Snipers, Returns, and White Elephants

    I chose to read "Hills Like White Elephants", "The Sniper", and "The Return" as my choice short stories. I really enjoyed all three of them and was surprisingly able to follow the plot of each one. Hills Like White Elephants was probably the most confusing out of the three, and there were not too many elements that could be explained through a literary analysis.

 

    If I was to write my paper on "The Sniper", I would most likely focus on setting. Both physical and  temporal setting were key factors in telling the story. Psychological setting also came into play at the end of the story. I would most likely base my analysis on the way the author created an atmosphere in the story that would lead to the extremely unfortunate events that occurred. The fact that the snipers job had become so routine and so mandatory that he would continue to struggle with killing his enemy even when he was horribly wounded himself could lead to a good thesis and theme. I'm not entirely sure what I would do with the paper but those are some ideas. 

   As for "The Return", the story seemed to deal more with characterization and point of view in my opinion. The man returning from the detention camp is so excited and ready to greet his family and wife back in his village. Somehow the point of view and I guess the setting as well creates a dull, sad, and unfortunate atmosphere that sends the reader a message. The narrator foreshadows a depressing ending to the story throughout the entire return journey of the man. The fact that all the characters think he was dead also led me to believe that good things could not be in store for him. This would be my main focus  in a literary analysis if I were to do it on "The Return".