The short story \u201cThe Good Lion\u201d by Ernest Hemingway and the story \u201cWhere the Wild Things Are\u201d by Maurice Sendak use the notion behind the word wild to convey images of uncivilized behavior, wilderness, and savagery. Comparing the two writings showcase the versatility of \u201cwild\u201d and \u201cwilderness\u201d but also the similarities behind the different definitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hemingway brings forth the idea of Western superiority in his characterization of the good lion and the \u201cbad\u201d lions. There are sinister motives behind these depictions as the bad lions from Africa are shown as uncivilized, ill-mannered, and unclean. One example of the distinction made between the good lion and the bad lions is in the way their languages are described and perceived. Hemingway writes, \u201c\u2018Adios,\u2019 he said, for he spoke beautiful Spanish, being a lion of culture. \u2018Au revoir,\u2019 he called to them in his exemplary French. They all roared and growled in African lion dialect.\u201d By describing Spanish as beautiful and French as exemplary, there is already an elevated perspective on these European languages. However, the language of the bad lions is described as being roared and growled and referred to as an African lion dialect. There is a clear bias here to show which languages and backgrounds are seen as proper and more desired. This comparison showcases the belief of certain ethnicities being more superior than others and seeing certain cultures as lesser than. In the case of this story, African cultures are being described as savage and uncivilized whereas European and westernized culture is being conveyed as proper and civilized. This is a very harmful narrative and does not provide an accurate representation. Furthermore, it perpetuates ethnocentrism and stereotypical beliefs that are often wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In \u201cWhere the Wild Things Are,\u201d Sendek uses wild to describe an unrestrained child with an active imagination who brings life to beings that are unworldly. The first instance of the word wild in the story is when the protagonist, Max, is referred to as a \u201cwild child\u201d by his mother. This introduces the idea of wild unrestrained by the bounds of certain expectations, in this case, discipline. As the story continues, wild is used to refer to the wild creatures in the story who are characterized as frightening as \u201cthey roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.\u201d The repetition of the word terrible reinforces this idea of wildness being synonymous with savagery and untamed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The short story \u201cThe Good Lion\u201d by Ernest Hemingway and the story \u201cWhere the Wild Things Are\u201d by Maurice Sendak use the notion behind the word wild to convey images of uncivilized behavior, wilderness, and savagery. Comparing the two writings … Continue reading