Hemingway and Masculinity

Having read a Hemingway novel last semester, recognizing themes in In Our Time is not unfamiliar territory. One overlapping theme in this collection of short stories is the theme of masculinity. In the story “Indian Camp”, it is obvious that the doctor is in his element, feeling truly very masculine. He is able to try and teach his son is profession by performing a C-section at this Indian camp. Although it is a very brutal scene, the doctor acts very confidently because it is he is doing his job correctly and his son is able to see what daddy does at work. As it has been mentioned in class, this chapter opens up as a kind of “bring your son to work day”, and up until things take a turn for the worse, the doctor seems very excited by the fact that his son is learning his profession. The son on the other hand, doesn’t seem very excited to be in the operating room with a woman who is screaming because she is in pain. The son, Nick, seems very uninterested in his father’s work, most likely because it seems to cause a lot of pain to others. As his father tries to teach him, Nick seems to almost blow off his pointers because he can’t focus with the woman’s screaming in the background. The doctor replies that “her screams are not important. I don’t hear them because they are not important” (16). Although this sort of response seems sort of negative and callous, I see it as being a teaching moment for Nick. I don’t think the doctor was trying to seem unsympathetic for the woman’s pain, I just think he was trying to explain to his son why he doesn’t focus on the screams. If one focuses on the screams, they will be unable to concentrate on the procedure. Of course the operation will be painful, but if you focus on the pain, it’s hard to get past it to the other side. I suppose the lesson here is that the ends will eventually justify the means, you just have to block all distractions out and get to the finish line. Until the Indian father takes his life, it seems as if this scene is at least very pivotal for Nick’s father because he feels very masculinized by being able to teach his son his profession and a life lesson.

This scene is placed back-to-back with “The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife”, where the doctor’s self esteem and masculinity levels seem to drop during his conversation with Dick and his wife. In the whole wood situation, Dick seems to gain moral leverage by calling the doctor out on his sketchy ways of obtaining the wood. Even though he states that he doesn’t care if the wood is stolen, he does feel the need to mention it in every line. He seems as though he just trying to bring the doctor down by pointing out the fact that he needs to steal wood for himself. And as the doctor tries to defend himself, he just gets knocked back down every time. (I don’t know why, but I just pictured this in my head while reading this scene...)

Even as the doctor tries to pick a fighting with Dick for insulting him, Dick knocks him back down again because he knows that he is bigger and stronger than the doctor. In the end, the doctor ends up retreating with his tail tucked in between his legs back to his cottage to his wife.

At home, his wife questions him about his spat with Dick. Even as the doctor seemingly lies to her, trying to make him seem like the good guy in the situation, his wife doesn’t seem to believe him and urges him to try and control his temper. As he tries to paint a picture where Dick picked a fight because he owes him money, she responds “Dear, I don’t think, I really don’t think that any one would really do a thing like that” (26). In this chapter the doctor has been called out on being a liar and a fraud, which contrasts to the chapter before where he is in his element and trusted as the upstanding doctor who is able to bring life into the world. Because of his medical talent, he is seens as “the doctor”, a title that has its respective and authoritative connotations. But, Dick seems to have found a way to crush his authoritative name by just referring to him as “Doc”, a nickname cut short and therefore losing a bit of its authoritative value, and calling him out on his sketchy methods. It seems like the whole reasoning behind this spiteful conversation is for Dick to bring the doctor down because he believes that the doctor isn’t the upstanding figure that everyone sees him as. Even as the doctor tries to boost his morale by lying to his wife and making himself seem like the good guy of the situation, he is called out on his bluff and so he runs off to play with his gun. He feels emasculated and so he goes to clean his weapon and then takes a walk for some fresh air where he can clear his thoughts.

Masculinity has been seen as a very prominent theme in most of Hemingway’s works and this collection of short stories has proved to fit into that category. It will be interesting to see if we will stick with Nick’s and his father’s story, or will we move on. Although it will be the same book, it is a collection of short stories so we don’t know if Hemingway will have chosen to stick with the same characters or move on to a different set. We are left to wait and see.

Curious Methods Behind the Madness

After finishing Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, I can ultimately say that my thoughts at the beginning of the book are vastly different from what they are now. At first, I was very skeptical of O’Brien’s methods of storytelling. The way he emerges us in his emotional war stories and then right after mentions that there are fabricated aspects to most of his stories honestly annoyed me a little. I felt like I was being played with and not given the full picture and so I couldn’t understand the method behind his madness. But, later on, O’Brien makes it clear why he chooses to writes stories the way he does. With writing, it’s hard to convey true emotion through real truth experiences. Having not fought in the war, most of us are unable to feel what it’s like to be on the front lines where death could occur any second. In that kind of situation, one is always in a fight or flight mode with their adrenaline pumping 24/7. Even if one is just standing by as their friend kills a man, they still feel as if it was their own kill. As if they were the one that pulled the pin. As if it were their fault. But, if the real truth were told, it would be hard for a reader to experience the same emotions while sitting in a couch and reading the story by the fire. It’s just not the same.

So, in order to make up for that, O’Brien tells the story truth. He centers his story around those who were the protagonist of the situation, mirroring his own emotions during those times. So what if he adds or leaves out details here and there, the message is still the same. He was a man who was sent off to Vietnam to fight and has never been the same person since. The stories in between are to show us why. Why his experiences in Vietnam changed him and why he keeps writing stories about them later on.

In the last chapter, O’Brien explains his first love, Linda. Although he was only nine years old, he can honestly say that he loved her. As Zina said in class, this sort of love parallels with O’Brien’s love for his platoon. Even though he may have sat back during the war and listened to their stories, he was still there. He felt a love and connection with these men as he fought alongside of them. Although they were troubling times, they were good too. In a way, it seems as though O’Brien writes his stories to bring the good times back. The time where his brothers were right beside him. In a sort of sick way, O’Brien writes to bring his past back from the dead. When he writes on his stories in the war, it’s like he’s experiencing them once again, reliving the adrenaline rush and everything, and once he’s finished, he’s back to being a forty-three year old writer, so he writes another story. Although they were scary and troubling times, he misses them and the men he experienced them with.

It’s because of this that I have a newfound appreciation and sympathy for O’Brien. It just seems as though he can’t let his past go. Even if his past is dead and gone, he writes to bring it back and relive it once again. Although writing is seen as very therapeutic for some soldiers, I feel like it is doing the opposite for O’Brien. Bring back his past again and again doesn’t allow him to move on in his life. If he keeps writing on his time in the war, he will always be stuck in the past, unable to find a way out. So, although I enjoyed the book, I feel sad for O’Brien if his way of coping with his time in the war and making others understand his pain by making himself relive it all, over and over again.

Haunting Pasts

“I felt close to them, yes, but I also felt a new sense of separation. My fatigues were starched; I had a neat haircut and the clean, sterile smell of the rear. They were still my buddies, at least on one level, but once you leave the boonies, the whole comrade business gets turned around. You become a civilian” (184-185). In “The Ghost Soldiers”, Tim expresses his displeasure in becoming separated from his troupe. Since he was badly injured (because he was initially badly treated for his injury), Tim has been sent to a base where he can rest and recover, away from the Alpha Company, his brothers. In a sense, Tim, himself, feels like a ghost soldier. Even though he is one of the members of the group, he still feels separated. He doesn’t go on missions with them, endure the same intense climates, or share the same battle wounds any more. Although he is still in the war, he isn’t doing anything. This is one of the reasons he can’t seem to forgive Bobby Jorgenson for freezing up when Tim needed him. Because Bobby isn’t Rat Kiley. Because Bobby messed up. Because Bobby is Bobby. More importantly, because Bobby is the new Tim. (Figuratively speaking, of course). I think Tim understands that, since Bobby was new, that he should cut him some slack for freaking out the first time out on the job. But, think about what happened after the injury. Tim was left at a base to recover, while his brothers and Bobby Jorgenson went off together to fight some more. In a sense, Bobby has replaced Tim in the company, filling that empty spot. (Now, I know, technically, Bobby replaced Rat,  but I’m talking symbolism here). Tim’s ass was literally on the line and Bobby, not only blew it, but he also gets to walk away scot-free.

When Tim was still with the Alpha Company, he felt the physical and emotional aspects of the war, even though he was either listening to a story or watching an event. But, being on a sort of house arrest has made Tim aware of this new found disconnect he has with his company. And knowing what has put him in this situation only makes his injuries hurt worse which makes both his emotional and physical pain more prevalent. In essence, Tim has become a new ghostly face of the war. Before, Tim mentions how he couldn’t remember people’s faces because he was too afraid to look at them, so they just remained this faceless figures in his memory. So, in order to convey the true experience through his writing, he gives them in depth faces and pasts so we can feel the same way he felt. In “The Man I Killed”, Tim gives the dead soldier a face, past, and future that he could have had, even though he doesn’t know the man. For us, as readers, if we know the character more, we can feel more of a connection and therefore have a more emotional reaction if they die. But for Tim, he didn’t have those descriptions, and yet he still felt the same. He didn’t even know the man, let alone was the one to kill him, but he still felt the same guilt and remorse. Back at the base, Tim feels like he doesn’t even know his troupe anymore. Just a ghostly soldier, waiting for him brothers to come see him and then leave him behind, over and over again.

Through this, we can see that Tim writes for two reasons: First, to give us a true war story, and second, to relive his true past. In the last chapter, Tim explains that writing these stories helps him experience them again, but in the way he wants to. Tim writes in a way that puts him in the story, even though in reality, he could be seen as one who just fades to the background. And although, for some soldiers, writing can be seen as therapeutic, I’m not so sure if that’s the case for Tim. Most ex-soldier write to unscramble their thoughts and lay everything on the table. But for Tim, it’s different. He didn’t look, he just felt, so he adds details to his writing, adding on to his stories, making them more complicated and emotionally charged. It almost seems that, in order to make up for the fact that his memory is clouded with faceless images of people from the war and to make up for his fade out of his company, he just attaches a face to them and adds details that help him remember his time in the war. I feel like this is Tim’s way of conveying his guilt, first, towards the Vietnam people, whom he generally disregarded and barely mentions in any of his stories, and second, towards himself. He attaches faces to the Vietnam people in his writing to humanize them and not make them seem like just a target. Even when he goes back to Vietnam and sees the farmer’s dark face, he tries to wave at him and establish some connection. But the farmer just raises his shovel above his head and goes back to work, seemingly unfazed and uninterested in Tim’s presence. It’s too late, for the war is over and people have gone back to their normal lives. A time for connection it over.

So, in essence, the war his Tim’s ghost of the past. It haunts him every day as he writes to relive his experiences and add meaning to them. In the end, Tim initially places the blame of his troubles on Bobby, because he seems like an easy target, but in reality, he knows that he is one to blame. He blames himself for the way he acted in the war and how he remembers events. He invents war stories in which he is either the center or an innocent bystander to make up for the fact that he either just stood there or failed his mission. Even though he wasn’t involved in every situation, Tim always felt huge waves of emotion as the things he carried piled up, but without purpose, meaning, or even a face. Not only the physical weight, but the ghostly weight of the stories he heard and things he saw were brought with him everywhere he went. He has been unable to escape his past, so he writes to clear his mind and focus on the future, if that can even be possible.

Blurred Vision

In the stories “The Man I Killed” and “Ambush”, we are told a very important story that gives us insight into how the war may have affected Tim’s, the author’s, life. The story is even foreshadowed earlier on in the book in the story “Spin” as Tim recalls remembering certain details from his time in the war, such as “A red clay trail outside the village of My Khe. / A hand grenade. / A slim, dead, dainty young man of about twenty. / Kiowa saying, ‘No choice, Tim. What else could you do?’ / Kiowa saying, ‘Right?’ / Kiowa saying, ‘Talk to me.’” (36). Initially, this memory didn’t make sense on its own, but after reading “The Man I Killed” and “Ambush”, it’s clear to see it’s significance.

As Tim stands, motionless, in front of the man he has just killed, he contemplates what the deceased man’s life was and could have become. He thinks about how the man could have been, and, according to Tim, was innocent and was just forced to enter the war. The man wasn’t war material, but he didn’t have a choice. Unlike Tim, who did have a choice. Who ultimately chose to kill this man, unaware if he was a true enemy or not. As Tim tells it, it was a thoughtless action; he was just moving through the motions of his training, not thinking about the consequences of his actions. Without even thinking, he just threw the grenade at the man and ended his life. It’s similar to what we read about in “Fire and Forget”, where soldiers are trained to not focus on the target. In “Fire and Forget”, the man shoots his dog in the most painless way he has been trained to do. Afterwards, he is unable to remember what to do with the body because that wasn’t part of his training. A soldier isn’t trained to deal with the aftermath, they are just told to move on because that’s war is about, firing and forgetting.

But, like the man who shot his dog, Tim can’t just forget. The aftermath of his killing hits him hard as he stands there, examining the mutilated face of the dead man. In the end, by focusing on the target instead of the surroundings, Tim isn’t able to disregard the man he has just killed as just an enemy soldier. He sees past his nationality and just looks at the human side of things. Even as Kiowa tries to comfort Tim by saying that the man would have been killed anyways and that there was nothing else he could have done, Tim just can’t accept that. He ended a man’s life; a man who was scared; a man who wasn’t meant for the ugliness of war. In a sense, this man reminds Tim about how he too isn’t cut out for the brutality of war either. How Tim wanted to avoid being drafted by running off the Canada. How Tim is a coward for wanted to seem brave. How the same thing could happen to him at any point in time in his deployment.

Tim O’Brien’s book presents a very interesting side of war. In Tim’s mind, war isn’t meant to be glorified, for as one carries on, they lose their humanity. War breaks a person down, dehumanizes them, until they wake up years later and it’s too late to turn back time. Soldiers are trained to blur their vision and focus on a bigger and seemingly brighter picture: that they are fighting a war against enemies. Anyone who isn’t one of them, is against them. Things are only meant to be perceived as black and white. Many soldiers don’t realize the true picture until they get home. Even to this day, Tim O’Brien remembers this story of a man he thoughtlessly killed during the war. Colors didn’t enter Tim’s vision until it was too late. Whether killing the man was the right decision or not, I don’t think Tim O’Brien even knows the answer to that question.

A Little Reminder of Home

In the stories “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” and “Stockings”, we are able to see how the role female companionship plays into a soldier’s time in the war. In “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”, Mark Fossie decides to “import” his girlfriend, Mary Anne, oversees to the base he is stationed at in Vietnam. Initially, Fossie believed this to be a great idea because he could have the love of his life with him everyday. Unfortunately, in Fossie’s case, things take a turn for the worse. Mary Anne allows herself to be consumed by the war and ends up enjoying her time there. She feels freed by the environment around her and decides to run away from Fossie and join the secretive Green Berets and their seemingly shady doings.

To start, as Selena mentioned in class, the soldiers use the word “import” when they are referring to the idea of bringing girls over to the base to keep them company. My interpretation was that the soldiers were going to bring over prostitutes from Saigon to “spice things up” (88). Although all the men enjoyed the thought, plans were not carried through, except with Mark Fossie. Fossie decides to “import” his girlfriend over to Vietnam so he can have his high school sweetheart by his side for a little while so he can fill the void of female companionship that he and the other soldiers lack in the war environment. But, when he decided to “import” Mary Anne, Fossie assumed that she would stay his high school sweetheart. He didn’t foresee her actually enjoying her time and becoming obsessed with the environment. By living and embracing the Vietnam atmosphere, Mary Anne’s appearance and personality seemingly completely changes, leaving Fossie unable to accept the new Mary Anne as she slips deeper and deeper into the military lifestyle. In essence, since Fossie wasn’t able accept the “new” Mary Anne when she began to change, I think their relationship was doomed from the start. Fossie was in love with the Mary Anne of his childhood, not the woman she would eventually become. Although he first imported her, thinking she would stay the same and would provide him with some female companionship in this sausage fest base, he didn’t (and practically couldn’t have) predicted the possibility of her liking it there and adapting to the environment.

This is contrasted with the storyline in “Stockings”, where we learn of Henry Dobbins’ ritual of “wrapping his girlfriend’s pantyhose around his neck before heading out on ambush” (111). He claims it gives him the magic touch when he heads off to combat. Ironically, as ridiculous as that seems, Dobbins seems to be surviving any and every obstacle thrown at him on the battlefield. According to Dobbins, his ritual is what keeps him alive. “He liked putting his nose into the nylon and breathing in the scent of his girlfriend’s body; he like the memories this inspired...the stockings were a talisman. They kept him safe. They gave access to a spiritual world” (111-112). The miraculous luck Dobbins apparently gets from these old pair of panties that his girlfriend wore stuns the platoon and causes them to rethink their beliefs because “you don’t dispute facts” (112) and the fact was, Dobbins was invincible.

But, things take an interesting turn when Dobbins’ girlfriend breaks up with him. It was assumed that he would throw away the panties and would become a soldier with no magic powers. But, he rather responds with “No sweat, the magic doesn’t go away” (112). Now, this response could be taken in two ways. Option A is that he is a little nervous if the magic will work or not, but he’s trying to reassure himself that it will work so he doesn’t freak out. Option B is that the magic doesn’t go away with the woman because it doesn’t completely represent her. The stockings rather represent his home and the female companionship he has when he’s there. (It’s quite scandalous if the female companionship isn’t necessarily connected to his girlfriend. Just saying). In any case, whether it’s Option A or B, we don’t know. O’Brien specifically leaves us standing and left to wait and see if the magic will really work or not. Will he live? Will his magic luck finally wear off? In the end, we have no clue. Thanks O’Brien.

So, in the end, it’s obvious that, amongst the platoon and other soldiers fighting in the war, female companionship seems to play a huge role in their lives. In a sense, the idea of a female with them during the war gives them comfort because it allows them to connect with the home they miss so dearly. Even with Fossie, he finds that he is in love with the old Mary Anne, the one he met back home, not the one who has become submerged in the war environment. Women seem to be the way that some of these soldiers connect with home, even if they are 8,500 miles away.

Past. Present. What’s the Difference?

Even though we only read three stories from Fire and Forget, (and only talked about two in class), it interesting how each author is able to portray the degrading, dehumanizing aspects of war through their storytelling. In “Redeployment” by Phil Klay, it’s obvious that the war has changed the narrator. With his first statement of “We shot dogs. Not by accident” (39), you can sense his indifference to the injustices he has committed. He finds himself unfazed by the fact that he went along with shooting the dogs, even though he is a dog person. The narrator then brings his detached nature back home where he has to deal with his dog, Vicar, who is slowly dying. When the time comes, instead of taking him to a vet, the narrator decides to put the dog down himself, explaining that he knows how to do it the correct way.

In the time leading up the the deed, the narrator treats this task as his mission. He recalls the training they had and how he’s been in similar situations before. He observes that the hesitation he has before he completes his mission is similar to one he experienced back in the war where he watched his comrades shoot an insurgent floating in a cesspool. Back then, he hesitated, consequently failing his mission. But now, his training has gotten him to this point, and now is not the time for failure. He was unable to complete his mission in the past, so he must make up for it in the present. He kills his dog in the most humane way he knows, quick and painless. At the end, he admits “[He] couldn’t remember what [he] was going to do with the body” (52). He is so immersed in that wartime procedure, that when it comes to disposing of the body, he doesn’t know what to do. In the army, it is assumed that they didn’t move the dogs they killed. They just left them there, lying dead in the streets. But, this isn’t just an ordinary dog; it’s his dog. This goes to show how detached the war environment has made him. He is, at times, unable to bring himself into reality until it’s too late.

This story contrasts with the other short story we read called “When Engaging Targets, Remember” by Gavin Ford Kovite. This story was in a “choose your own adventure” format and centered around a young college student who has been drafted into a difficult military situation. The format of “choose your own adventure” is a very interesting choice because it allows readers to be immersed in the narrator’s world. To some extent, you control the character’s actions and so you are partly responsible for the imminent repercussions. But, in typical “choose your own adventure” stories, there is always a good path and a bad path, whereas in Kovite’s story, there essentially is no “good” path. Both storylines have unfortunate outcomes. Refusing to shoot at the engaging vehicle causes you to lose the trust of your fighting comrades as they have decided to risk their lives to save yours and you didn’t return the favor. In essence, you are being frowned upon for hesitating to kill a potentially innocent person. You think too much and are therefore penalized. On the flipside, if you do shoot and kill the passengers inside the approaching vehicle, even though you have chosen the “right” option, it doesn’t feel right. From then on, you are a changed man. You have killed someone and, as the main character admits, “you will want to kill again” (171).

Reading and discussing these stories back to back shines light on the true nature of war. It doesn’t matter what shape you come into the war, you almost always come out a different person, and possibly for the worst. More humane actions are frowned upon and considered “cowardly”, for you have a mission. Consequently, these two characters will never stop having missions in life that will correlate to their times on the battlefield. No matter how much they fire, they can never forget.

The Hills Have Eyes

Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants proves to be an excellent welcoming into the world of short stories. Hemingway’s iconic style of repetition and a minimalistic approach, often referred to as the iceberg principle, allows for an open interpretation of his works. In this story, right off the bat, we are immersed in this complex situation between an American man and a woman, Jig, who is assumedly his girlfriend or wife. The couple seems to be standing at a crossroad in their lives involving “awfully simple operation”. In the beginning and throughout the conversation, there is a prominent sense of tension between the two people, as they discuss what the best decision is for the girl.

In class, we assumed the operation was an abortion. (When initially reading the story, I had not thought of abortion. But, every since it was mentioned in class, I can’t seem to think of a better explanation. So, I’ve decided to run with the abortion idea). Now, with this minimalistic approach, we aren’t given the real reason behind their argument, so we are left to interpret and infer. Guessing without the ability to check. In any case, assuming that the operation is an abortion, we can definitely see the unhealthy aspects of this relationship. The man seems to be playing a very manipulative role as he passive-aggressively pushes the girl to get the operation. Using words such as “it’s perfectly simple”, “then we’ll be all right and be happy”, “It’s the best things to do”, and the worst one, “but I don’t want you to do it if you don’t really want to”. By saying these words, the man is explaining how easy and beneficial the operation, but ultimately placing the deciding factor on her. He sugarcoats all his manipulative responses by reminding her that it is her choice in the end, even though he wants her to have the operation. By doing this, if she were to refuse the operation, and keep the baby, the fault would be on her because it was her choice. He seemingly gave her the beneficial reasons to have the operation and she refused. She would seemingly be at fault in a situation where she was not the sole perpetrator.

But the abortion isn’t the only problem here. In fact, the abortion serves as the iceberg that Hemingway gives us, a glimpse into this faulty relationship. It can be inferred that, as much as the man would like to disagree, this relationship is quickly going down the drain. The girl subtly mentions it to the man that she would do the operation for him, but that would ultimately mean she doesn’t care about herself. As many women tend to, she feels attached to this baby that is growing inside of her, and this man cannot understand that. He isn’t ready to handle a baby and so he sees this operation as a chance to just erase the child from their lives so they can go on their merry ways and act like nothing ever happened. He is totally ignorant towards the physical and emotional effects of carrying a child and then aborting it has on a woman. He treats the girl like she is sick and needs treatment.

But, through this conversation, the girl makes a realization of her own. She is not the one who is sick, it is him. When asked, “Do you feel better?’ she replies “I feel fine, there’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine”. As it was pointed out in class, it is possible that the girl is hinted that her partner is the sick one, not her. There is nothing wrong with her being conflicted on whether or not to abort her own child, but it is wrong of him to try to pull her decision in his favor. In this manner of interpretation, my thoughts are that she has decided to not have the abortion, for she is fine and doesn’t need an operation. It’s interesting how, throughout the story, Hemingway seems to depict these characters as almost polar opposites. It’s a wonder how they got together in the first place. (But, maybe they both have changed over the years). It seems as though the girl is open and adventurous, whereas the man is stagnant and seemingly practical. Even with her observation of the hills looking like white elephants, the woman seems to be fascinated with the scenery around her, whereas the man dismissed such absurd thoughts, trying to have her focus on the topic that seems to be tearing their relationship apart. It seems as though the hills are what give the girl clarity and she is able to see them mirror the two sides of her predicament. In my mind, the brown, dry side of the hill represents how she will feel after the operation. It is said by the man that they let air in, but being a painful process that causes her to lose a fetus, she will ultimately feel dry inside. Then there is the other side of the hill with the flowing river, beautiful mountains, and perfect shade from the beating sun. This side represents the fruitful adventures she could have if she were to keep the child. In this interpretation, the man avoids the woman’s eyes and sugarcoats his answers so as to trick her into pleasing him, whereas the hills show the woman the truth. But, with Hemingway’s minimalist writing style, the whole story is just open to interpretation and assumption.