Wait... What?

Same format as the last… Before research and after research! This seems to be an effective way to analyze these stories for me.

Before Research:

            I have no idea what “The Sea Change” by Hemingway is talking about.  At first I thought the girl wanted to have an abortion. When she says, “No, I can’t,” and the man says, “No, you won’t,” I took that as discussing abortion.  I guess I am still thinking about our previous class.  As the story continued, I changed my mind.  I think they are talking about cheating.  I believe that the woman has been unfaithful to the man, who still loves her very much, but is trying not to.

            Whatever the case is, it was something big.  It is something that changed their relationship forever.  When the girl asks, “Don’t you really believe I love you?” the guy tells her to prove it.  We learn that this would not have happened in the past.

            At one point, the girl says, “Poor Phil,” so I assume she’s talking about the man.  I also think that Phil could be the other man she loves, so for now I’m going to just refer to the man in the story as the man.

            It is obvious that James, the barman, plays a significant role in this story, but I can’t seem to figure it out.  He does seem to be very observant when it comes to his clients in the bar.

            In the end, the girl gets her way.  She leaves the bar to go pursue whatever it is.  As she leaves, she doesn’t look back.  The man, however, watches her leave for a while before going to the bar.  To me, it seems that he loves her more than she loves him.

After Research:

            I feel like I actually understood this story a bit better.  While Hemingway stuck to his iceberg effect, I think that this story is a bit more obvious than some of the others. In an analysis I found of the story, it is said that the girl had been involved in a romantic affair.  The girl seems to deny and admit her affair, but in the end she leaves to go pursue her affair (or as I stated earlier, “whatever it is”). 

            Like I mentioned earlier, I feel like the rest of the characters in the story have some importance, but I wasn’t sure what.  In an analysis I read, they were briefly mentioned as being gay.  I’m not sure if I agree with this, but it would make sense.  If the man (Phil) was also gay, it would give the girl a reason not to love him the same way she did before.  It is possible that he is also gay because at the end of the story, he joins the men at the bar and the barman seems to know him well, ironically saying he must have had a good summer.