The writers representing the Lost Generation produced works that influenced the development of literature after the First World War. In particular, Ernest Hemingway and Ezra Pound challenged the traditional way of writing and established the modernist era. Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants and Pound’s In A Station of the Metro share several similarities, even though they belong to different literary genres.
Both works use the theme of conflict, examining the opposite, contrasting concepts. Hemingway’s (1927) story explores talking versus communication and family versus freedom of choice. Pound’s (1913) poem contrasts reality and imagination, arrival and departure. Although these literary works describe different contexts, they are similar in their existentialist nature and the theme of confusion. In Hemingway’s (1927) Hills Like White Elephants, the girl feels unsure about “an awfully simple operation” that the man pressures her to undergo (p. 2). In In A Station of the Metro, the reader is confused since trains arrive and depart quickly, only revealing people’s “faces in the crowd” for mere moments. No background is provided for the characters, which emphasizes the implicit nature of both works.
Another similarity can be seen in the author’s word choice, which serves the purpose of creating vivid imagery. Hemingway’s (1927) character describes hills that “look like white elephants,” which is a symbol of something unwanted and too massive not to notice (p. 1). This symbol stands for the woman’s unborn child, whom she seems to want to keep. Similarly, Pound (1913) uses words to paint a vivid image of a metro station: “apparition”, “petals on a wet, black bough.” Furthermore, the style of both works is precise, sparse, and full of symbols. Overall, Hemingway’s short story and Pound’s poem are similar in their use of imagery, inner conflict, and a sense of life’s ephemeral nature.
References
Hemingway, E. (1927). Hills Like White Elephants.
Pound, E. (1913). In a station of the metro.