THE KILLERS The importance of including Hemingway in American Literature anthologies cannot be overestimated.

Hemingway's style and subject matter are archetypal of American writing. Hemingway broke new literary ground when he began publishing his short stories. Furthermore, not only was he an American writer, but he was not an ivory-tower esthete; he was a man's man. He hunted in grand style, deep-sea fished, covered both World War I and World War II for national news services, and was married as many times as Hollywood celebrities and yet he found time to write novels and stories that feature men and women facing both death and emotional crises with grit, gumption, and grand tenacity. Hemingway's heroes are characterized by their unflinching integrity. They do not compromise. They are vulnerable but are not defined by their vulnerability. Hemingway's men and women are often defiant of what society expects of them: They eat with gusto, devour adventure, and have sex simply and directly. In the beginning, Hemingway wrote about himself, and he would continue to write himself into all, or most, of his characters until his death. His first persona was Nick Adams, a young boy who accompanies a doctor to an American Indian camp and watches the doctor use a jackknife to slice into a woman's abdomen and deliver a baby boy. At that early age, Nick vows never to die. Later, he defies death and the sanitythreatening wounds that he receives in Italy during World War I. He rotely repeats, in blind faith, the knee-bending exercises for his stiff, battle-scarred knee. Instinctively, he returns to the north woods of Michigan to heal his soul of the trauma of war. Hemingway himself suffered a bad knee wound during the war and returned to hunting and fishing in Michigan's northern woods. In his more mature stories, such as "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," Hemingway creates far more complex characters and situations for his characters. "Snows" is a stylistic tour de force, a perfect dovetailing of intense, invigorating, interior-monologue flashbacks as contrasts to sections of present-time narratives, during which the main character, a writer named Harry, is slowly dying of gangrene. Symbolically, Harry is also rotting away because of the poisonous nature of his wife's money. As his life ebbs away, he realizes that his writing talent has been ebbing away for years, as surely as his life is, symbolized by the hyena and the buzzards who wait to feast on his carcass. "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" and "Hills Like White Elephants" are examples of Hemingway's most pared-down style, in which he removes himself from the role of narrator. The stories are almost wholly composed of dialogue. One must engage him or herself in the narratives and ignite his or her imagination to

understand the emotional core of each of these stories. Hemingway expects us to. Hemingway's genius as an American original was evident long before he produced his novels that are today considered masterpieces of American literature. Both critics and readers have hailed his short stories as proof that a pure, true American literature was finally possible. American literature was no longer merely watered-down British reading fare. American literature had at last come into its own. Hemingway set the standard and the writers who came after him honored his achievement. "The Killers" George The manager of a diner in Summit, Illinois. Nick Adams A young man about nineteen who tries to warn a boxer that is about to be shot by a couple of hired killers. When the boxer seems passively unconcerned about his own fate, Nick leaves town because he can't stand to think about a man who succumbs so easily to the threat of death. Sam The Black cook at the diner. Al One of the hired killers; he wears a black overcoat, silk muffler, gloves, and a derby hat. Al ties up Nick and Sam. Max The other hired killer. He too wears a too-tight black topcoat and a derby hat. According to Al, Max talks too much, revealing their plans to kill Ole Andreson. Ole Andreson A boxer who has probably double-crossed someone, and this someone has, in turn, hired Al and Max to kill Ole. Mrs. Bell The landlady who manages Hirsch's Rooming House. RAPPICCINIS DAUGHTER Complex Short Story

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on the forth of July in Salem, Massachusetts. He writes of the sentimental affection for the town of his birth - he described his feeling "to the deep and aged roots which my family has struck into the soil" (DLB 144). Hawthorne's work is unique because of the combination of these three ideas: "love of his ancestral soil, a strong sense of the richness of the American past, and that moral quality of the human heart" (DLB 145). Because he loved life and his background and where he was from and enabled him to be a better writer. Interestingly to me, Hawthorne attended college and when he graduated he moved back home with his mother (his father died when he was only four). He had started writing some in college and soon published his first work after graduation. He said this was a lonely and

difficult time for him because he earned little money, but did learn a lot. The first thing he published was Fanshawe (1828). Soon after he did, he learned that publication of his work was a mistake and he wanted all copies destroyed. He disposed of all the ones that he could get his hands on and asked his family and friends to do the same. A fire at the local bookstore destroyed all of the rest of the unsold copies. This must have been a sad time for him. To be able to actually write something and publish it and then deliberately trash all of them. On the ninth day of July in 1842, Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody. He wanted to marry her long before this time, but was not making very much money and was afraid he would not be able to support. He did slow down writing for a while and worked at a farm to try to earn some money so he could have the money that he wanted. He learned fast that manual labor left little energy for anything else (DLB 153). Edgar Allan Poe described Hawthorne as a man of "truest genius". Others said he was a "truly American literary voice". Mosses from an Old Manse" was Hawthorne's last collection in writing short stories. He would still work on small works, but this would be his last big one. Many of Hawthorne's books are science fiction fantasies. The conflict in values between the conservative tradition in science that relied on authority is illustrated in "Rappaccini's Daughter" with the conflict between Professor Baglioni and Doctor Rappaccini. Baglioni defines Hawthorne's sense of the Faustian quest when he says of his rival, "he cares infinitely more for science than for mankind...He would sacrifice human life, his own among the rest, or whatever else was dearest to him, for the sake of adding so much as a grain of mustard seed to the great heap of his accumulated knowledge" (DLB 158). Rappaccini's laboratory is the garden and the plants seem to threaten him. When he has to touch a flower he calls for his daughter, Beatrice because she is "better with them". She herself is a poisonous "plant". Anything that she breathes on will die. This is scary that a father would treat his daughter the way he did. His patients were only good for one thing he thought being a subject for an experiment. Some scholars say that "Rappaccini's Daughter" is probably the most complex of all of Hawthorne's short stories. Rappaccini is an evil man that is extremely smart, but he is also a loving and protective father. Beatrice is a person of purity and also a little evil too. Giovanni is a student at the University of Padua and his room overlooks the garden. When he sees Beatrice he immediately falls in love with her. He was so attracted to her that sometimes when he watched from the window he thought he could be dreaming. "He was struck by its expression of simplicity and sweetness; qualities that had not entered into his idea of her character, and which made him ask anew, what manner of mortal she might be" (Lauter 2242). Beatrice was so powerful that she could have anything in her reach to die in a second. For example, when she went to the flower and asked for "thy breath". The stem broke from the flower and a few drops of the moisture fell onto a lizard's head and killed him. " Beatrice observed this remarkable phenomenon, and crossed herself, sadly, but without surprise; nor did she therefore hesitate to arrange the fatal flower in her bosom" ( Lauter 2242). I do not think Beatrice enjoyed killing these innocent flowers and animals, but she had to for her father and for her to live. Giovanni witnessed this incident and he couldn't believe what he saw. he really thought he could be dreaming. He didn't look out of the window for many days afterwards either. Here he was watching this beautiful girl in the garden, and then he sees her kill 2 things that were living seconds before. He really felt betrayed (Lauter 2243). When he finally meets her, he

decides that she is nothing but a good person. Baglioni is a friend of Giovanni's parents and he is also a scientist. Beatrice poisoned Giovanni by putting fumes in his room and now he kills thing too, that he touches. Baglioni says he can give Beatrice something to cure her. "Beatrice drinks the remedy and dies, blaming her father for his interference and Giovanni for his cruelty" ( Bunge 68). Since no one knew about the "cure", Baglioni could have said that her father ended up killing her and not him. This would have made him a "better scientist". Obviously neither one of these men had compassion for human life - they were still trying to compete against one another and if it meant ending a life it did not matter to either one of them. Rappaccini's garden is both "the Eden of the present world" and a poisonous death trap.

BREAKFAST The story Breakfast throws light on the fact that the most important thing is contentment. If man has contentment, he can be happy even if he has no house, no permanent job, and no good food to eat. Once, the writer is going somewhere. On his way, he sees a young woman working outside her tent. The writer is feeling cold and hunger. He goes to the tent. He finds the woman preparing breakfast. An old man and a young man came out of the tent. They offer the writer to join them for breakfast. The writer agrees. All of them sit on the ground and enjoy a good breakfast. The old man and the young man thank God for that good breakfast. They have been eating good food only for twelve days, but they are happy. After the breakfast, the young man offers the writer a job, but the writer denies and departs saying thanks for the breakfast. At the end, the writer expresses his feelings. 1. What is the theme of the story Breakfast? The theme of the story Breakfast is that if man has contentment, he can be happy even if he has no house, no permanent job, and no good food for long. The writer relates his personal experience to prove that things do not bring happiness. It is our attitude towards life and God that ensures it. Once, the writer met a family. This family was living in a tent just like gypsies who do not have any permanent job or house. These gypsies are always on the move. They pitch up their tent where they find work. This family was just like them. This family did not have a grand house. They were poor. When they sat to eat, they used a packing box as a table. They sat on the ground to eat because they do not have any chairs, but they were happy. They did not have any complaint or anger against any person or agency because of their poverty. They were happy with the little living they had. They had been eating good food just for twelve days, but they were grateful to God. The older man said while eating, God Almighty, its good. Contentment and gratefulness to God was their wealth. After working for twelve days, they were able to get good clothes. They were happy. It was very easy for them to become happy on little favours from God. They did not need much to be happy. Therefore, the story presents the theme that we are at wrong when we think that things bring happiness. The writer has proved that money is not wealth, but contentment is. (272) 2. Elaborate the last remark in the story Breakfast. What were the reasons that it was pleasant and there was some element of beauty in it? In his last remarks, the writer has talked about the theme of the story very beautifully. He has not tried to draw the theme for the reader. He has just given the hint that there is some element of beauty in the story. The writer has narrated a very short and common event. This event does not have any thrill, surprise of suspense in it. However, something has made this event pleasant. There is some element of great beauty. A long time has passed but this element of beauty still fills his heart with pleasure

whenever he thinks of it. When we go through the story, we find that the element of great beauty was contentment of those people. Besides, they were simple, and were thankful to God on what they had. We see that the family presented by the writer lived in a tent just like gypsies. This family did not have any permanent house or job. The two men pitched up their work where they found work. They were so much poor that when they sat to eat, they used a packing box as a table. They sat on the ground to eat because they did not have any chairs, but they were happy. They had been eating food just for twelve days, but they were grateful to God. The older man said while eating, God Almighty, its good. The family did not need much to be happy. This was the element of beauty in the story, which the writer has mentioned in the last lines of the story. (261) 3. Read the story Breakfast carefully and describe the experience and feelings of the writer about the family of cotton pickers. Describe in your own words the writers chance meeting with the family of cotton pickers. The writer had an experience of meeting with the family of cotton pickers. That experience had an everlasting impact on the writer. One day, the writer was walking down a country road. He was feeling cold. He saw a grey tent at a distance. A woman was preparing breakfast nearby. The writer approached the tent. After some time two men came out of the tent. One was young while the other was old. They said good morning to the writer. The young man said Keerist when he smelt the hot bread. They offered the writer to join in the breakfast. The writer accepted the offer. They all sat down on the ground and ate to their fill. The young and the old man both were happy at their new dungarees. The old man thanked God. When the writer thanked the cotton picker for the breakfast, he waved his hand in a negative. The young man offered the writer to join in their work, but the writer told them that he had to go along. The writer expressed his feelings at the start and at the end of the story. According to the writer, this short event still brings curious warm pleasure. He indirectly refers to his pleasant feeling on the simplicity and contentment of cotton pickers. He was impressed by their thankfulness to God. (225) 4. Breakfast is a criticism on the materialistic modern age particularly on city people. Discuss. No doubt, the story Breakfast is a criticism on the materialistic modern age, particularly on city people. In this story, the writer has indirectly criticized the people who think that only things can bring happiness. The writer relates his own personal experience to prove that things do not bring happiness. It is our attitude towards god and life that ensures it. Once, the writer met a family. The family was living in a tent just like gypsies who do not have any permanent house or job. These gypsies are always on the move. They pitch up their tent where they find work. This family was just like them. They did not have a grand house. They were poor. When they sat to eat, they used a packing box as a table. They sat on the ground to eat because they did not have any chairs, but they were happy. They did not have any complaint or anger against any person or agency because of their poverty. They were happy with the little living they had. They had been eating good food just for twelve days, but they were grateful to God. The older man said while eating, God Almighty, its good. Contentment and gratefulness to God was their wealth. They were able to buy new clothes, after working for twelve days. It was very easy to them to become happy on little favours from God. They did not need much to be happy. Therefore, the story is a criticism on the materialistic modern age, particularly on city people who think that things bring happiness. (264) 5. Write a note on the atmosphere and setting of the story. The setting of a story means time, place, and social circumstances in which its action occurs. When we read the story, we find that the time of the story is present. The writer wants to promote the

idea that things do not bring happiness. Nevertheless, it is our attitude towards God and life that ensures it. The place of the action of the story is a hilly area or a village. The family of cotton pickers is living in a tent just like gypsies. They pitch up their tent where they find work. When they sit to eat, they use a packing box as a table. They sit on the ground because they do not have any chair. They have been eating good food just for twelve days. However, they were happy and have contentment and gratefulness to God. In this story, the writer presents the social circumstances of a poor family. He presents their poverty by describing the things like the tent, the rusty stove, packing box, the humble food and the cotton skirt of the woman. The action of the story takes place outside the tent where the family meets the writer. They have their breakfast there. (199)

SYMBOLISM:::::::::: No doubt, the story Breakfast is a symbolic story and it has an allegorical interpretation. In this story, the good qualities of contentment and gratefulness to God have been personified as persons. The writer has presented a family of cotton pickers. The writer has not told the names of the characters because they are type characters. They are symbol of contented and grateful village people. Firstly, they are symbol of kindness and good-heartedness. Their circumstances do not allow them to offer a stranger to join in breakfast. They are very poor and eating good food only for twelve days. They have seen and tasted good food after a long time. It is very difficult to offer someone else. However, they are not just ordinary people. They are the symbol of good qualities. The writer has presented them to prove that a person can be kind even to a stranger if he wants to. Secondly, they are the symbol of contentment. They are contented people. They are so poor that they live in a tent just like gypsies. They pitch up their tent where they find work. When they sit to eat, they use a packing box because they do not have any chair. However, they are happy and smile when they look at each other. Thirdly, they are symbol of gratefulness to God. In spite of all their poverty, they are happy and grateful to God on His favours. Their gratefulness to God is very touching and impresses the writer very much. In the present circumstances, it is very difficult to find such people. However, according to the writer, there are such people in the world. One may find them on ones way. Such people are really symbol of good qualities. AARABY

A young boy who is similar in age and temperament to those in "The Sisters" and "An Encounter" develops a crush on Mangan's sister, a girl who lives across the street. One evening she asks him if he plans to go to a bazaar (a fair organized, probably by a church, to raise money for charity) called Araby. The girl will be away on a retreat when the bazaar is held and therefore unable to attend. The boy promises that if he goes he will bring her something from Araby. The boy requests and receives permission to attend the bazaar on Saturday night. When Saturday night comes, however, his uncle returns home late, possibly having visited a pub after work. After much anguished waiting, the boy receives money for the bazaar, but by the time he arrives at Araby, it is too late. The event is shutting down for the night, and he

does not have enough money to buy something nice for Mangan's sister anyway. The boy cries in frustration. Analysis Like the two previous stories, "The Sisters" and "An Encounter," "Araby" is about a somewhat introverted boy fumbling toward adulthood with little in the way of guidance from family or community. The truants in "An Encounter" managed to play hooky from school without any major consequences; no one prevented them from journeying across town on a weekday or even asked the boys where they were going. Similarly, the young protagonist of this story leaves his house after nine o'clock at night, when "people are in bed and after their first sleep," and travels through the city in darkness with the assent of his guardians. Like the main character in "The Sisters," this boy lives not with his parents but with an aunt and uncle, the latter of whom is certainly good-natured but seems to have a drinking problem. When the man returns home, he is talking to himself and he almost knocks over the coat rack. He has forgotten about his promise to the boy, and when reminded of it twice he becomes distracted by the connection between the name of the bazaar and the title of a poem he knows. The boy's aunt is so passive that her presence proves inconsequential. Like "An Encounter," "Araby" takes the form of a quest a journey in search of something precious or even sacred. Once again, the quest is ultimately in vain. In "An Encounter," the Pigeon House was the object of the search; here, it is Araby. Note the sense of something passionately sought, against the odds: "We walked through the flaring streets, jostled by drunken men and bargaining women, amid the curses of labourers, the shrill litanies of shop-boys who stood on guard by the barrels of pigs' cheeks, the nasal chanting of streetsingers . . . . These noises converged in a single sensation of life for me: I imagined that I bore my chalice safely through a throng of foes." Although the boy ultimately reaches the bazaar, he arrives too late to buy Mangan's sister a decent gift there, and thus he may as well have stayed home: paralysis. Like the narrator of "An Encounter," this protagonist knows that "real adventures . . . must be sought abroad." And yet, having set his sights on something exotic or at least exotic sounding ("Araby" means Arabia, and the bazaar features a French-style caf), the boy cannot get there in time for his experience to be worth anything. Why? Because his uncle, who holds the money that will make the excursion possible, has been out drinking. Some critics have suggested that Mangan's sister represents Ireland itself, and that therefore the boy's quest is made on behalf of his native country. Certainly, the bazaar seems to combine elements of the Catholic Church and England (the two entities that Joyce blamed most for his country's paralysis), just as Father Flynn's death did in "The Sisters." As the church has hypnotized its adherents, Araby has "cast an Eastern enchantment" over the boy. Moreover, it is "not some Freemason [Protestant] affair." Church parishes often organized bazaars to raise money for charity. When the boy reaches the object of his quest, however, Araby (the church) is empty except for a woman and two men who speak with English accents. The woman speaks to the story's main character in a manner that is "not encouraging" and is clearly doing so "out of a sense of duty."

Thus, a mission on behalf of an idealized homeland (the boy does not actually know Mangan's sister she is more or less a fantasy to him) is thwarted in turn by the Irish themselves (the charming uncle and his propensity to drink), the church, and England. In addition to being an artist of the highest order, Joyce was also a consummate craftsman. He guides his readers through the story itself, thereby seducing them into considering his themes. First, he offers a main character who elicits sympathy because of his sensitivity and loneliness. Joyce then provides that protagonist with a specific, dramatic conflict (the need to impress Mangan's sister with a gift from Araby). Though apparently minor, this desire is compelling because it is so intensely felt by him. He cares, so the reader cares. Then the writer puts roadblocks in the way of the boy and the reader: the wait for Saturday itself, and then for the uncle's return from work. Joyce expands time, stretches it out, by piling on the trivial details that torture the boy as he waits: the ticking of the clock, the cries of the protagonist's playmates outside, the gossiping of Mrs. Mercer, the scratching of the uncle's key in the lock, and the rocking of the hallstand. Then the uncle must eat dinner and be reminded twice of Araby, after which begins the agonizingly slow journey itself, which seems to take place in slow motion, like a nightmare. When the protagonist finally arrives at the bazaar, too late, the reader wants so badly for the boy to buy something, anything, for Mangan's sister that when he says "No, thank you" to the Englishwoman who speaks to him, it is heartbreaking. "Gazing up into the darkness," the narrator says, "I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger." The eyes of Joyce's readers burn, too, as they read this. One final point: Though all are written from the first-person point-of-view, or perspective, in none of the first three stories in Dubliners is the young protagonist himself telling the story, exactly. It is instead the grown-up version of each boy who recounts "The Sisters," "An Encounter," and "Araby." This is shown by the language used and the insights included in these stories. A young boy would never have the wisdom or the vocabulary to say "I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity." The man that the boy grew into, however, is fully capable of recognizing and expressing such a sentiment. Joyce's point-ofview strategy thereby allows the reader to examine the feelings of his young protagonists while experiencing those feelings in all their immediate, overwhelming pain.

A rising tide lifts all boats This idiom, coined by John F Kennedy, describes the idea that when an economy is performing well, all people will benefit from it. A shallow brook babbles the loudest People who are loud and talk a lot usually have nothing of substance to say. This contrasts with "Still waters run deep." Other versions are "Shallow brooks babble loudest" and "Shallow brooks are noisy." Across the pond (UK) This idiom means on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, used to refer to the US or the UK depending on the speaker's location. As cold as stone If something is as cold as stone, it is very cold. If a person is as cold as stone, they are unemotional. At sea If things are at sea, or all at sea, they are disorganized and chaotic. Beat the daylights out of someone If someone beats the daylights out of another person, they hit them repeatedly. ('Knock' can also be used and it can be made even stronger by saying 'the living daylights'.) Between a rock and a hard place If you are caught between a rock and a hard place, you are in a position where you have to choose between unpleasant alternatives, and your choice might cause you problems; you will not be able to satisfy everyone. Break the ice When you break the ice, you get over any initial embarrassment or shyness when you meet someone for the first time and start conversing. Clear as mud If something is as clear as mud, then it is very confusing and unclear. Cliffhanger If something like a sports match or an election is a cliffhanger, then the result is so close that it cannot be predicted and will only be known at the very end. Cuts no ice If something cuts no ice, it doesn't have any effect or influence. Dead air When there is a period of total silence, there is dead air. Down-to-earth Someone who's down-to-earth is practical and realistic. It can also be used for things like ideas. Drop in the ocean A drop in the ocean implies that something will have little effect because it is small and mostly insignificant. Four corners of the earth If something goes to, or comes from, the four corners of the earth, it goes or comes absolutely everywhere. Full of hot air Someone who is full of hot air talks a lot of rubbish. Grass may be greener on the other side but it's just as hard to mow 'The grass may be greener on the other side but it's just as hard to mow' is an expression used to mean a person's desire to have that which another person has in the belief it will make their life easieris false as all situations come with their own set of problems. Head for the hills If people head for the hills, they run away from trouble. Hung the moon If you refer to someone as having hung the moon, you think they are extremely wonderful, or amazing, or good. In broad daylight If a crime or problem happens in broad daylight, it happens during the day and should have been seen and stopped.

It's an ill wind that blows no good This is said when things have gone wrong; the idea being that when bad things happen, there can also be some positive results. Lay of the land The lay of the land is the way something is organised, runs, is arranged, etc. ('The lie of the land' is also used.) Light a fire under If you light a fire under somebody, you strongly motivate them to work faster. Make a mountain out of a molehill If somebody makes a mountain out of a molehill, they exaggerate the importance or seriousness of a problem. Make waves If someone makes waves, they cause a lot of trouble. Many moons ago A very long time ago. Moral high ground If people have/take/claim/seize, etc, the moral high ground, they claim that their arguments, beliefs, etc, are morally superior to those being put forward by other people. Mountain to climb If you have a mountain to climb, you have to work hard or make a lot of progress to achieve something. Move mountains If you would move mountains to do something, you would make any effort to achieve your aim. When people say that faith can move mountains, they mean that it can achieve a lot. Mud in the fire The things that cannot be changed in the past that we usually forget about are mud in the fire. Nature abhors a vacuum This idiom is used to express the idea that empty or unfilled spaces are unnatural as they go against the laws of nature and physics. No smoke without fire This idiom means that when people suspect something, there is normally a good reason for the suspicion, even if there is no concrete evidence. ('Where's there's smoke, there's fire' is also used.) Not the only pebble on the beach If something is not the only pebble on the beach, there are other possibilities or alternatives. Old flames die hard It's very difficult to forget old things, especially the first love. Older than dirt Something or someone's that's older than the dirt is extremely old. Older than dirt Something or someone that's older than dirt is very old indeed. Older than the hills Something or someone's that's older than the hills is extremely old. On ice If plans are put on ice, they are delayed and no action will be taken for the foreseeable future. Place in the sun If you have your place in the sun, you find wealth, happiness or whatever you are looking for in life. Pull out of the fire (USA) If you pull something out of the fire, you save or rescue it. Ride with the tide If you ride with the tide, you accept the majority decision. Run into the sand If something runs into the sand, it fails to achieve a result. Scare the daylights out of someone If you scare the daylights out of someone, you terrify them. (This can be made even stronger by saying 'the living daylights'.)

Scattered to the four winds If something's scattered to the four winds, it goes out in all directions. Sea change An expression that connotes big change; a significant change in comparison to a minor, trivial or insignificant change. Sell down the river If you sell someone down the river, you betray their trust. Shed light If you shed light on something, you make it clearer and easier to understand. Shifting sands If the sands are shifting, circumstances are changing. Skate on thin ice If someone is skating on thin ice, they are taking a big risk. Sky is the limit When people say that the sky is the limit, they think that there are no limits to the possibilities something could have.