Hills Like White Elephant Symbolism Essay

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 Ernest Hemingway's “Hills Like White Elephants”, the use of imagery and symbolism in the landscape of surrounding Ebro Valley, as well as the use of language and tone, shape our understanding of the conflict between the two main characters. The man referred to only by “The American”, is trying to convince Jig to get an abortion. Though the word (abortion) is never stated directly in the entirety of the story, it is conveyed by the use of symbolism and imagery in the surrounding landscape. Furthermore, we can conclude that the topic at hand will come to a final and abrupt solution that Jig will, in fact, get the abortion due to her tone and language at the end of the story.

Hemingway wastes no time establishing the conflict between the girl and the man through symbolism; the title of the story itself implies that there is an unwanted gift, a “white elephant,” in this case referring to Jig’s pregnancy (Hemingway 311). A plethora of symbols within the setting ultimately expose the opposing opinions between Jig and the American on what to do about the baby. The most obvious example of this symbolism is found within the description of the terrain around the train station. On one side of the station there are “brown and dry” hills and “no trees,” representing the barrenness

The negative connotation of a white elephant is expressed in this explanation. It is this negative meaning that is describing the hills, or her pregnant stomach and the unborn child. Further on in their conversation regarding the decision to be made, Jig says to the man, “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?” (Hemingway). The girl deliberately asks the man whether the decision of aborting the child will better their lives, or continue moving them down the path of unhappiness. The decision that Jig is faced with ties back to the main theme that Hemingway portrays throughout the short story, decision and indecision. The constant uncertainty that is revealed through the girl’s character is seen in other instances as well.

The main symbol in this story is not hard to find, since it is right in the title. All throughout the story we can see these so called “white elephants” being referenced. Although the reference to white elephants may seem like just a thought coming from Jig, it really symbolizes something big in the story. In some cultures, people view white elephants as an unwanted thing, or an uncomfortable subject. Hemingway relates these white elephants to the unwanted conversation about Jig’s abortion. At first glance, readers may not know what these two characters are talking about, but later in the story we can get a better idea of what they are talking about.

In Ernest Hemingways short story, Hills Like White Elephants, there is a couple who has a difficult conversation at the crossroads waiting for their next train. Mostly, their conversation is about getting an abortion. The American, who is the male in the story, continuously tries to convince The Girl to abort their child while she is trying to please him. However, by analyzing throughout the story, the setting, characters, and symbolism affects the tale and gives the readers a sense of understanding and empathy towards the situation. All of the elements come together to create this emotional dialog more intriguing and heart breaking.

The couple is sitting in between the two railroad tracks which represents the decisions they have to make and the crossroad they have come to. We can look at each train on either side representing the two options the couple has. One train represents the couple getting the procedure, and the other train represents the couple keeping the baby and not getting the procedure. In the end of the story the man “ looked up the tracks but could not see the train” which shows us how the couple still has not yet made a decision. He also makes a comment about going to check to see if the train The railroad tracks also represent the crossroads we come to in life when we don’t know what decision to make.

The short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Earnest Hemingway, is about a young couple who likes to travel. The only problem with these two lovers is the woman is pregnant. Why is that a problem? The man wants an abortion. Even though the polemical subject is not worded in the story, it is absolutely made known through setting and symbolism.

The short story hills like white elephants, written by “Ernest Hemingway,” is about an American man and his girlfriend Jig. The two sat at an outdoor cafe located near a train station in spain, contemplating what they were going to do about Jig’s pregnancy. Hemingway used several different symbols such as; bamboo, curtains, hills, and white elephants throughout the story to represent the shaky relationship between the American and Jig. The symbols used throughout the story played a crucial role in the significance of the story’s message/theme. To start the story, the reader was thrown into the conflict regarding the American and Jig.

Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois on July 21, 1899 and died on July 2, 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho. He died supposedly self-inflicted gunshot wound, He developed his passion for writing during his high school years. He continued perfecting his writing abilities while reporting for the Kansas City Star Newspaper. He was awarded a Nobel Prize for his literature in 1954; as well as receiving a prestigious Pulitzer Prize for his novel, The Old Man and the Sea. The short story, Hills Like White Elephants was published in August 1927 for a literary magazine.

The “ Hills like White Elephants” is a conversation between an American man and his girlfriend, both speakers have a hard time truly communicating with each other. This highlights the growing conflict between the two. Both speakers talk, but neither one really listens to what the other has to say or tries to see things from their point of view. The American man tries to say anything

The world of literature would be exceptionally boring if every story was narrated the same way and was told in the same point of view. Luckily, authors are fortunate to have a numerous amount of ways to narrate their work in order to achieve the effect and meaning they want readers to obtain from the story. Ernest Hemingway, the author of this story, narrated this story differently than many other stories I have read. “Hills Like White Elephants” makes it difficult to emotionally connect with any of the characters because the reader does not know what any of them are thinking.

“Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway portrays a couple that has to come to a decision that the two disagree on. While Hemingway does not present the specific problem, it is clear from the dialogue and symbolism that is used it is an important decision that can potentially make or break their relationship. Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism found in the story “Hills like White Elephants” to reveal that making decisions require a great deal of thought, as well as, everything that is felt while the couple hangs in the wind, not knowing what the other is truly thinking. Hemingway first use symbolism in the beginning of the story, by using the setting. He begins by describing the lifeless landscape, “On this side there was no shade and no trees” and they are “between two lines of rails in the sun”

In the story, "Hills Like White Elephants", by author Ernest Hemingway, the setting takes place in a train station in the middle of nowhere in Spain. The two main characters throughout the story are a man who is only referred to as the American, and a girl who is referred to as Jig; both awaiting for a train to Madrid in a train station. The entirety of the story consists of these individuals dancing around a topic. The American would like Jig to get a certain operation, in which at the end it is implied to be an abortion. There are two symbols that seem to have a deeper meaning to these two: alcohol and a white elephant observation in the hills made by Jig.

“Hills like White Elephants” focuses mainly on setting and symbolism. The setting in the story is used to describe the mood of the story. The relationship between the American man and the girl is at a crossroads. While they are in the bar they point out that there were two different sides to the valley. One side being bright and full of light and the other being shade less, dark, and dull. This symbolizes the woman’s pregnancy with is what they are debating about. Also, the white elephant symbolizes something no one wants in this story, the girl’s unborn child. The girl’s comment in the beginning of the story that the surrounding hills look like white elephants initially seems to be a casual, off hand remark, but it actually serves as a piece