Hills Like White Elephants 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.

“Hills like White Elephants” is a cryptic short story that takes place in a remote train station in Spain. The characters consist of a man and a girl, the man also being referred to as the American. In the beginning the girl remarks on the beautiful scenery across the river of wheat fields and hills. “They look like white elephants,” she said, and around those the country is “brown and dry.” The man is disinterested with this remark and he is more interested for the girl to make a decision. It is never clearly stated what he wants her to make a decision on, but upon further analyzation it can be deduced that the decision is an abortion. The man is acutely persistent for her to make a decision before the train arrives or if not then, soon. The hills looking like white elephants come to symbolize a burden or an obstacle, this can be used to reference the girl’s unborn baby and the pair’s relationship as well.

Since I am not a citizen of United States, I have never voted before, I am not registered to vote, I did not vote in the primaries in March. I do not plan to vote in the general election this November because I do not have the right to vote in U.S.; however, some of my friends plan to vote in the general election. People around me are somehow divided between the Democrat Hillary Clinton and the Republican Donald Trump. If I could vote I would vote for the Democrat Hillary Clinton because she supports gun control, she wants to fight against systemic racism in education & employment, she inspires American women to fight for their rights, and because she is really qualified, she has served as secretary of state, senator

The final theme derived from this story is how men and women relate to each other. Most of Hemingway’s stories are masculine in nature, but “Hills Like White Elephants” shows the woman’s point of view as the more rational of the two (Short Stories for Students 158). The man is shown as being selfish and irresponsible by starting this relationship and then lacking the support Jig needs (Hamid 78). The American sees life as being very straightforward and rational, while Jig is considered to be romantic and living in an emotional world (Beacham 8). Clearly, these themes are still applicable in modern societies concerning this issue of abortion.

The use of symbolism in Hemingway’s, Hills like white elephants, provides the reader with situations a couple may face at least once in their life. There are many symbols within this short story, some more complex than others. Knowing the different symbols, can ultimately lead up to the discovery of the real meaning in the story. Hemingway never gives us an easy explanation in this story, forcing the reader to make wild assumptions. Since this story requires readers to read between the lines and think more complex, Hemingway gives us symbols so readers can understand the overall meaning of the story. Hemingway points out many of the symbols used by mainly repetition, which make them very important. Some symbolism shown in this story is: the white elephants, the train station, and scenery.

The landscape respresents everything the American and Jig can have if they abort the unborn baby. In the story, Jig says, “‘And we could have all this,’” (Hemingway 3) referring to the field of grains and mountains in the distance. The fields and mountains represent the things they desire to do and have when living a child-free life. The railroad junction represents decisions.

“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, is a short story that tells of an account much larger than the story itself. An American man and young girl stand at a crossroads, when facing a major decision. Like most short stories the characters are developed through action and discussion, rather than lengthy and detailed reports. Ernest Hemingway is famous for symbolism, which is used extensively in “Hills Like White Elephants”. Small details and light conversations may share a tremendous amount of information with readers of this short story, by standing for a “bigger picture”. These small details and light conversations can tell of a story that many may never figure out until they dig deeper into the story itself.

On January 19, 1917, a secret telegram from Germany’s foreign secretary was intercepted by British intelligence. The telegram contained information on Germany’s plans to ally with Mexico and although the plans never came into action, it backfired on the Germans, eventually leading their demise. Because of this, World War 1 was won by the Allied forces, thus, helping the United States develop as a new world power.

Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants” relays a conversation between an American man and his lover named Jig concerning her decision of whether to have an abortion. Hemingway’s use of symbolism emphasizes the significance of Jig’s decision by contrasting the two different lives she can choose between and by revealing the root of her indecisiveness. Hemingway begins his story by describing the setting, which symbolizes the two futures Jig must decide between. One future is hot and barren with “no shade and no trees” (Hemingway).

The shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain and she saw the river through the trees.” Jig response is and we could have all this. She actually wants to have the baby with him; because she sees a future that is promising and filled with beauty with him and the child, but he himself sees it as a sign of unhappiness because he is not ready to settle

This week’s reading delves into the definitions of the processes and terminology that drives the way that Health Information Technology would operate in the ideal environment. These policies and procedures create the foundation for organizations to build a more interoperable health environment. Currently, each health care establishment seems to operate like its own country. Although they may belong to the larger continent, they may have their own language, currency and customs. This is great when operating within the country, but once a citizen needs to travel to a neighboring republic, the language, currency and custom just doesn’t translate as well. Important information may just be lost in translation. To attempt to bridge this issue, the

This would be the man’s perspective of the baby. He believes that it will get in the way of their travels and mess their relationship up. The more complex meaning would be Jig referencing that the hills looked like white elephants but what she meant was the hills looked like the elephant's skin tone. “They don’t really look like white elephants.

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.

The girl remarks that she and the American man never do anything together except try new drinks. This can represent that their relationship is boring and mundane which seems to bother the girl. These feelings can reflect that girl may be ready for change and a chance to settle down, unlike the man who doesn't seem interested in changing his carefree ways. She also asks the man permission for a drink and has to rely on him to order the drinks because of her inability to speak Spanish. She appears disappointed that she is so dependent on the man and no matter what her decision may be, their relationship will no longer be the same. After trying the new drink she replies that “Everything tastes like licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for like absinthe” (Hemingway 655). Another symbolism that Jig is now feeling bittersweet about the decision because she may want to have the baby, but the man's decision is to have the abortion.

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