The Many Forms That Love Can Come In (Paper #2)

            The short stories known as Children of the Sea by Edwidge Danticat and Hills Like White Elephants by E. Hemingway are vastly different stories. However, there can be similarities drawn from the two stories as far as themes go. One common theme between the two short stories can be love in different forms. In both stories the characters show many different forms of love and support for one another and some of the decisions that they have made going through the story. This theme can even be related to some more recent ways of story telling in even more different ways.
            In the short story Children of the Sea, the male and female narrators show an obvious love for one another event though they are both in very different locations as well as in very difficult situations. The male narrator says in one of his passages that is intended for the female narrator “At times I wonder if there really is land on the other side of the sea. Maybe the sea is endless. Like my love for you.” (Danticat, 15). The male narrator is speaking about his love for the female narrator and how no matter how bad the situation for the male narrator gets he will not stop caring for and loving the female narrator as long as he can. This same point is reiterated by the female narrator towards the end of the story where she says “from here, I cannot even see the sea. Behind these mountains are more mountains and more black butterflies still and a sea that is endless like my love for you.” (Danticat, 29). The female narrator almost uses the same line as the male narrator does describing how she feels for the male narrator. The female narrator is going through some difficult situations of her own. However, she still believes that the male narrator, who has now died in a ship crash, is still out there and loves her the same as when he had originally left Haiti.
            Similarly, in the short story Hills Like White Elephants there is still an overwhelming love between the two main characters. However, it is shown in a very different way then how it is shown in the pervious story. In this story the man says “I think it’s the best thing to do. But I don’t think you should do it if you really don’t want to.” (Hemingway, 231). The man says this because he wants the woman to know that he does think that she should get the abortion but, if she does not, he will still love and support her with in either decision that she makes. Still on the subject of the abortion the girl says “And if I do it you’ll be happy and things will be like they were and you’ll love me?” (Hemingway, 231). The girl only really care that the man is happy and that all she wants is for them to be happy and be able to love each other and that is why she is considering doing the abortion to make sure that they stay happy.
             In the popular video game known as The Last of Us made by game developers Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2013, the game tells a story of a post-apocalyptic world where one of the main characters, Ellie has the cure to save humanity and she does not know that she has it. However, the cost to save the world would end up taking her life. One of the other main characters, Joel, who had been taking care of Ellie had refused to let the scientists kill her and save humanity because he did not want to live in a world without her in it. In the story Ellie goes on to say “Everyone I have cared for has either died, or left me. Everyone—fucking except for you! So don't tell me I would be safer with somebody else, because the truth is, I would just be more scared.” (Ellie). This shows how much Ellie had come to care for Joel and that she would not want to go with anyone else even if it would be the safer option for her.
            There are many different forms of love in all types of media. Love can be portrayed in multiple different ways and interpreted in many different ways for different types of people. The are a number of different ways that people show a love for one another and almost every single one of them is different in some way shape or form.

Work Cited
The Last of Us. Sony Computer Entertainment, Naughty Dog, 2013
Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants, 1927
Danticat, Edwidge. Krik? Krak! Soho Press, 2015. pp. 3-29

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