The Hills Like Elephants by Ernest Hemingway and The Swimmer by John Cheever are two stories published at different ages, raising similar themes and social problems. Although the characters and writing are different, the stories discuss themes like relationships, alienation, and others. This essay will discuss the common idea that appears in both works – the main character’s loneliness.
In The Hills Like Elephants main character is a female whose words and actions symbolize the feeling of loneliness she experiences throughout her life. She drinks alcohol significantly and asks almost a stranger to promise her happy life together. She also does not fit into the environment described in the story setting, and people see her alienated. This symbolizes that she feels lonely because of her personality and tries to replace this emotion through other people and substances.
The Swimmer describes Neddy as a lonely boy without any close friends or family, which is why he swims and always goes to parties. At the story’s beginning, it is unclear why Neddy decides to reach his house by swimming in all pools of his county. Moreover, the reader might be confused by the holes in the main character’s memory. However, by the end of the story, it is easy to comprehend that Neddy does not have close people. Because even Grace Biswanger, who he saw as somewhat friend, does not enjoy his company, his home is found empty. Neddy is alone and lonely, a common theme for this and The Hills Like Elephants story.
To sum up, the stories mentioned above have a common theme: the main character’s loneliness. Both drink substances, which often means that people have psychological problems, like depression – the mental state of constant loneliness. They also do not have close people, which might be difficult and lonely for both of them. The stories should teach all readers that being lonely can be cured by having someone to trust and avoiding alcohol.