Get a Seeing Eyed Dog

In Ernest Hemingway's "Get a Seeing Eyed Dog," a blind man is trying to get his wife or girlfriend to take a break from caring from him and to go explore the world. He feels guilty about holding her back from life experiences. By the end of the story the woman has still refused to leave him alone but the man promises himself to keep trying to push her away.

This story was told from the blind man who was feeling sorry for his lover. I felt this was unusual because normally when stories are written about those with disabilities the reader begins to feel more sorry for the handicapped person than those around them. Throughout the story, the reader began to see that although the woman did want to take care of the blind man and loved him very much, she was going to be missing many chances at exploring the world and doing things she wanted to do. Realizing this, the old man began to feel like a hindrance and felt like a ball and chain around his girlfriend or wife's ankle.

I think "Get a Seeing Eyed Dog" shows a very sad reality of those who live with disabled people. Even though if you ask parents, friends, or others who are responsible for the handicapped about their situation they would respond in a positive way and feel that taking care of their loved one who needs a little more help than others is something they do not at all mind doing, the fact of life is that they are going to miss a lot of opportunities. By reading this short story, I was able to see that when someone has a disability, they are not the only ones who have to struggle. Those around them have to overcome extra obstacles in their lives as well.

Under the Ridge

In "Under the Ridge" by Ernest Hemingway, an American reporter is covering the Spanish Civil War. While working, he becomes involved in a conversation with a couple of Spanish soldiers. During their talk he discovers that one of these Spaniards does not like any foreigners. At the end of the story, it is found that he does not like those from outside his country because he watched two Russians shoot and kill a fellow soldier because he had shot himself in the hand in order to get out of the war.

After reading this story, I began to reflect on how important first impressions are in everyday life. When most people meet someone for the first time, they try to impress who they are presenting them self too. This way they will come off as a confident individual. What they don't realize, however, is that they are not only giving a first impression of them self but also of whom they represent. This can range from their country, family, or ethnicity. When someone does not put their best foot forward in a first impression, it can look badly on those who he is associated with. This can lead to negative stereotypes toward groups of people.

This is why I believe the Spanish soldier did not like any foreigners. He saw what the two Russians did and began to associate all foreigners as bad people. This happens often today as well. For example, if someone forms a negative feeling toward someone they just met who is in a certain fraternity or sorority, it can lead to he or she having a poor attitude toward that whole Greek organization. Needless to say, first impressions are very important not only for yourself but for all those you represent.

The Sea Change

The man in "The Sea Change" by Ernest Hemmingway is beginning to discover that his romantic relationship with the woman he is currently on vacation with has changed. No longer does she love him, but instead she has turned to other men and having affairs. The man in this story finally begins to feel changes inside himself and around him. He realizes that what their relationship started as no longer exists. It has fallen apart and it is time for him to move on in life.

After reading this story, I began to be able to relate to the man in the story. During high school, I made many great friendships that I will always cherish. However, when it came time for college, I was headed to Texas while many of my friends were staying home in Bakersfield, California. As the beginning of my freshman of college got underway, I began to miss those friends who I had spent much of the past four years with. I became really excited to return back home for Christmas and see them. When the time to go back home did come, the first thing I did was go see these old friends of mine. While hanging out, however, something seemed different. Being away at college I had enjoyed many experiences and become independent. I had begun to grow up. My friends did not seem to have the same transformation. They were still living in the days of high school and many of the common interests I used to share with them no longer exists. Our friendship had changed from what it had been when it started.

While I will always love all my friends from home, our relationship has changed in a major way. This is why I feel I can relate to the man in the story. We each have had connections with other that we never saw changing or coming to an end. However, the next thing we realize is that time has passed and the relationships we had with others are no longer the same.

Cat in the Rain

In Ernest Hemmingway's short story "Cat in the Rain," a woman can see a cat trying to protect itself from the rain. She tells her husband she wants to go outside and bring the cat back to their room to keep it from getting wet. On her way to getting the cat, she runs into a worker at the hotel who is doing his best to make sure her needs are met. She appreciates the hard work he is doing in making sure she is happy. When she gets outside, the cat is gone and out of sight. Having returned to her room, she tells her husband how the cat is gone and how she really wants a cat. She also begins to list many other things she wished she had including wanting to change parts of her appearance. What she really wants, however, is something much more.

The woman in the story really just wants some love and attention from her husband. While he compliments her looks when she talks about changing parts of her appearance it seems more out of obligation. The whole time she is trying to discus her wants he is reading and barely paying attention. He fails to give her the affection she so badly wants. Her admiration for the worker at the hotel helps to prove what she truly desires. The constant attention he gives to her welfare flatters the woman and gives her a feeling of importance. I believe she also wants a cat because she knows it will be something that will constantly give her affection. It would be a pet that could sit on her lap and always be there for her.

"Cat in the Rain" shows the need people have to feel affection and receive some type of attention from others. No one likes to be ignored from those around them and to live as though they are unoticed in the world. All the woman in the story needed was for her husband to remember to love and be considerate of her once again.