So, in these two stories we see two different
relationships. Let’s start with "The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife”. Here we
finally meet Nick’s mother. The young boy appears only in the end of the story.
The main characters here are Nick’s father and mother. I can’t say that their
marriage is happy. Probably they love each other. I suppose, they are tired of
each other and their relationships. Misunderstanding prevails in their
marriage. Nick’s father is a realist, a doctor. He prefers to see real life. On
the other hand, his wife is religious. She realizes the world rosily. The wife
avoids any sighs of evil in the world.
Nick understands what’s happening in the relationships
of his parents. He instinctively strains after his father. The young boy wants
to learn real life. Yes, sometimes it is cruel, but still. So, Nick realizes
that his mother can’t help him to understand the reality of life. But his
father, the doctor, doesn’t need to show his son the real world. The doctor
just explains to Nick some things, answer his questions.
In "Ten Indians” we see Nick’s "relationships” with
the young Indian girl. Nick comes home in the evening, and again there is a
moment when the boy learns something new about this world. And this moment is
in a conversation between Nick and his father. The doctor tells Nick that he
has seen the Indian girl with another boy. Nick’s heart is broken now. He
cries. I can’t say whether Nick loves this girl or not, but she is dear to him.
What does he learn? Betrayal. But, maybe the Indian girl has promised Nick
nothing… Or Nick hasn’t interpreted her words and actions in a proper way…
Nevertheless, now the boy feels pain and dudgeon.
Now we see the relationships between Nick’s parents
and the relationships between Nick and the Indian girl. Nick experiences one of
the possible beginnings of the relationships. His father and mother are in the
middle or in the second part of their marriage. For Nick everything can be
changed. He is young. But the doctor and his wife… They can’t ruin their relationships
at once; they must cope with the misunderstanding.
(by Seagull)
Having read three more stories I can say it for sure now that Hemingway
is not the author whose works interest me. On the contrary, it’s very difficult
for me to read them as it’s always difficult to do the thing you don’t like.
As for the essence of the stories… I’m not going to compare them as I
see nothing to be compared. I’ll speak about each of them and begin with "The
doctor and the Doctor’s wife”. The only episode that I consider worth
discussing is the last page, the final scene. I mean the idea of Nick
"choosing” his father. Maybe, the idea is the following: the Doctor and his
wife hardly understand each other. She goes in for Christian Science and
doesn’t admit that Evil exists. She is kinda weak. And he is brave and very
realistic. I believe, when Nick has to choose between his parents, he goes with
his father because he’s a boy. He understands that he will have to show his
bravery some day.
"Ten Indians" show us the drama of Nick’s feelings and emotions. But I’m
not going to speak about it because it’s vividly seen. The idea I want to
discuss is the title of the story. Why ten?! As we remember, there were nine
drunken men on the road. So, ten is nine plus one, plus the girl Nick is (or
was) in love with. But why?! Maybe, the author wanted to make a contrast
between men and women again? Nine "rotten” characters and one not-so-bad? Or,
maybe, TEN Indians because she isn’t better than they. She’s also somewhat
unworthy. I really wonder, why the title is "ten indians”…
(by Asya)
There are many events in these two stories which are
very important. But I would like to concentrate the whole attention on one
scene when the doctor comes home very angry. He quarreled with one man Dick
Boulton because he didn’t want to help the doctor, so he didn’t want to work
for the debts. Here the author shows us the emotional state of the doctor very
good. He is furious, angry, and I guess he behaves so not only because of money
but also because this Indian man doesn’t want to respect and listen to him. And
even his wife can’t stop the doctor. He just takes the gun and goes somewhere.
This is quite natural for many writers to show only good relationships and
friendship; but Hemingway describes this charged atmosphere, and I must admit
he does it very successfully.
The relationships between the characters are quite
difficult and complicated. We almost don’t feel the appearance of the mother.
The author shows us the relationships between Nick and his father. So perhaps
he just tries to say that boys should be brought by their fathers. And here
Nick’s father is shown as a protector of his son, on the one hand, but on the
other hand, only the father can show a real life to his son. But still we can’t
understand whether Nick is very happy because of this or not. There is not an
open conflict between the father and the mother. We just can see this inner
tension. The boy understands and feels these emotions. And maybe this makes him
such a closed person who just observes life.
(by Luck)
Hemingway’s
stories are very peculiar in the sense that they create a unique atmosphere,
and more than that, they have one more outstanding feature. The author doesn’t
even intend to give the readers any descriptions of his characters, of their
dreams and strivings. He is keen on showing people through their actions and utterances.
The Doctor
and the Doctor’s Wife seems to be one of the most multifaceted stories by
Hemingway. We are given both a brief sketch of Adams’
family and a deep observation of the nature of each character. Nick’s father
turns out to be weak-hearted and craven. He can’t gain his point in an argument;
he easily winds up and is unable to regulate his conduct. He also appears to
have nothing in common with his wife whose temper is just the opposite of her
husband’s one. She is a sort of wise woman who willingly and amply supports her
views with quotations from the Bible. But she lacks that candid empathy which
we usually find in committed Christians. This is the atmosphere little Nick
lives in. It is not possible to say that he’s suffering a great deal or he’s
having hard time, we even have no right to claim that he faces a lot of
misunderstanding – nothing like that, he is very close to his father and his
parents obviously care much about him. But there is always something that is
called ‘the fly in the ointment'. Their relationships are apparently somewhat
strained and it influences Nick to some extent.
The plot of
Ten Indians is clearer for me and its positive mood makes the reader feel less strung-up.
The story gives an opportunity to look back at your own childhood, to recollect
those first bitter moments of the first disappointments in life (which are,
according to the proverb, very sweet to remember now). As for the strange title,
many critics tend to explain it like the following. The nine drunken Indians,
lying along the road, symbolize a kind of treachery as they are celebrating The
Fourth of July, the holiday of those people who made their life so humiliating.
The tenth Indian is Nick’s beloved, a light-minded and flighty girl who "stabs
Nick in the back”. Thus, this is just one more demonstration how diverse and
many-sided Hemingway’s oeuvre is.
(by MissJane)
"The Doctor
and the Doctors Wife” tells us about not only an important character named Nick
Adams but also about his parents. As my point of view this story is based on
the authors’ own father who was in Hemingway’s mind. We can see all
relationships between Nick and his parents. We can see Doctors wife as an
obstinate, reserved woman and we are not surprised to learn that Nick prefers
his father’s company.
The story
"Ten Indians” is written from the two point of view. We can see how Nick
preserves all things which surround him and we can see the author’s point of
view. He fells and understand everything as Nick Adams. This story provides
really interesting information about Indians and it suggests that the story
will be about them rather than about Nick. And the moment where Joe had stopped
the wagon? Jumped off and pulled an Indian have a symbolical meaning. This
moment shows us one of the characteristic moments of American life of that
time. Another theme in this story is a theme of love. This story centers around
a young Indian girl named Prudie. Nick is in love with Prudie, even though he
tries to deny it with his friends. But the author tries to express Nick’s love
through the eyes.
(by Tanya)
The
Doctor and the Doctor's wife.
The
Doctor and his wife... But are the relationships between these two
people really shown in the story? Their dialog is just some lines in
the five-page story. This dialog and the scene in the woods are in
the focus of the story, being the most important in revealing the
author's idea, and all the narration seems to be just a mounting.
The relationships between the characters are not easy to comprehend.
There is certain stiffness between the parents – their
relationships are quite chilly. When the Doctor's wife asks him
questions, his replies are very short and even sharp – as if he
just tries to get rid ofthis
"interrogation”. The author gives us a hint – the Doctor's
reluctance to talk shows his real attitude towards his wife.
Another scene – the one in the woods – shows the reader that the relationships between little Nick and his mother
are also difficult to understand. Even being aware that she's
waiting for him, the boy goes shooting squirrels with his dad. He
does not ignore her. He just prefers his father with his gun and
with the prospect of hunting. He prefers action to inertia, he wants
to choose and not to obey. That is what makes Nick and his father
close, what unites them and what moves them away from the mother.
Recalcitrance against submission. That is the main reason for the
complication of the relationships.
Ten
Indians.
Little
boy Nich is the main character of the story which shows the reader
not only social problems (the idea of ten Indians – nine drunk men
and one girl – symbolizes the degradation of people's nature), but
also personal ones. The author gives the reader one more chance to
understand Nick's real self. This little boy hasn't faced serious
problems yet, but he behaves as if he knows a lot about this life.
His reaction and emotions aren't shown in the story and we can only
guess what he really feels. His remarks are very short but they
explain a lot – he's quite determined and he really knows what he
wants. He says that his heart is broken, but everything is OK the
next morning – he's got certain ability to regenerate. A small
boy with great desire to live and even to fight is it is necessary.