Conflicts in “Hills Like White Elephants” The story begins with a man known as the “American” and his girlfriend sitting at a table outside of a train station. The station is surrounded by hills, trees, and fields in Spain. The couple is waiting for the next train to Madrid. Throughout the story there is an inner conflict with the girl as well as an external conflict between the girl and the American. They speak of an operation that must be done for them to be happy together. This couple is at a…

“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway is a short story every student studying English Composition should read. The narrative explores the difficult topic of abortion which college students should read about. Not only did the story explore the couple's dynamic it also delved into the feelings each partner had about the pregnancy. In “On Reading Fiction”, the author explains that readers enjoy fiction for three reasons, because it is an escape from reality, a possible answer to problems…

2015 Essay Responses to Short Stories Discuss possible symbolic representations in “Hills Like White Elephants”? In the story “Hills Like White Elephants” the white elephant symbolizes a negative thing. No person would want anything to do with this. For example, the girl’s unborn child. In the beginning of the story the girl made a comment, and she said that the surrounding hills resemble white elephants. You may think the comment wasn’t unusual, but it really leads towards her talking about…

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…

Symbolism in “Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway’s “The Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story published in 1927 about an American man and a woman named Jig. The setting of this story takes place at a train station located in Spain surrounded by hills, trees, and fields. Other devices used by Hemingway throughout this story include imagery, simile, excellent syntax, and a very tense and emotional tone. In the beginning of the story, the American and Jig sit outside of the train…

Enerest Hemingway’s short story titled Hills Like White Elephants, is a story that may seem as simple and plain as if not much is going on. 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…

Hills Like White Elephants, written by Ernest Hemingway, is a story that takes place in Spain while a man and woman wait for a train. The story is set up as a dialogue between the two, in which the man is trying to convince the woman to do something she is hesitant in doing. Through out the story, Hemingway uses metaphors to express the characters ' opinions and feelings. Hills Like White Elephants displays the differences in the way a man and a woman view pregnancy and abortion. The woman looks…

Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills like White Elephants” discusses the decision one girl must make and the consequences which accompany her choice. A “white elephant” is a valuable possession which its owner cannot dispose of but whose cost (particularly cost of upkeep) exceeds its usefulness. The “white elephant” in Hemingway’s story is the unnamed situation and the choice which Jig, the protagonist, must make. This drama takes place in Spain in the 1920’s, during which time the majority of…

After reading “The Hills like White Elephants,” I discovered that there are a lot of interpretations that could be made to accompany this story. The story takes place at a bar across from a Spanish railroad crossing. The story states that there is no shade or trees, and that the hills are white. The story does not provide a plethora of information on the characters, it rather just jumps right into the story, leaving a lot to the imagination on how they got there. I do believe that this is done on…

Hills Like White Elephants shows a seemingly simple discussion between Jig and an American man about the possibility of an operation. Yet, when the story is dissected it becomes apparent that they are discussing the possibility of an abortion. Nothing in the short story is mentioned or said without signaling a greater or different meaning. Hemingway used the surroundings of the train station to impact the story and designed the characters to properly show two varying personalities. Even though this…