Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

"Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway, is told mainly through dialogue. It is a conversation between a young woman and a man waiting for a train in Spain. Throught their convesation, it becomes evident that the young woman is pregnant. The man who accompanies her is devastated by this news and insist she has an abortion. Even though much of their emotions and personalities dealing with the situation is revealed, a lot is also left unsaid. Towards the end of the story, it is still unknown what their decision is or what will happen to the two them. A lot is left up in the air.

A Worn Path by Eudora Welty

“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, is about an elderly black woman who demonstrates an enormous amount of determination when it comes to helping her ill grandson. Throughout the story, Miss Phoenix Jackson travels the same path everday, overcoming numerous odds through her journey to better her grandson's health. She travels a "worn path", which is very smbolic because Welty uses the path and its obstacles as a form of inspiration. The pathrepresents the difficulties a person endures throughout life’s journey. The obstacles are meant to portray the barriers, risks, and setbacks a person may encounter from day to day life.

Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne

"Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, deals with the temptations and curiosity of evil. It is still unknown whether Goodman Brown's experience is real or imaginary. Goodman Brown represents human beings confronted with temptation because he wants to enter a dark forest of sin to help satisfy his curiosity about evil occurences and maybe even to take part in them. The man who meets Brown in the forest represents the devil. I believe this story is symbolic of the story of Adam and Eve. Adam was enticed similary like Goodman by a serpent to deal wit forbidden evils. Like Adam, he suffers a great fall from innocence.

The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant

"The Necklace" by Guy De Maupassant, I felt was very humorous and entertaining. I thought the story gave a great demonstration of how material items can't buy happiness but can only sustain a feeling of luxury for a small period of time. This is shown by Mathilde who spends so much time convincing herself that possessions only have value if they are expensive that she loses sight of the real value of things. The shame that Mathilde feels about her own financial and social status is something that many people can understand and I believe relates greatly to today's time. I know personally that I deal with this problem on a day to day basis. I would recommend this story to others.