Maximo Gutierrez

Mrs. Storer
English 3 Honors American Literature
November 26, 2019

Socratic Circle Reflection on Hills Like White Elephants, Winter Dreams, and Psychoanalytic
and Marxist Perspectives

The circle discussed Hills Like White Elephants and Winter Dreams, and discussions took
place involving the analyzation of both texts in a psychoanalytic perspective for Hills Like White
Elephants and in a Marxist perspective for Winter Dreams. Questions on how and whether the
characters in Hills Like White Elephants changed by the end of the story were the topic of the first
round, while questions involving a correlation between the personality of Dexter from Winter
Dreams and the qualities of Marxism were central to the second and third rounds. My specific
group excelled at speaking in a clear and understandable way, voicing our opinions when the time
was necessary, and connected our ideas with those who came before and after us in a cohesive,
naturally-flowing way.
I presented a negative answer to the question of whether the thinking of the girl from Hills Like
White Elephants changed by the end of the story by implying that the girl still put the man’s
feelings before hers by the end and therefore didn’t change in her thinking. I also replied yes as
the question on whether a decision was made in the end or not but expanded on that nothing
substantial was accomplished by the decision and therefore it never mattered in the grand scheme
of things. I spoke loud and clearly, allowed others to speak without interruption, expanded on
other’s opinions by providing evidence for a deeper understanding, and shared new ideas that
others could expand upon. Next time I would want to find more evidence from the text in my
discussions, so I don’t have to bounce off of what other people found in the text.
The perspectives used to analyze Hills Like White Elephants and Winter Dreams serve as a
reminder of the way these perspectives are always present in the things we say and the lives we
live.
I would use two main points to support this thesis that could be split into two body paragraphs.
This includes analyzing the characteristics of psychoanalytic thinking and applying its use in Hills
Like White Elephants to how it’s used in everyday conversations; it also includes analyzing the
characteristics of Marxism and applying examples found in the characters of Winter Dreams to
aspects of people and everyday society. I could look at the context of the time period in which the
stories were written and use specific lines from each story to make connections to common
occurrences and mindsets in today’s world.
Hills Like White Elephants and Winter Dreams are pieces of literature that are able to have
connections to the modern world that are still being found today. Too often in today’s society are
there moments where people are forced to hide their feelings from other people for many reasons,
often personal. In recent years, this has led to less communication with others, including less
people involved in meaningful relationships with one another. As more and more women are
having abortions nowadays, it is important that there remains proper communication during the
time leading up to the process, so that both members of the couple are fine with going through it.
Elements of Marxism can still be found in many communist and socialist societies today, and many
communist and socialist societies of the past, including the USSR, have taken advantage of the
principle’s negative consequences. As such, it is important to understand its concepts so that more
harmful effects of it can be prevented in the future.