Hills Like White Elephants Symbolism Essay

Overall, the short story displays a great way of using irony by Zora Neale Hurston. It may be how Missie May shows betrayal when she cheats on Joe or how her undying love and loyalty present the theme of marriage by making sure Joe’s needs are met. Joe shows representations of themes as he forgives Missie May when she thinks he don’t love her “no mo.” (212) Otis D. Slemmons, reminds the reader that appearances are not what they may seem.

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.

Authors may use this item to tell the story with different items and by using symbolism many

story. By showing three different perspectives the reader is able to have a better idea of

“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.

Have you ever noticed something in a book that didn’t seem like much on the surface, but the more you thought about it it became clearer that it actually had a deeper meaning, well that is symbolism. The first story is called,“Harrison Bergeron”. The second story is called,”2BR02B”. The third story is called,”The Lottery”.In this informational essay, you will be given examples of symbolism in three different stories.In this informational essay, you will be given many examples of symbolism in these three stories.

Subconsciously authors tend to write their personal life experiences in their writer. Just as a psychologist would analyze a patient by asking them questions. With brief research of the author and the use of their story, one may analyze them just like a psychologist would. Hills like white Elephants by Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism to demonstrate important life decisions and the consequences behind them. He mentions the phrase “white elephants,” a white elephant is interpreted as a gift that is given to someone, but not just any gift it's a gift that is not wanted and hard to dispose of. For instance, if given an expensive car such as a Lamborghini, and the responsibilities falls on you to pay the insurance and upkeep on it. Knowing how expensive the insurance will be you know you would not be able to afford it it is then when the car becomes the white elephant forcing you to sell the car.

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 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.

Thus, it is significant that in "Hills Like White Elephants," Jig envisions the hills, like a pregnant womb, as white elephants. For, it is this pregnancy of Jig that causes the rift between her and her American boyfriend, who perceives the pregnancy as an inconvenience and impediment to their carefree lifestyle. She and he cannot move forward in their lives with their former insouciance because the memory of the unborn child will always loom over them, creating a burden on their

Their relationship is tested when faced with the issue of an unwanted pregnancy and the decision to keep or abort. The American suggests throughout the story that Jig get an abortion, but they are plagued with not being able to properly communicate with each other in their relationship. This issue makes it much harder for

The short story “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism to uncover the hidden issue that the couple is facing- abortion. They can either choose to live a selfish life with no change, or chose a life that is selfless with the change that the girl craves. The symbols such as the hills, drinking, the station, and characters actions that are used throughout the story are used to help the reader understand the theme of abortion. The hills symbolize a pregnant belly, the train tracks symbolize that they have come to a cross road in their life, and the drinking symbolizes the different views The American and the girl have on abortion.

The short story was later published for a collection of short stories called Men Without Women. Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism in Hills Like White Elephants such as, scenery to show

“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”

Theme in “Hills Like White Elephants” American author Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” was published in 1927 in his second collection of short stories. Despite its simple, dialogue-heavy style, the story is laden with literary elements such as symbolism and allegory and offers autobiographical insight into Hemingway’s lifelong difficulty maintaining relationships. While some literary elements may be easy to catch - such as “white elephants” alluding to something unwanted or “hills” representing stability - the theme may not be as easy to deduct among the dozens of lines of dialogue.