This paper intends to show how the short story "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway represents the schema formation that takes place through devices of the Critical Discourse Analysis. Closely connected to the idea of "decontextualization", the schema theory is accounted as a part of the "discourse" studies.
In fact, it helps reveal how a discourse comes into being, how it controls and is controlled, how it acts and relates to other discourses, and how it disappears. In this paper, this mechanism is delineated in a literary work, as a discourse, by investigating on the confrontation of some CDA’s elements including the situation and the mode of communication, characters’ voices and identity issues.
To illuminate, in "Hills Like White Elephants", conversation is served as the mode of communication between the two characters. However, the author’s narration describes the situation – especially the place, of the story to both symbolic function and balancing the mood and the tone of the story. Also, the schema formation is shaped by the voice of the man in the story; it is refreshed when opposed to the girl’s voice.
The two voices act as the creator of the two schemata. The other schema duality lies in the two opposite identity forces latent in the identities of the man and the girl. While the man thinks of getting rid of any familial responsibility, the girl’s major concern is her instinctive femininity, creating the opposite schema.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Methodology
III. Discussion
IV. Result
Objectives & Themes
This paper examines how Ernest Hemingway’s short story "Hills Like White Elephants" facilitates schema formation through the analytical framework of Critical Discourse Analysis. The primary research objective is to investigate how elements such as the narrative situation, conversational dynamics, character voices, and conflicting identity issues construct and refresh meaning within the literary text.
- Application of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to literary fiction.
- Examination of the interplay between narrative situation and conversational mode.
- Analysis of character voice as a tool for discourse control and schema formation.
- Exploration of identity crises, specifically regarding gender and personal responsibility.
- Identification of how literary texts act as dynamic discourses that undergo contextual shifts.
Excerpts from the Book
III. Discussion
First of all, it is possible to have a reading of the story on the basis of the sociolinguistic patterns on the varieties of language-in-use when they represent the situation or the mode or style of the communication. Broadly speaking, Jan Blommaert believes that the significance of the “situation” lies in the varieties of particular occasions or a particular social domain within which any interaction including conversation, as the mode of communication, occur (10). The two schemata, in the story, can be discovered in confrontation and complementary role of the situation and the mode of communication. The situation, which is mostly close to what is called “plot” of the story, referring to the time and place, consists of the bar and its components, train station and the outside scenery in the hot season. Additionally, Hemingway has chosen “conversation” as the mode of communication for the purposes which are seemingly tied to the idea of the “objective” point of view. It seems that whenever Hemingway feels the serious tone of the story, the location acts as a shelter for the characters to revive them for keeping on the conversation.
As the matter of fact, reading the conversation without the situation is one schema; the other is reading it with the respect of the description of the situation. To put in other words, omitting the Hemingway’s narration of the situation leaves nothing but a scenario written to be performed as a theatrical work.
Chapter Summary
I. Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of the story "Hills Like White Elephants," highlighting the hidden identity crisis and the inherent vagueness that invites an analysis through schema theory.
II. Methodology: This section defines key concepts such as "discourse," "discourse analysis," and "Critical Discourse Analysis" (CDA) by referencing scholars like Blommaert and Paltridge to establish the theoretical foundation for the study.
III. Discussion: This section analyzes the story by applying CDA, focusing on the significance of the physical situation, the power dynamics in the characters' voices, and the opposing identity forces of the man and the girl.
IV. Result: This chapter synthesizes the findings, concluding that the story serves as a dynamic discourse where schemata are refreshed through the confrontation of distinct identities and sociolinguistic variables.
Keywords
discourse, schema, Critical Discourse Analysis, Ernest Hemingway, identity, voice, conversation, communication, situation, sociolinguistics, gender, narrative, text, meaning, context
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on analyzing Ernest Hemingway’s short story "Hills Like White Elephants" using the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and schema theory to reveal how meaning is constructed and transformed.
What are the primary themes discussed in the work?
The central themes include the formation of schemata, identity crises, the role of voice in discourse control, and the interplay between a story's physical setting and its conversational mode.
What is the main objective or research question of the paper?
The objective is to delineate the mechanisms of schema formation within the literary work by investigating the confrontation of CDA elements, specifically looking at how characters' voices and situational context influence the discourse.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The paper utilizes Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), incorporating theoretical perspectives from sociolinguistics and schema theory to interpret the literary text.
What is addressed in the main body of the work?
The main body examines the definitions of discourse, the importance of situation and voice in Hemingway's narrative, and the specific identity conflict between the two main characters.
Which keywords define this paper?
The paper is characterized by terms such as discourse, schema, Critical Discourse Analysis, identity, voice, and communication.
How does the setting of the train station function as a schema?
The setting acts as a physical "situation" that creates a symbolic quality, balancing the mood and tone of the story while providing a shelter for the characters to continue their contentious conversation.
How is the "voice" of the male character different from the female character?
The male character uses his voice to impose his opinion and maintain a superior, controlling position, whereas the female character uses her voice to resist these pressures and assert her own concerns.
What is the significance of the "hills like white elephants" in the discourse?
The phrase serves as a mechanism for the female character to interrupt the male's control of the conversation, effectively marking the start of a new schema and highlighting the gap between their perspectives.
Does the paper conclude on a definitive interpretation of the story’s ending?
No, the paper maintains that the story remains unfinished and vague, which is precisely what allows for dynamic schema refreshment and ongoing interpretation regarding the characters' final decisions.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Amir Hossein Yasini Visti (Autor:in), 2014, Decontextualization and Schema Formation in "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/384246
