Six Stages Of Denialing In Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway

Close interpretation of the story "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway leads the reader to an issue that has plagued society for decades. Understanding of the human condition is unveiled in the story line, the main setting, and through the character representation. The main characters in the story are an American man and a female named Jig. The conflict about abortions is an issue that still faces society today. Architectural and atmospheric symbolisms are used to set the mood and outline the human condition. The love bond between the man and Jig is strong; however, the more powerful bond between Jig and her unborn child is sacred.

Ernest Hemmingway uses time, place, and symbolism in "Hills like White Elephants" to intensify the central dilemma in a story about a man and a woman deciding on whether to go through with an abortion. Although a literal reading of the title may not seem to have any relation to the story, the title is rich in implications. Critics suggest that "Hills" refers to the shape of a woman's stomach when pregnant, and Webster's 21st Century Dictionary defines white elephant as: "[An] awkward, useless possession." The term is also defined in Webster's as an item that is worthless to some but priceless to others. According to Victor Lindsey, the child in the story is a white elephant in the view of the man, who is trying to convince the girl to

Wolterstorff’s story, Lament for a Son, is about the death of his son, Eric, who died in a mountain climbing accident at age 25 (1978). The five stages of grief are addressed throughout the story. The author experienced the denial stage when he was called and told that Eric had gotten in an accident. Wolterstorff had a few seconds of silence where he had no words because of the shock and disbelief in the news. It was hard for Wolterstorff to understand that the death of his son was a reality (Wolterstorff, 1978). Wolterstorff did not talk a lot about physical anger, or the anger stage, even though he must have been angry with the situation. He stated that he was angry that Eric climbed and that he was taken so early (Wolterstorff, 1978). Wolterstorff’s bargaining stage occurred when he stated that he wished Eric would have died of a disease instead of a mountain climbing accident. He said he believed that it would have lessened the pain of his loss because he would have had a chance to say goodbye (Wolterstorff, 1978). The depression

The complexity of decision making is the process in making tough decisions regarding to real world situations. Communication is the connection and the main key between people, so without communication there is nothing. “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway is about a conversation between an American and a girl, which is being held at a train station while waiting for a train to Madrid. The girl starts to compare the hills nearby to white elephants. Not in a direct way, the couple discuss an “operation” that the American wants the woman to have. In reality, this “operation” is an abortion. In “Hills Like White Elephants”, Ernest Hemingway utilizes symbolism and characterization to reveal the complexity of decision making and communication to illustrate that in a relationship one must communicate effectively to avoid separation or being forced to do something one doesn’t want to.

“Hills Like White Elephants” tells a story of a man and woman sitting at station waiting on a train to take them to Madrid. The story is told from the narrator’s point of view. There are two main characters. The man is referred to as the American and the woman is called Jig. The man is the antagonist and the protagonist is Jig. The story is more about Jig and her current situation. There is very little information given about the characters but the reader is told that Jig is going to Madrid to have an operation but only hints about the type of operation. The reader is led to believe Jig is going to have an abortion. In the short story “Hills like White Elephants”, the author Ernest Hemingway portrays “Jig”, the protagonist as a mixture

The book, Lament For a Son, written by Nicholas Wolterstorff talks about his pain and grief after losing his 25-year-old son (Joy, 2009). His son died while on a mountain-climbing expedition. Dr. Wolterstorff has several books published during his career as a philosophical theology professor in Yale Divinity. However, he wrote Lament for a Son with a different journal style since it is a personal thing for him. The book is similar to a journal as he narrates the events that happened before and after his son’s death. The emotions expressed in the book are common among people who lose close relatives. What matters is how a person handles the issue. Kubler-Ross invented the five stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptancethat explain the escalation of grief when stricken by bad news (Axelrod, 2004). The paper looks into the book and its relation to the five stages of grief.

In "Hills like white elephants", the symbols can be grouped and analyzed in accordance with the characters and their actions, imagination station, and time. By analyzing these elements can help you better understand the story as whole. The man called "the American people." As the story was written in 1927, after World War I, but the Great Depression, people seem to have a wealth of travel in many places. He can speak Spanish, which implies that it formed. The girl did not call about 1/2 of the way in history. It is the "name" is a guide. It can not be described as a woman, wife, or the United States, however. It also does not speak or understand even basic Spanish.

Hills like white elephants is a dialogue between a couple who seem to be having a problem. Hemingway’s techniques are unique; he uses little to no detail, metaphorical techniques and he states the problem in the story without actually stating it. The tone in the story is serious. No emotions or thoughts seem to be expressed throughout the story. It seems causal, as if it has been a topic of discussion for a while.

In “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemmingway, the author uses the setting and surrounding geography to help display the friction between the American and girl. The symbolic geography and setting are used to communicate the conflicts and obstacles that the American and girl are having. Even though this story is told mainly through dialogue between the American and girl, Hemmingway uses the setting and geography to show the audience that the unborn baby is a white elephant and the struggle the girl has of whether she truly wants to keep the baby.

He’s extremely pushy and not even considering what she wants, because he wants to get out of this burden of the idea of most fathers aren’t ready to have kids until they find out the woman is pregnant? The sympathetic character would be Jig we understand her struggle and want her to be happy, we learned the man is pushing her to do an operation that she is irritated and not completely comfortable with, while the American is passive aggressive. The white elephant is a metaphor for something no one wants, which is Jigs unborn child. The woman’s comment in the beginning of the story “The Hills look like White Elephants”. This statement seems to be a careless remark, but it’s actually a hint to discuss the baby and want to do about it.

Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants. Rpt. In Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 2nd ed. Ed. Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. 400-403.

The point of view of this piece is told from the third person. Almost third person limited as we never get to hear the actual thoughts of any of the characters, making both of them rather unreliable as we never will know for certain the true intentions either one of them has. At the beginning of the story, the conversation between these two people seems very strange. Each of them are speaking but it is clear that neither are truly listening to what the other is saying making it obvious that each has something much bigger on their mind that they know they must address but neither are yet comfortable with bringing up the topic. This is initially what I figured the hills symbolized when that girl compares them to white elephants. There is definitely an elephant in the room. A Major problem that must be given attention despite the extreme discomfort it may bring, but the two are not yet comfortable to discuss

E.B. White once said, “There's no limit to how complicated things can get, on account of one thing always leading to another.” This quotation means that nobody ever knows how complicated things are going to get, and on top of that they can get worse. One can agree with this statement because in life you can go through unexpected situations that really affect your life in a negative way, and in life things might get worse. Both Soldiers home by Ernest Hemingway and Hills like white elephants by Ernest Hemingway support the idea that Life is a complicated place. He portrays this through his main male characters of both of his story’s, The American and Harold, they both try to find the easiest way out of complicated situations.

Moreover, “Hills Like White Elephant” distinctively suggest the conflict of man vs himself, or Jig vs. herself. Evaluating the literary elements of the story “White Elephants” represents her distraction of confronting the issue by dazing at the hills in midst of hope to replenish the carefree attitude she prolonged. As deep down within her nurturing character she doesn’t want to settle with the operation. “And once they take it away, you never get it back.” (Hemingway 81) Although the line focuses on the topic of gaining everything. Her quote interprets to the predicament that she faces as it wouldn’t be easy for herself. Understandingly being troubled by possibly making the worst decision for her own benefit. Presented by the author, “Oh yes. But I don’t care about me. And I’ll do it and then everything will be fine.” (Hemingway 68) Displaying the unhealthy emotional investment she has for the American man as she is unable to make her own decision in fear that her relationship won’t go back to the way it used to be.

The title of the story was simile. The title “hills like white elephants” also represented the choice that the couple had to make. A