Hills Like White Elephant Literary Analysis

In Hills Like White Elephants, the story opens up with a description of the scenery. There is a couple that is at a train station at a bar going somewhere far. Throughout the story, the couple is having a conversation about something that is never mentioned. However, by paying attention to the characters, the language, and the symbolism, one can see that the conversation is about an abortion and that the couple’s relationship is falling apart. Ernest Hemingway uses characters, sexism, and the setting and symbolism to give the readers a chance to know couple and see their broken relationship.

Ernest Miller Hemingway is known for his unique style and theories of writing, especially the iceberg theory. In the Death of the Afternoon, Hemingway says that “The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing.” (92) Simple words, vivid images, rich emotions and deep thoughts are the four basic elements of the iceberg theory. Talk about how these stories illustrate four elements of theory. In both short stories, Hemingway describes scenery and characters with simple words directly to give readers a vivid image. Under this sketch, readers can know characters’ emotion and get the theme through their imagination and analysis.

What is the purpose of the trip the two travelers are taking? (The narrator never tells us, but the careful reader can deduce this with relative certainty.)

Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants", is a story about a doomed relationship. Hemingway uses symbolism, dialogue, and also setting to tell this story. Behind the words said by the characters, and sights explained to the readers, are hidden meanings that when analyzed, bring the story to another level.

“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.

Through the precise use of diction between the woman (“jig”) and the man, Hemingway reveals how a lack of knowing someone can lead to emotional dismay. Concise diction in a relationship means, conversation only scratches the surface and the two “lovers” don’t truly know about the other person’s emotions. The story is full of short, one-line phrases of conversation between the couple about trivial things. They converse about the “lovely hills” and the “simple operation,” yet they never ask each other about their feelings. The lack of in depth communication of opinions creates a tension filled atmosphere that just keeps building up and up as the story continues. The “simple operation,” an abortion, is seen by the couple as the issue they need to resolve, however, the man, who can’t handle the responsibility, instead of talking it through with his “lover” chooses to manipulate her. He tries to convince jig, who is easily pushed-over as she is stuck by lust and will do anything to keep the relationship together. She doesn’t care to sacrifice her happiness for his, rather she fears that if she doesn’t go through with the operation, he will leave her, she is indecisive and relies on the man to make many decisions. The man deceives

Enerest Hemingway’s short story, Hills Like White Elephants, may seem at first to be simple and plain, or as if not much is going on throughout the narrative. However, the story is actually very intricate; the author was able to say a lot without using many words. The story is about a conversation between a man and girl who are waiting for a train in Spain. The couple are both distressed about how they should make a decision of whether to keep their baby, or terminate the pregnancy. Hemingway is able to say indirectly that the conversation is about abortion without clearly stating it by using literary elements. Some of the elements Hemingway uses are symbols to illustrate different meanings for concision, irony to talk about something complicated

“Hills like White Elephants,” written by Ernest Hemingway is a short story about two characters and their’s turning and twisting arguments about an operation and also how the settings affect on both this characters perspective and attitude toward the abortion. The story begins at the train station somewhere in Spain where this couple waiting for a train to Madrid and discussing whether to keep baby or no. While in the stations, different events take place as highlighted by the author of the story where the girl explore surrounding of the train station and compare each thing with her situation such as the nearby rail tracks, trees, river, the hills, alcohol. On the other hand, the American responds by stating that he has never come across white elephants and refuse her perspective and shows his decision to not have a baby. The two characters continue ordering more drinks while having their discussion. In a nutshell, the story “Hills like White Elephants,” is a short story about a young girl name Jig and American man who waiting for a train and discussing about whether a girl have an abortion or no, based on abortion, there is a conflict of their relationship derived on the environmental setting of the short story.

“Hills Like White Elephants” can be very confusing and difficult to understand because it is an indirect conversation between two people about something important. Hemingway does not give any direct details about the characters or the situation. However, if we read the story carefully and pay attention to the symbols, the depth of the story will surprise us. That is the magic of symbolism; it takes something simple and gives it layers that only entice and excite the

In “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, the author utilizes various fictional elements to provide his readers with the information necessary to further explore and discover the depth of the short story’s significance. The story is set up as a dialogue between two characters, the American and Jig. The American has gotten Jig pregnant and the two are debating on whether or not to keep the baby, and inevitably become parents, or have an abortion and try to rehabilitate their relationship. Having to make a decision will have an impact on each of the characters and their lives, but most importantly Jig. Through setting, symbols, and characterization, Hemingway provides his readers with the essentials needed to effectively analyze how Jig’s character transforms from an accommodating young girl into an independent woman with maternal instincts as a result of the couple’s unplanned predicament.

Another element that plays into the themes of the story is the train and it’s tracks. These elements are a metaphor for the junction the couple is at in their relationship and what decision they are going to make. Throughout the story, Hemingway shows the turmoil that the couple is enduring and how their unborn child is an added burden on their declining relationship. For example, the American and Jig are talking, but not effectively communicating because

Hills Have Hearts In all stories throughout all time authors have acknowledged how the setting based around characters can have deeper meanings. In “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, the setting plays a role in building the understood conflict throughout the story and portrays certain images. The main conflict of the story is whether a young couple should keep their unborn baby in hopes of reigniting there love and passion, or abort it in hopes of preserving their once lavish and well-traveled life style. The couple is in a train station where the weather is hot and dry and the native tongue is Spanish.

“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway is a short story about a man and a woman deciding how they can fix their problematic relationship. This couple is debating about an important decision that will change both of their lives forever. Throughout the story, the debate never comes to a conclusion. Based on the path their dialogue takes and the apparent sensitivity of the subject, the man and woman are possibly talking about getting an abortion.

The Journey of Mind in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” In the 1920s, America witnessed a dramatic change in social, economic, and cultural aspects. Many writers began to write to reflect the change of the society. Hemingway is one of the outstanding writers in this period. He got a big influence on American literature with his Ice Berg writing style.

Not a whole lot happens in Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants.”  When I started reading the story, I didn’t fully understand why the story was called this and what the story was really about.  The story is narrated in the third person, which allows the reader to see everything that is going on while the main characters are talking to each other.  The setting of the story takes place in a bar in the middle of a train station that has “no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun” (par. 1).  Throughout the story there are a few symbols that you can pick out, others are a little harder to see them as symbols.