Abortion In Hemingway's 'Hills Like White Elephants'

In the story, “Hills Like White Elephants” written by Ernest Hemingway tells a dialogue story of a woman named Jig and the American man who is waiting at the train station for their ride to Madrid. Jig and the American man are having a casual conversation about the scenery that the nearby hills look like white elephants. Then, there conversation turns serious as they talk about their relationship and their future unborn child. In Ernest Hemingway’s story the character’s conversation is important because it represents the lifestyle of a carefree life of an adult, the decisions of their actions, and their unplan future.

In Hemingway’s “Hills like white elephants” there are very subtle details that are noticed only when you dissect the reading and look past the text that is written on the page. We are introduced to both the “American” and the “Girl” early on in the story. As the story progresses on you begin to notice how different each person is and how that lack of knowledge can be almost child- like in nature. The age of either person is never mentioned, although when reading the story you get a strong sense that the “American” is significantly older than his female counterpart. Her inexperience is first noticed when she begins to ask about alcoholic beverages and how they compare to the taste of licorice (Hemingway 591).

In the story “Hills like White Elephants,” written by Ernest Hemingway, describes the main theme as the difference between talking and communicating effectively with each other. The main characters, don’t listen to each other, nor do they take the time you understand how the other is feeling or going through.

Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” can be puzzling and hard to decipher. Due to this, a number of conclusions can be drawn away from the text. The dialog between characters leaves a number of questions unanswered and leaves the reader confused about the conversation as a whole. Many things are left unsaid and not explained in the story, with that being the case, the reader must take a look at the symbolism in the story. Hemingway uses the title, scenery, and drinks as symbolism to reveal the hard truth about the couple’s relationship.

My first reading of Hemmingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” left me a little confused because of the fragmented way in which it is written. After I reread it I had a better understanding of the message Hemmingway was trying to leave readers with. The issue that is being addressed in this narrative is the topic of abortion. This is never directly stated in the narrative but the reader can infer that is the operation the characters are talking about. In addition to that I also noticed that the characters are just talking to each other rather than communicating.

The dilemma latent within “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemmingway, though it is not visibly stated in the story, is the issue of an abortion. It is between the two main characters of the American and the girl in the story. In this cramped train station in Spain between Barcelona and Madrid, they start drinking and talk about the elephant in the room, the procedure and the predicament surrounding it. The American wants the girl to have the procedure done, because that way, in his mind, they could go back to their normal lifestyle of traveling around Europe and drinking. Then the problem would be solved. If the girl has the procedure they could go back to their normal life style, but something would be broken between her and the American. If the couple have “it” she knows that they will never be as happy as they once were while first traveling. The couple’s bond would never be the same, because she gave up something so large. On the other hand, if the girl goes through with having the child the American would not be happy. The American would most likely leave the girl, and then she will be all alone with the baby. Thus, leaving her feeling guilty for having the baby. At the end of the story it is not known if the girl goes

In “Hills like White Elephants” only two main characters are mentioned, the Girl and the American. Hemingway might have purposely done this because their names are not rather important as so the story itself which has a deeper meaning. He also doesn’t use “he said” or “she said”, it’s dialogue written as if it was said straight out of the character’s mouths. The characters are sitting at a bar in between two railroads, traveling to Madrid, Spain for the woman to undergo an operation. The Girl we could also refer to Jig, because the American calls her that while speaking in the story (Hemingway 351). He says to Jig, the operation shes about to go through is not much of an operation at all, and tries to calm her nerves about it. To me, possibly persuading her more to get this operation done, satisfying his wishes rather than hers. Jig keeps talking about after the fact if she does going through this operation, if they will be happy again like they

Hills like White Elephants is short story composed by Earnest Hemingway. The story happens in a train station between two destinations. A couple who are sitting waiting that will take 40 minutes to get to the place. They are drinking and discussing an operation that the young lady is going to have, the name of the operation is not specified. At first it confused me trying to comprehend why the characters were arguing about. I inferred this was the meaning of a man attempting to persuade his young partner to end with her pregnancy. The primary sign that I saw of this was in Hemingway's decision of names for his characters. General I significantly delighted in this short story. I truly enjoyed the absence of story as it permitted me to decipher

Greek philosopher Epictetus has been quoted to say, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” In “Hills Like White Elephants”, Ernest Hemingway explores the idea of the importance of communication and the detrimental effect of the lack-of. Throughout the story, the young couple seems to dance around the difficult conversation they must have before the train comes. Their lack of conversation leads to the assumed end of their relationship. Although the story is quite short, the theme is made apparent through Hemingway’s rich description of the setting and the choice to use alcohol as a motif throughout.

In Ernest Hemmingway’s “Hills like White Elephants”, Hemingway uses the symbols of the white hills, the separation depicted in the setting and the luggage, to help prove the fragile relationship between the American and the girl. The story is set in the Ebro Valley between Madrid and Barcelona at a train station. Surrounding the train station are white hills that are separated by the train tracks. On one side of the tracks the hills are barren and desolate and on the other side a river flows through rich nourished land. The reader is able to use these symbols in the surrounding setting to understand the true meaning of the character’s relationship and what the girl truly wants.

Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants” is told through the dialogue of two major characters at a train station in Spain. The hotel stamps on their suitcases suggest that they have been moving from place to place living like nomads and their conversations suggest that they have a stressful relationship. The girl harrows at the fact that their style of living consists of looking “… at things…” and trying “… new drinks” (298). The absence of mentioning one word to the American man about their relationship shows that it is not particularly serious or meaningful.

Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants” is a story about an American man and a girl having some beers outside a train station in Barcelona while waiting for the train that goes to Madrid. As the couple is drinking, the man starts to convince the girl to have an abortion only if she wants to, he said. After asking a couple of questions about the abortion, she agrees and that is only because she does not care about herself anymore. The man does not want her to do that for that reason. The girl is desperate and feels everything is lost. The man tries to comfort her by saying they can have everything but he would like her to have the abortion. The girl becomes worried and asks him to stop talking, but he kept on talking.

Ernest Hemingway was a towering figure in 20th century American literature, known mostly for his larger-than-life persona and for his simple, declarative style of writing. The latter arguably won him a Nobel Prize, and also influenced possibly an entire generation of aspiring writers who came after him. Hemingway’s short and economical style is perhaps best displayed in his earlier work, most notably in his short stories, and one of his earliest, and most famous, short stories is “Hills Like White Elephants.” The story is about two people who are simply referred to as ‘the American’ and ‘the girl,’ at a train station, waiting to catch the next express to Barcelona; they have drinks as they wait and they talk about the seemingly mundane,

The conversation between them was rough and no one was listening to the other, which is the other theme of the story, despite the fact that "Hills like White Elephants" is basically a discussion between the American man and his better half, neither of the speakers really corresponds with the other, highlighting the break between the two. Both talk, yet neither listens or comprehends the other's perspective. Frustrated and assuaging, the American man will say nearly anything to persuade his girlfriend to have the operation, which, although never specified by name, is comprehended to be an abortion. He advises her he cherishes her, for instance, and that everything between them will do a reversal to the way it used to

Ernest Hemingway’s stories are known for their ever interpreting meanings behind them, and “Hills Like White Elephants” does not trail from the rest due to the never mentioned word ‘abortion’. “Hills Like White Elephants,” written by Ernest Hemingway, takes place around World War 1 in Spain, at a train station ("Hills Like White Elephants." 4). An American man and a girl have been discussing the girl’s unspecific operation. It is apparent that the girl feels uneasy about this operation while the man continually pushes the topic. Despite the fact that Hemingway never spells out what the type of operation they are discussing, critics and readers believe the operation has something to do with an abortion. These perceptions occur because of the heavily present symbolism. Within “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway uses short and concise sentences filled with symbolism which allows the readers to interpret his writing. The common interpretations involved with this specific piece are if the girl had an abortion or if she decided to keep the baby. Although, Hemingway does not forthcomingly say if she had an abortion, the symbols, such as the white elephants, the recurring number two, and the setting, help form the idea that she did not end up having the abortion. As to the lack of detail in “Hills Like White Elephants,” critics and readers disagree on if the couple had the abortions; however with close examination of the short story and research, it remains clear that the