Similarities between "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog" and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro"

I enjoyed reading "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog".  I usually have difficulty figuring out what Ernest Hemingway is writing about, but this short story was easy to understand. 

As I began reading it, I immediately noticed similarities between it and The Snows of Kilimanjaro.  Both stories revolve around a hurt husband and his wife.  There is also traveling, writing, and drinking in both stories as well.  In "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog", the husband has had some kind of accident that has made him lose his vision.  In "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", the husband is suffering from Gangrene.  Although both stories have similar scenarios, the characters’ actions and feelings towards one another differ.  In "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", the wife’s love for her husband Harry is not returned.  In "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog", it is easy to see that the couple deeply loves each other.  The wife feels bad for her husband Philip and tries to help him remember good times.  Philip loves his wife so much that he wants her to leave him so she can be free and happy.  He believes his sickness is too much of a burden for her, and he doesn’t want to be responsible for ruining her life.  He treats her with respect, unlike in "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" in which Harry is rude to his wife. 

Both Harry and Philip want to write.  As he is dying, Harry thinks about how much he regrets not writing.  He knows he will never get the chance to write now, and convinces himself that he wouldn’t have been a good writer anyway.  Philip stays positive about his situation and tells his wife that their home is the perfect place for him to write.  He explains how he will be able to write with a tape recorder.  He says he is going to write and write until he gets it right.

Overall, "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog" is a more positive story than "The Snows of Kilimanjaro".  In "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog", the characters tackle the unpleasant situation together.  They maintain good attitudes and try to see the good in the situation.  Each character wants to do what is best for the other.  In "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", the husband and wife do not have mutual feelings.  Harry has given up on life and he does not try to make his final moments on earth good ones. 

I think it is interesting how Ernest Hemingway wrote two similar stories.  I am not sure what his purpose was, but I think he was trying to teach his readers a lesson.  We must face life’s challenges with a positive attitude.  A negative outlook on life leads to unpleasant outcomes.    

Frozen yogurt, music, and good conversations

Sueli and I still meet weekly for a piano lesson, but I have been trying to think of other things to do as well.  Today after the lesson we went to Yo and got frozen yogurt with one of my roommates.  Sueli knows very few people here at TCU, so I try to introduce her to as many people as I can.  I am surprised at how quickly she is learning piano.  We are now on my level 1b book, which took me a year to get to when I first started playing.  Today I taught her songs that involve playing notes with the right and left hand at the same time.  It might have been a little too hard because she was getting frustrated.   I am also surprised with her dedication and patience.  I teach her piano for an hour each week, which is a long time.  I remember my 30 minute lessons used to seem long to me.  I'm really glad she is enjoying our lessons, but I constantly ask her if she wants to shorten the lesson time or take a break.  I am afraid I am going to bore her, but she is enjoying the lessons!!
We had some really good conversations today.  She showed me pictures of her friends and family.  We talked about her school work and her career plans.  She wants to study Biology, but she can't decide what she wants to be.  My roommate is confused about what to major in as well, so they talked a bunch.  Sueli is nervous about the test she will take in December that determines whether or not she is accepted into TCU as a student.

Communicating with Sueli is getting easier, but we still get confused with each other sometimes.  I still make the mistake of saying "play a B" and she plays “a” because I said play a “B”. Today she talked about her uncle, but kept saying she whenever she talked.  I guess she meant aunt.  Overall though, her English is very good.  I sometimes forget she has only been speaking English for 6 months.

There were two awkward moments today that made me feel bad.  Sueli told me she had never eaten frozen yogurt or been to a frozen yogurt place before.  When we got to Yo I told her all about how you get however much you want and then pile on the toppings.  In the middle of my directions she interrupted and said she already knew.  She sounded a little upset.  It was a weird.  I also was under the impression that she hardly ever leaves her room.  On our way back I showed her the restaurants on university and talked about how they are really popular amongst TCU students.  She looked at me strangely and said she eats at them all the time.  These situations reminded of movies I have seen where people talk really loud or down to people from other countries because they think they are not as smart.  There is also the scene where a character assumes that because someone isn’t from the U.S., they must live in poverty.   I feel bad because I don't want Sueli to think I treat her differently because she is from another country.

The semester is coming to an end which means the service learning project is almost over.  I am really enjoying the project and I plan on meeting with Sueli next semester. 

The Snows of Kilimanjaro

I enjoyed reading The Snows of Kilimanjaro even though I found it confusing and sad.  Since all of the works we have read so far parallel to Hemingway’s life, I did a little research about The Snows of Kilimanjaro.  I discovered that Hemingway had a fear of dying without finishing his work.  In the story, Harry has reoccurring dreams that reveal this same fear.  The line “but he had never written a line of that” were repeated over and over.  His dreams portray the sadness and disappointment he feels from not having the opportunity to write down all of the memories and thoughts he wanted to.  He struggles with this truth and ends up convincing himself that he would have done a poor job documenting these memories anyway, so it is probably better that he didn’t get the chance.  I found this aspect of the story depressing.  Not only does Harry not get to achieve his dreams, but he has convinced himself that he would have failed anyway.  Because of his injury, Harry is forced to sit around all day and think about his past.  I can relate to this fear and understand where Hemingway and Harry are coming from.  I want to live a meaningful life where I leave behind a significant impact on my friends and community.  It would be hard to accept the fact that my life would be cut short and I wouldn’t get to achieve all of the goals and dreams I have set.  It is also sad how rather than looking back on his life with a positive attitude, Harry only focuses on regrets.  The memories that come back to him in his dreams are all upsetting images of the war, lost love, bad choices and broken relationships. 

I had a hard time determining whether or not Harry loved his wife or not.  At first I thought he was just upset, and that is why he was calling her names and starting arguments. However, his dreams revealed how he no longer loves his wife and maybe never did.   He has been in several relationships during his life, and married Helen because of her wealth.   Harry knows how much Helen loves him and appreciates all she does.  Even though she treats Harry with respect and kindness, he cannot love her.  He looks down upon her class and is frustrated by the wealthy individuals he has been spending time with since their marriage.  I found this situation sad as well.  Helen loves her husband deeply and is upset about his death.  He however is not very emotional.  Rather than enjoying their last days together, they bicker the whole time. 

I found the ending to be confusing.  I think Harry realizes he will not live through the night, yet he dreams of the plane coming to rescue him.  His death is represented by the plane flying into the snow-covered Kilimanjaro.  The white sheet of snow represents his actual passing.

I'm sure the story contains many examples of foreshadowing and symbolism, but the appearance of animals are the ones that stood out to me.  The repeated appearance of the vultures and hyena represent Harry’s near death.  The hyenas cry always gave Helen chills and the hyena's cry is what wakes Helen up when she sees that Harry has died.