'Symbolism In Hills Like White Elephants'

The setting of the story being at a train station also represents how the relationship

The plot focuses on crossing boundaries. The two characters, The American and a woman nicknamed “Jig”, are constantly wavering middle grounds. It’s a story about communication and conversation. Though they are having a conversation the couple is not communicating. The story implements ambiguity and subtlety to discuss, though never clearly stated, an abortion. The couple arrives at a train station in Madrid. It is assumed only passing through, they decide to have a drink while they wait for the next train. The woman mentions the hills resembling white elephants and notices the infertile barren land in comparison to the green hills in the valley on the other side of the tracks. There is little conversation till the American man hints on an operation. There is

The train depot is surrounded on both sides by fields: one side with trees and fields of grain, and the other contains nothing but dust (Hemingway 324). The two sides of the train tracks represent the choice Jig will have to face between pregnancy and abortion.

Symbolism is used in many ways and writers use symbolism to “enhance their writing.” It can give their work “more richness and color and can make the meaning of the work deeper.” In literary work the actions of the characters, words, action, place, or event has a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story. The reader needs to look see the little things like a dove symbolizes peace, or like the red rose stands for romance. Mostly everything can have a symbolism meaning to it. For instance the flag symbolizes freedom and the stars represent the states. Even some signs are symbols like when a beaker has a skull with a bones placed like an ‘x’ behind it symbolizes that it’s toxic or bad. When people see the red light when driving that’s

In a well-written short story, different literary elements and terms are incorporated into the story by the author. Ernest Hemingway frequently uses various literary elements in his writing to entice the reader and enhance each piece that he writes. In Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway uses symbols to teach the reader certain things that one may encounter during daily life. Symbolism may be defined as relating to, using, or proceeding by means of symbols (Princeton). The use of symbols in Hills Like White Elephants is utterly important to the plot line and to the fundamental meaning of the story. Through this use of symbolism, the reader can begin to reveal the hidden themes in this short story.

What is the use of symbolism in writing? Is it merely to confuse the reader or is its true intent to make the reader think about the meaning of the story? A symbol is a person, object, or event that suggests more than its literal meaning (Meyer 220). In Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants," Hemingway uses a plethora of symbols to convey the idea that the young girl, Jig is ambivalent to having an abortion and that her older American boyfriend does not want to have the baby. Although the word abortion is never used in the story, the reader understands the concept through Hemingway's symbolism.

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 “Hills Like White Elephants”, symbolism is extremely essential to the theme and impact the story has. Symbolism in literature is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. This story in particular drips with rich symbols that relate fully to the many problems this issue the American man and his girlfriend are discussing. Using context clues, one can infer that topic the couple are discussing in the hot, Spanish train junction is abortion, as the man states, “‘It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig’” (192). This couple has been leading a reckless and adventurous life, traveling across Europe together without a care in the world and certainly not taking caution in anything they do. That’s why they are facing this issue. At the beginning of the story, when they first sit down in the cafe at the train junction, the man orders beer

The story then shifts to the station which was between two lines of rails” this represented the two opposite directions in which they could have traveled, and the choice that lay in each direction, Madrid being the place of abortion, and the continuity of the ‘empty’ life they were used to together, or toward Barcelona, a new start, a new beginning, with a new life. So railroad station represented a crossroads or junction at which they had to cross.

This conversation is an argument between the couple over what they are about to go through together. This adds intensity to the story and it also conveys the message of death in an original way since it is a conversation between two people- a specific line that stood out was “and once they take it away, you never get it back”. This tells the reader that they are going through something quite difficult together. The reader can notice that the girl in this story is nervous and scared about this operation and that once they terminate the pregnancy it won’t be theirs anymore. There is a large difference here though between dialogue in “A Journey” and “Hills like White Elephants”. While in “A Journey” dialogue is used but not as used as heavily as the “Hills like White Elephants”. Since “A Journey” is mostly told by the wife of the story. There is one conversation on the train with the wife and another passenger that particularly stood out. The reader can tell how nervous the wife is about anyone finding out about her husband’s death on the train.

Symbolism has the power to further the audience’s understanding of the story and convey what the author is really trying to express. In Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills like White Elephants,” a seemingly simple story is crafted into an intricate plot. In the story, a man and woman are awaiting a train between Barcelona and Madrid, Spain; while waiting, the couple appears to have a normal conversation concerning an operation the woman is considering. However, due to Hemingway’s use of symbolism, the audience is able to depict a story that travels further than what is blatantly stated. Through Hemingway’s symbolism of the white elephants, the conversation between the couple, and the contrasting sides of the station, the audience is able

Ernest Hemingway was an astonishing American writer in the 1900’s. In his short story “Hills like White Elephants” he uses the element of symbolism to shower us with different ideas and imagery that create the plot of the story. Each different piece of symbolism and every image that Hemingway depicts for the reader creates a vivid picture so that the reader feels as if he or she is in the story. An important symbol that the story embodies is the setting.

The hidden meaning and context behind the white elephant symbol increases as the conflict and discussion over the pregnancy develops, and, historically, the gift of white elephants are rare, sacred, and pure, just like pregnancy and children. It is also a very prominent and abrasive story for modern day society. We are at a time in history where immoral sexual behavior and the regularness of abortion have become a normal day to day occurrence; which are all perfectly wrapped up and described in this

The narrator is very brief. In “Hills Like White Elephants”, a man and young girl are traveling together in Madrid, Spain. I can infer from their conversation through their words and through the embedded vocabulary that they are probably headed to an abortion center. The reason I think this is because they spend the entire short story contemplating the idea of an abortion. The decision they are making seems urgent and rushed. The girl looks out the window at the “hills like white elephants” as the man continues to be persistent, as if wanting an answer as soon as possible. This urgency allows me to infer that the only reason why the decision is so urgent is because they are actively heading to an abortion center in that moment.

“The Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway has many symbolisms throughout the story. Two important symbols, the hills and the drinks give the reader insight into the intentions and emotions the American man and the girl are going through as they are faced with a major