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DeepakSela
Prof.Jelley
Hum102004
23February2012
TypesofMythology:FromSociallyAcceptedTraditionstoModernFolklore
WhenwehearthewordMythology,weusuallyassumeofGreekGodsandtheir
mightyadventureswithmortals.Itiswidelythoughtofbymanyasepictaleswithdungeonsand
dragons;however,thatonlygrazesthesurface,itcanalsobeusedinmanydifferentways.Itis
usedinmanytextstopresentmotifsandsymbolismsothereadercanbetterunderstandwhatthe
authoristryingtosay.ChinuaAchebesUncleBensChoiceandErnestHemingwaysHills
likeWhiteElephantssharethecommonbackgroundofmythology,whichisanythingthatcan
bearchetypal,byusingbothfolkloreandtraditionstoexpressthelivesofthecharactersinthe
story.
UncleBensChoicebyAchebeisbasicallyaflashbackfromhispastwhentheBritish
colonizedNigeria.ThestoryportraysAchebeasayoungmanwhowasvisitedbytheMami
Wota,aspiritoftheRiverNiger;ifsheseducedyou,alltherichesinthelandwillbeyoursbut
happinesswillbeoutofyourgraspyouwillremainsinglefortherestofyourlife.Achebeuses
themythtofortifyatruesonofourland(Achebe4),meaningarealNigerianmanwould
choosehappinessoverwealth,becausetheenticementoftheBritishmodernismcouldhave
hinderedhisjudgment.HealsoexplainswhathappenswhentheMamiWotaissuccessfulinits
pursuit;thewhiteman,Dr.J.MStuartYoung,becametherichestinthecountrybuthewaswife
lessandwhenhedied,allofhiswealthwenttooutsiders.Thesignificanceofthemythis

particulartotheIgboculturewhichplacesimportanceonfamilyoverwealthwhiletheBritish
viewthesysteminreverse.

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Hemingwaysstory,HillslikeWhiteElephants,isaboutacoupleinabaratthetrain
stopontheirwaytoMadrid,Spain.Thecouplehasaconversationthatleadstothewoman,Jig,
gettingangryasthemancontinuouslyattemptstobringtheunknowntopicback.Hemingway
cleverlyhidesthetopicofabortionwithinthecouplesvagueconversationandusesseveral
motifsfromnatureasemphasis.Hehidesabortionbecauseitishighlyfrowneduponbythe
CatholicsasitistheunrulykillingofaninfantSpainisanentirelydevoutCatholiccountry,
andintheearly20thcenturysuchwordswereasin.Thesignificanceofthetitle,Hillslike
WhiteElephants,referstoapregnantwomanwithswollenbreasts.Sincethestoryendswitha
cliffhangerbeforethetrainarrives;themessagetothereaderisyouneedtothinkaboutthe
futurebeforeforcingyourideasonsomeone.
UncleBensChoiceisafolklorestoryinwhichAchebebringstheMamiWotatolife
byusingthesurroundingswhileHillslikeWhiteElephantsisacultural/traditionalstory.Yes,
overlookingtheRiverNiger.Thatiswheremyhousewas.(Achebe5)Hemingwaysworkis
muchmorecomplicatedastherearetwocharactersandthetopicisneverreallystatedinthetext.
Heusesthesurroundingstoamplifytheconversationbetweenthemanandthewoman.Across,
ontheotherside,werefieldsofgrainandtreesalongthebanksoftheErbo.Faraway,beyond
theriver,weremountains.Theshadowofacloudmovedacrossthefieldofgrainandshesaw
theriverthroughthetrees.(Hemingway125)Thefreshflowingriverinaforestoftrees
representsthepregnantwomanbecauseababysymbolizeslife.Theysatdownatthetableand
thegirllookedacrossatthehillsonthedrysideofthevalley(Hemingway126)Thebarren

deadlanddescribesthemanbecausehewantsJigtohaveanabortion,killingthebaby.Both
storiesusethesettingasabasisforexplainingtheirrespectivemyths.

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Comparatively,ChinuaAchebesUncleBensChoiceandErnestHemingwaysHills
likeWhiteElephantssimilarlyusemythstoexpressthelivesofthecharactersinthestory.Both
authorsusesymbolsandmotifsinthestorytocharacterizeandpersonifymyths;theuseofthe
settingsurroundingsisanimmensepartofthestoryasitdescribeshoweachcharactercame
about.Theyusedgeneralmythsthatareknownbyeveryoneandtransformedthem,creatinga
themefortheirstory.

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WorksCited
Achebe,Chinua."UncleBen'sChoice."1966.TheSeagullReaderStories.Ed.JosephKelly.

NewYork,London:W.W.Norton&Company,Inc,2001.37.Print.
Delahoyde,andHughes.MythologyandGods.MythologyIntroduction.WashingtonState
University,1999.Web.23Feb.2012.<http://public.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/myth.defs.html>.
Hemingway,Ernest.HillslikeWhiteElephants.1927.TheSeagullReadersStories.Ed.
JosephKelly.NewYork,London:W.W.Norton&Company,Inc,2001.122127.Print.
Saunders,Rev.ChurchHasAlwaysCondemnedAbortion.Editorial.Abortion:TheCatholic
ChurchandAbortion::CatholicNewsAgency(CNA).CNA,n.d.Web.23Fed.2012.
<http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource.php?n=398>.

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Outline
Intro
Uncle Bens Choice Chinua Achebe
Summary of Achebes flashback (setting)
Mami Wota (historical background)
Hills like White Elephants Ernest Hemingway
Summary of Man and Womans concealed conversation (setting)
Abortion (historical background)
Comparison of Myth between stories
Mami Wota is a folklore that is told in Nigerian Culture
Abortion is highly scorned at by Roman Catholics
Conclusion