R&S : Your interpretation on this (incredibly) short story...?

In the 1920s, Ernest Hemingway bet his colleagues $10 that he could write a complete story in just six words. He won the bet by producing the following :





"For sale: Baby shoes, Never worn."





How many interpretations of this story do you discern?

R%26amp;S : Your interpretation on this (incredibly) short story...?
Makes me sad that maybe someone lost their baby
Reply:Oh, you could interpret this story a million ways.


Maybe they are baby girl shoes, and the couple had a boy...or vice versa.


Maybe Gramma bought the baby a cuter pair of shoes, and these shoes never got worn.


Maybe the kid was one of those who really didn't like shoes, and the parents never forced them on his little feet.


Maybe they were bought for a newly married couple who never had a child.


Or there could be some very sad interpretations.


Maybe they were bought for a woman who died before she could give birth, or maybe they were bought for a baby who died before it could wear them...


I could probably think of several more....
Reply:awe


thats sad :o(





someone lost a baby





amazing though , he can create so much emotion with something so short though huh
Reply:Maybe someone stole them from a store and needed the cash.





Maybe someone's baby was born without feet.





Maybe someone gave them to a pregnant hippie woman that didn't believe in footwear.





Maybe they had too many pairs of them.





Maybe one of the other answers.
Reply:Just one, but perhaps because...well...it's personal.





Anyway, my interpretation is that it's a couple who couldn't have children, so they figured they ought to sell the shoes to someone who could use them.
Reply:As the mother of a child who refused to wear shoes until she was well over one year old, I would interpret it as a story about frustrated people who wanted to get something out of those darn useless baby shoes. But this is Hemingway, so I'm sure he meant it in the tragic way.


This is the story of a very poor family who has suffered many losses. Now they've suffered their most tragic loss - the loss of a baby. And if you don't buy those shoes (they probably poured their life savings into buying them and all their hopes are represented by them), they probably won't have any money to buy food for dinner tonight which will result in another tragedy. Just thinking about it should make you cry.
Reply:oh hai, that's a dumb story
Reply:Having seen this "story," I think Ernest's definition of a short story was a little skewed despite his mastery of them.





That looks like a William Carlos Williams poem or an idea for a short story.





So, as an English major who is currently too tired to think, I refuse to interpret this story on the basis that Hemingway was a loon.
Reply:1. someone is selling a pair of shoes that are not fully grown, nor have they been worn.


2. someone is selling a pair of shoes designed for some type of baby and they have not been worn.
Reply:I discern a sad story of either loss or unfulfilled expectations.








edit:


I like Lord Vader's interpretation--much happier. Chubby babies are healthy babies.
Reply:for me, all of the interpretations are sad ones.


hmm.
Reply:I read it to my mom





she awed





I read it to myself





I laughed
Reply:OMG ~ that story broke my heart.


It can be anyone's story who lost a baby for any reason.





**edit**


And looking at the answers above me, after having answered myself, it's nice to see that there are other options. It just really hit me as a tragedy, tho.
Reply:rebel it means the baby came out real fat


too fat for those shoes
Reply:They were bought for the second baby.





Anyone who has kids knows how usless shoes are to a baby. A new parent will put them on the baby for a week, then get annoyed at having to put them back on every 5 min. Any shoes bought for the second baby never get taken out of the package.
Reply:"How many interpretations of this story do you discern?"





Well let's see...





As everyone already said, the baby died. or..





They bought pink shoes and had a boy, or vice versa.





Shoes are too small.





Baby born with club feet.
Reply:Hemingway was an atheist, ergo he ate the baby before it had the opportunity to wear shoes.



Shoes Agents