Hills Like White Elephant Conversation

The text “Letting the air into a relationship: Metaphorical Abortion in ‘Hills Like White Elephants” by Wyche David aims at analyzing and synthesizing the short story by Hemingway “Hills like White”. The analysis would provide new knowledge to readers of the short story or provide the readers with a new point of view of analyzing it. The subject of the text is to present his ideas on the short story and well as critique other critics who had previously critiqued it. The story illustrates broken relationships of Hemingway and the pain it caused him, which led him to write the short story. The whole text is therefore an analysis and synthesis of the short story written by Hemingway.

The style of writing forgoes in-depth characters and background knowledge. However, Jig shows more emotional connections than the unnamed man in the story. Therefore compelling me to sympathize more with Jig, over the man. Evidence shows that Jig may wish to keep the baby she is carrying and is only going through with the mentioned abortion in order to please the man, shown in the exert “‘That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy.’… ‘So have I,’ said the girl. ‘And afterwards they were all so happy.’” along with “‘I know. But if I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and you’ll like it?’”. Jig also displays a subtle defiance to the man, which proves that there may be more problems than the story depicts. For example “‘I’ve never seen one,’ the man drank his beer. ‘No, you wouldn’t have.’” My sympathy with Jig is strongly cemented by the sentence “‘I feel fine,’ she said. ‘There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.’” where Jig closes the story with a more sarcastic response to being well, making me believe that the girl has hit a limit to her willingness to please the

When comparing two works of literature it is always best to have a firm understanding of how each author expresses their thoughts and emotions through the stories they tell. In comparing Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and David Foster Wallace’s “Good People” you get a different sense as to how each author conveys their thoughts of the very difficult and often taboo topic of abortion. Both stories are different in plot, conclusion, and construction, although they share common artistic similarities, including the large use of physical surroundings and metaphors. When comparing and contrasting stories of similar writings it is important to pick up on the subtle literary ways an author is able to convey their thoughts.

Every time the man or the woman try to change the subject and avoid talking about the abortion, they end up saying something that refers to or alludes to the baby or the abortion. The woman suggests that the hills look like white elephants (324), which the man fails to acknowledge. The lack of clear communication between the two causes tension and arguments at every turn. When the woman agrees sarcastically that the man has never seen white elephants, he says, "Just because you say I wouldn't have doesn't prove anything" (324). The woman is clearly annoyed at the insensitivity of the man's negative feelings toward her pregnancy. For her, the baby is a priceless treasure, but for him it is a worthless fetus.

Every day people make decisions that affect their future lives. What makes a right decision? What may be right to some may be wrong to others. Right and wrong decisions are objective and vary among each individual. “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway, portrays the idea of decision making between two characters in a valley in Spain as they wait for a train to arrive. Jig, the protagonist, attempts to make a crucial change in her life by making the right decision, although her flaws, including indecisiveness, prevent her from taking action in her decision. Jig and the American have had a romantic relationship for quite a while and now their future together is in jeopardy. The two of them are having a conversation on whether or not Jig should get an abortion. The man is trying to convince the woman to do something she is hesitant to do. Hemingway uses metaphors and symbolism to express their feelings and decision-making.

Women and men have rarely ever been able to wholeheartedly agree upon something, especially something as significant as an unwanted pregnancy. “Hills Like White Elephants” centers around an unwanted pregnancy and how a young couple is talking about it and handing it. While the mention of pregnancy or abortion is never actually said, it can be inferred through their conversations and simple clues Hemingway includes such as, “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig” (Hemingway) (Link). The man in this relationship, the American, continues to reassure the woman, Jig, that the “operation” is simple and tons of people have it done. He also continues to repeat “how simple” it is. Jig

“Hills Like White Elephants”, by Ernest Hemingway, is a short story published in 1927 that takes place in a train station in Spain with a man and a woman discussing an operation. Most of the story is simply dialogue between the two characters, the American and Jig. This couple is at a critical point in their lives when they must decide whether or not to have an abortion. Certain themes arise from this story such as choices and consequences, doubt and ambiguity, and how men and women relate. Hemingway also uses many examples of symbolism in “Hills Like White Elephants”, including descriptions of the surrounding scenery, the hills themselves, and the station where the action takes place.

Ernest Hemingway, the author of “Hills like White Elephants” will leave his readers guessing due to his vague information put into his short story, ¨Hills like White Elephants¨. The understanding of figurative language, sensory details, and the use inferencing skills are needed to interpret what the author is trying to get across. If the short story is analyzed carefully the reader will understand that the couple in the story are deciding whether or not to have an abortion. Although “abortion” is never blatantly said it is shown through prolific figurative language. Symbolism, simile, and conflict are all prominent examples of figurative language throughout Hemingway's “Hills like White Elephant”.

In the short story "Hills like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway we were presented a man and his girlfriend. They order a couple drinks as they wait for a train. As the story continues, more details of what the couple is discussing unfold. Although it is never actually said we learn that the couple is talking about whether to have an abortion. "It's really an awful simple operation, Jig."(42) It's is also

Earnest Hemingway provides a different way to reveal his characters without going into great detail about the characters in “Hills Like White Elephants”. Hemingway does not describe the characters appearances or their body language. Hemingway though decided to reveal the characters by their dialogue. By giving more details within the dialogue it reveals the character of the man and the girl in the story. It is revealed in the dialogue the dynamics of the relationship of the man and the girl. It is shown that they care for each other, even though they have some struggles. You can tell they care about each other, because in the story it is said “I’d do anything for you” and “I don’t want anybody but you”. While also revealing the strife between

Hills Like White Elephants, written by Ernest Hemingway, is an extremely creative short story. Hemingway uses many figurative elements within the story to paint a picture in our mind of what is occurring. He challenges the reader to solve the riddle about the “white elephant”. Hemingway uses diction,dialogue, and symbolism to allow the reader to experience the hidden figurative language within the short story

Have you ever dealt with a difficult conversation with a significant other about a topic you’ve been avoiding but you knew it was going to happen anyways? Well, if you’ve had, you’ve experienced a conversation like Jig and the American. Jig and the American are characters from the short story “Hills Like White Elephants”, by Ernest Hemingway. The short story is about a couple having an unexpected delivery. The couple is going to be soon to be parents. The American wants Jig to have an abortion but Jig wants to keep the baby. Later on Jig gives in to the Americans wishes and decides to have an abortion. Even though she doesn’t want to have an abortion she is willing to do it to stay with him. The mood portrayed by

White elephants in the story symbolises something that no one wants. The woman comments that the surrounding hills ‘look like white elephants’ (Hemingway 219) to serve as a transition for the couple to discuss their baby. Comparing the hills and metaphorically the baby to elephants is a ‘figure of speech, that suggests some common quality shared by the two’ (Baldick “Metaphor”). The use of this metaphor exploits how the pair has contrasting opinions about the pregnancy, as she is deeply disappointed that he wants her to have an abortion but doesn’t want to marry her, since she knows that having the operation will destroy her. The spatial and physical setting with repeated threshold images marks central conflict about which path to take, as the white hills and barren valley builds climax between life and death or fertility and sterility. The woman is clearly torn between the different landscapes that coincides with her abortion decision; in which the conversation escalates to have Jig say to the American man to ‘please please please please please please please stop talking‘ (222). This embarks that she needs be alone with her thoughts, as her overlook on life will have to change. Underneath this dispute lies a major complication of how a relationship can compose demands on personal freedom, as both characters struggle with the reality of a shared relationship, that can refer back to commitment and how poorly they communicate with each

Ernest Hemingway was an American author and journalist. One of his most famous and controversial pieces “Hills Like White Elephants” is frequently discussed among authors and readers. In this short story there is a girl and a American man sitting at a train station. The girls name is Jig, we come to find out that she is pregnant and that the two are disusing whether to keep the baby or not. They question each other to see if the options would ruin their relationship. Hemingway portrays things to serve as double meanings. Two of the main subtopics and questions formed from this paper is whether or not Jig has the baby. And whether of not the tense relationship between the two lasts. Among the many authors who have their own opinion on what these things mean is, timothy Obrien, who wrote, “Allusion, Word Play, and the Central Conflict in Hemingway’s ‘Hills Like White Elephants”. In his paper he focuses on certain phrases to conclude his belief that Jig does get and abortion and that the relationship between Jig and the American does not last. A professor at Illinois state university by the name of Stanley Renner, author of “Moving to the Girls Side of “Hills Like White Elephants””, does not think the relationship lasts. Although the relationship does not last he believes that the baby does. David Wyche, author of “Letting the Air Into a Relationship: Metaphorical Abortion in “Hills Like White Elephants””, he is not

The pregnancy or baby can be seen as the “elephant” in the room. This couple is trying to decide whether or not to get an abortion. The antagonist in this short story is the male the main character (Jig) is taking to at a bar in a train station. In the story this male character is simply referred to as the American. The American does many things that make us believe he is mainly the decision maker in their relationship. He is in charge of their luggage as well as the destination of their travels. This implies a sense of control and dominance. The American is very supportive saying, “If you don’t want to you don’t have to. I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to” (227). Despite the support he shows, throughout the story the reader can see that the decision of the women depends greatly on the American’s feelings and views.