Essay On Symbolism In Hills Like White Elephants

The American Man clearly expresses his thought about the situation as he tries to convince Jig that after the abortion everything will be the way it once was. This is conveyed in the conversation between the American Man and Jig when the American Man says, “That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy.” Jig replied, “And you think then we’ll be all right and be happy” (Hemingway 275). The American Man believed that after the abortion, they would be once again happy as the pregnancy was making them unhappy and resulted in them arguing with each other. Jig being naïve, just wanted them to be happy like they once were and she questioned whether they really would be happy after going throw with such a big step. The American Man was desperate in convincing Jig as he says, “We can have everything… We can have the whole world… We can go everywhere… It’s ours” (Hemingway 276). The American Man was trying to assure and was promising Jig that he would give her everything that her heart desired from the world. He was

The American and Jig had no plans of settling down which indicates they were both not planning a future. “He did not say anything but looked at the bags against the wall of the station…were labels from all the hotels where they had spent nights” meaning that the baggage they have

That is, until she realizes the one thing she desires most in the world is something he can give her…and she propositions him to impregnate her.

A symbol is anything that stands for, or represents, something else. Many everyday objects we see symbolize or stand for something deeper; our wedding rings represent love and commitment, teams like the Sharks or Giants are named after animals and mythical creatures that symbolize strength, power, and stability. Similarly, in literature, symbols are used to give an object, character, or situation a deeper and more significant meaning. In literature, symbols can be ambiguous and difficult to understand because the same symbol can have different meanings; therefore, it is very important to know when and where to use symbolism in a story. For example, the color red can mean love, anger or danger depending on the context of the text.

Jig was younger than the American who also seemed to be wealthy. That being said, Jig was not ready to endure the pain that comes with the different economic status of abortions even though the American man referred to the operation as “just a simple operation”. He made the operation seem so simple so he could potentially get what he wanted out of the relationship, even though in Spain, abortion was still considered illegal. The American man does not want to be tied down with this baby, he wants Jig and only Jig. If she has the baby that is taking away from him only wanting her.

The train slows and stops, and we are introduced to Sean Thornton, the main character, as he exits onto the platform; this also serves as a use of the doorway icon, as Sean passes from the safety of the train through the passenger-car's door into the unknown world he has entered. The train conductor and station-master then advise him which way to get to Innisfree, but they give conflicting information; this is Ford's dramatic rhythm at work. The conductor asserts several facts about the location of Innisfree, and is contradicted by the other men from the town, and finally the next shot provides an assertion with strong comedic value: we see Sean's bags picked up and carried away by another major character, Michaeleen Og Flynn, who tells Sean that Innisfree is "this way." This is also symbolic of Sean's introduction into the community, guided by established member Michaeleen. The last shot of the scene shows the train leaving the station over a bridge, as Sean and Michaeleen ride into the countryside in a horse-drawn carriage, under the bridge, which functions also as a gateway icon, between the past of America for Sean, and his future in the Irish country.

Throughout the story, the American pressures Jig to have an abortion. He makes it seems as if it will become a huge

Jig also knows that the American man does want her to keep it, and that if she does not the couple will most likely break up. David Wyche says “Jig is both “well aware that the intrusion of a child will send the man packing” and certain that “their relationship will be radically altered, perhaps destroyed, if she goes through with the abortion verifying that the American indeed wants Jig to go through with her pregnancy. I also thought that

This story is about a verbal duel between an American man and a girl named Jig, over whether the girl will have an abortion or not. Jig is not willing to have the operation. She suspects that having the operation will not make things as they were before, and wants the man to agree on having a family. However, she also understands that her pregnancy has significantly changed the relationship. The American man on the other hand, is convincing jig to have the operation, giving lip service to the fact that the procedure is perfectly natural and he’ll still love her whether it has done or not.

There are two different paths Jig can take, and she must decide soon because the train to Madrid, where the abortion would take place, is coming in five minutes. Although she does not want an abortion, the American man pressures her to do so, and she is evidently dependent on him. She cannot speak Spanish or decide what to drink on her own, let alone determine whether to keep her unborn child. Jig must decide whether to “have the abortion to satisfy the man and stay with him...or face the future on her own” (Hashmi

Smiley suggests that even though the American’s language is very powerful over Jig, his language is limiting. Smiley states that “feminine language tends to be relationship-oriented while masculine is goal-oriented” (3). In Hills like White Elephants, when Jig and the American eventually start to talk about the pregnancy, they both don't agree with what should happen. The American tries to encourage to Jig to get the abortion, while Jig seems undecided. The American uses phrases like “simple operation” and “just to let the air in” (790) to explain that an abortion is the right choice and also to try to calm Jig.

The station is placed “between two lines of rails”  purposely to show her position at the station that places her in-between both hills- forcing her to choose a side. The train station is a focal point between the present and the future time that they have to make their decision before getting on the train. Usually when found in stories, places such as train stations, bus stations, and airports give stories a sense of transition or being in-between experiences. Since the express wasn’t coming for another 40 minutes, the topic of the abortion is brought up. It’s as if the time that they are waiting for the express from Barcelona is the amount of time that the couple has to make their decision. The couple sits at a table in the shade, outside the building while they wait for the express from Barcelona. A bamboo-beaded curtain hangs in the doorway of the bar. Bamboo is hollow, so when you look at it from a certain angle, it is a ring.  This represents the womb as empty if they decide to go through with the abortion.  If there is a string that runs through the bamboo, it makes it seem like the space is filled, much like a pregnant belly would be. On the American and the girl’s luggage, there were “labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights”. The luggage can be seen as an outline of their journey that has brought them to

The American simply explains how the operation is very simple. Jig knows that the operation is not that simple the way he is making it seem. The American doesn’t understand the process a woman has to go through to receive an abortion. Jig is looking at it as a big risk for and what could possibly go wrong. The American is looking at the operation as he knows a lot of women that have gotten the operation. When the American said “I’ve known lots of people that have done it” (476). He could be addressing that he has been in this situation before with other women and their operation went fine. The American is expressing to Jig how he gotten himself out of having a child. He seen other women abortions that went well, so nothing bad is going to

Jig became impregnated by the American, most likely on the trips they had been taking together, at one of the many hotels they had been staying at. Whether it was intentional on anyone’s part, or whether it happened completely by accident is never once mentioned in the story. But from what we can understand, the American wanted absolutely nothing to do with their baby. He believed they would be much happier without the baby and because of this, he was constantly pressuring Jig in an exhausting pursuit to get Jig to agree to kill the baby.Though the author decided to keep the name of the procedure out of the story, the details are sufficient to know that it was indeed an abortion that the American wanted. He even described it as a procedure

It is up to the family if they are willing to give up a child or the mother it is a life or death situation. An author states that “We made the difficult decision to let her go as peacefully as we could rather than watching her suffer through immeasurable pain before dying”(Hupprich,2016). She explains how it was hard to let go of the one thing she wanted most but you can't let the baby suffer though the conditions it was in.She had the right to choose, but she