
Sylvia Plath and Ernest Hemingway are both renowned scholarly figures that are well-known for their successes in literature. Due to this reputation, their works are sometimes compared and contrasted. In this case, “Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway are being compared. I chose to write about these two works because they both include a lot of figurative language and neat textual elements that can be linked to one another. The most significant comparison between the two texts is how the authors treat the issue of gender roles. I found the relationship between the two texts to be influential since the woman characters are being influenced to think or act a certain way, as if they each don’t have a choice on how to live their own lives. I also found that the male characters share a dominating presence and provide a sense of superiority when referred to in both of the texts. All in all, if we analyze the texts to a deeper extent, “Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway can be compared and contrasted through various elements, such as the use of similes and metaphors and the portrayal of the female characters versus that of the male characters. 

Before we can analyze the text to that deeper degree, we must understand what each piece is saying beyond the figurative language. “Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath is formatted just as it’s titled, line after line of metaphors, so an understanding of all the figurative language is certainly essential in order to analyze the writing as a whole. Along with her use of metaphors, Plath uses other textual elements, like imagery and personification, to depict a certain picture for the reader. I interpreted this as a way for her to use all of these elements together to continuously hint at what she is trying to convey, without coming out and saying it directly. Almost every line of the poem illustrates an image of an object that is rather large, and they’re all referring to the woman character who is speaking about herself. The narrator is taking different approaches to describe herself as being pregnant. One line that stands out because it is abnormal compared to the others reads, “O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!” (Plath line 4). This can also be related to the idea of pregnancy because when a woman gives birth to a newborn child, it can often be described as “fruitful”. Similarly, another way I interpreted this line is that the three items listed, fruit, ivory, and timbers, are both desirable and expensive, just as some might view an impregnated woman. All things considered, this poem by Sylvia Plath is using figurative language to describe a pregnant woman and that she feels she is being objectified. 

In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants”, the story that is told involves one male and one female character. Throughout the whole story they are arguing about whether the woman should undergo an unnamed operation, which we can assume is an abortion due to context. The man is urging her to get this procedure, while the woman is completely against it. I noticed that she shows some slight glimpses of cooperation towards the man’s argument only because she feels mentally trapped by the man. Deep down, the woman knows that he will force her to get the procedure regardless of the outcome of the argument. From the beginning of the story, we, as the readers, can sense a controlling atmosphere coming from the man. The man uses his controlling nature and apparent superiority to downplay the severity of the operation, while trying to convince her that is the best solution to their “problem”. 

One feature of these two written works that strikes me as interesting is how both authors used figurative language in very similar ways. The first comparable metaphor that is noticed comes with the mention of an elephant. Plath and Hemingway both use this image to enhance descriptions in their writing; however, they focus on different characteristics of this metaphorical elephant to focus on. In Sylvia Plath’s poem the narrator says, “An elephant, a ponderous house,” (Line 2), and by presenting this comparison she intends on comparing the size of the woman’s impregnated stomach to that of a large elephant. We can ensure this is the association she proposes to the reader because she follows that image by also comparing the woman’s size to a house, which is described as “ponderous”. Another metaphor that is brought up in both texts is the mention of a train. In the last line of the poem, Plath writes, “Boarded the train there’s no getting off.” (Line 9). In this line, we can infer that the female narrator is accepting the fact that she is pregnant and that there’s no going back, no matter how much she may regret it. 

Ernest Hemingway provides us with these same two instances of figurative language in “Hills Like White Elephants”. The mention of the elephant first comes very noticeable to the reader in the title. The beginning of the story starts with a description of the setting, and in the very first line it reads, “The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white” (Hemingway 527). As we continue to read the story and gather more information about the plot, we can start to notice that these hills, being compared to white elephants in the title, act more as a mental barrier than a physical one. The woman faces a tough decision concerning this unspecified operation, and the man’s controlling nature acts as a mental barrier to her. We can tell that the woman is unable to make the right decision for her health or well-being because her mind is clouded by the idea that the man might not approve. So in a sense, we can determine that the man’s superior mindset is truly what acts as “hills” that are immovable like elephants, but at a mental state rather than a physical state. Hemingway also makes references to the train as well, since the two characters are in fact, at a train station waiting for the train to arrive. The train in this case can symbolize how the female character won’t be able to go back and change her decision once it is made. She is debating her choice throughout the whole story while they’re awaiting the train. We can tell that she knows once the train comes, her decision is solidified and irreversible, and she’s unsure whether she actually wants this train to arrive or not.

Another way these two works are comparable is through how both Plath and Hemingway portray the male characters compared to the woman characters. In ‘Metaphors”, Plath doesn’t directly include a male character; however, it is implied that one is involved with the situation at hand because, of course, in order for a woman to become impregnated she must endure intimate relations with a male. The narrator fears that the male figure in her life views her as an object or a means rather than a human being. She feels that the pregnancy is the only thing she’s good for and that the man cares more about the child than her, his significant other. To simply put it, the woman feels trapped by the situation the man has put her in. Her personal happiness seems to stem off of whether the man is happy with her or not. Also, there is no mention of the male figure having any fears or regrets, since he is not included in the poem. This makes the implied male figure look stronger mentally and more superior than the woman. She proves this fear is existent in the last line, “Boarded the train there’s no getting off.” (Line 9). From an analytical point of view, “Her pregnancy was only the beginning of the train-ride; she must now become a mother.” (Shehandoah 1). Kathleen Lant also talks about how Sylvia Plath portrays gender roles in her analyzation of her poetry. She says, “Rather, nakedness for the female subject is experienced, at least within the context of her work, as yet another barrier between itself and the world…” (Lant 624). 

In “Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway depicts the situation of gender roles similarly to Plath’s style. Hemingway makes it obviously known to the reader that the male character holds a sense of superiority over the woman. He deceivingly acts like he is comforting the woman and encouraging her to make the decision that she feels is right, but inside he knows that he holds the advantage in the argument. Hemingway infers contextually that the man is more educated than the woman, based off of his wealth and that he knows how to speak Spanish, while the woman does not. When considering this extent of knowledge and how he talks to the woman we can conclude that, “His tone is antagonistic and he seems manipulative,” (portlandwt 1). This meaning that he uses his mental advantage to affect, and perhaps change, the decision the woman will eventually make.

In conclusion, “Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway can be compared and contrasted in many different ways. The one similarity the authors share that strikes me as most important is how they handle and portray situations of gender roles. They do this by showing the masculine character as smarter and more powerful mentally. These male characters share a dominating presence and provide a sense of superiority when referred to in both of the texts. All in all, if we analyze the texts to a deeper extent, “Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway can be compared and contrasted through various elements, such as the use of similes and metaphors and the portrayal of the female characters versus that of the male characters. 
