reason behind this attitude was to give Nick the insight that a man has more pride and he learns from his experiences rather than being too inquisitive about things. Moreover, the male camaraderie witnessed between Nick’s father and Uncle was intense, more than that between Nick’s parents. Again subordination and subservience are a stereotype associated with women. Hence, his mother was portrayed as weak and gullible. That is why Nick’s father found it easy to lie to her. Her religious preferences are another observation towards her maternal nature. Overall, the male bonding is seen high in the stories compared to the male-female. Furthermore, Nick’s willingness to hang around with his father is too much compared to being pampered by his mother. This criticizes and weakens the mother-son relation as usually represented. Additionally, the criticism against the norms of the society talked by Morrison and Hemingway is low. Both the authors have a similar perspective about the reactions of pain and agony of their loved ones. Rather than seeing them fade to oblivion, they viewed killing or suicide as the appropriate solution. But this is not where the similarities end. In Sula and in In Our Time, the conjecture that the family values and norms cultivate a personality is proved true in numerous situations. All the protagonists have had the sense of belonging and support of their family in their upbringing. Their society and their values helped them shape their temperament without their conscious control. This holds true for every human being as well. Their upbringing, their past experiences allow them to form judgements about people and circumstances. These stereotypes which are formed unconsciously remain there until another influential event changed it for them. Moreover, the morality of these families showcased the obedience of societal norms and traditions. Irrespective of patriarchy and matriarchy, these families had the understanding to express and conform to the norms. Rather than be ostracized and threatened about their gender, class or their being, each one of them tried to make a name for them in the world and leave behind a story of their experiences. All the characters passed their knowledge and wisdom down in their families and influenced the others in some way or the other. Be it the blacks or the whites, educated or the illiterate, each one of the character of these stories had it in them to protect their own and that is what the Morrison’s Sula and Hemingway’s short stories had to convey to us all. Read More