The Use of Narratives and Its Effect on Stories

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” displays the differences in how a man and a woman may view pregnancy and abortion. Jig, a woman, sees pregnancy as a beautiful aspect in life. Hemingway uses symbolism in the couple’s conversation to imply the woman’s pregnancy. The woman refers to the nearby hills on the train platform as elephants; “They look like white elephants”. She compares the hills to her own situation, pregnancy; “They’re lovely hills. They don’t really look like white elephants. I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees.”

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.

Ernest Hemingway, the author of “Hills like White Elephants” will leave his readers guessing due to his vague information put into his short story, ¨Hills like White Elephants¨. The understanding of figurative language, sensory details, and the use inferencing skills are needed to interpret what the author is trying to get across. If the short story is analyzed carefully the reader will understand that the couple in the story are deciding whether or not to have an abortion. Although “abortion” is never blatantly said it is shown through prolific figurative language. Symbolism, simile, and conflict are all prominent examples of figurative language throughout Hemingway's “Hills like White Elephant”.

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.

“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

Thus, this simple structure offers an intriguing and vague conversation between two that collaborates the reader in the character's behavior, thinking, and feelings. Although Hemingway uses short phrases, implicit sentences presented by the girl, and symbolism. According to Smiley, “The dialogue contains the essence of the story's power; for to read Jig's and the American conversation is to recognize the powerless frustration of parallel interchanges” (2). And Shaw uses complex sentences and long descriptions presented by Michael. Both stories share the crux of male-female miscommunication, and the conversation is tense, blended with irony. In “Hills Like White Elephants” in the beginning of the story, the girl takes the initiative to speak, which leads to the discussion: “'What should we drink?'” the girl asked. She had taken off her hat and put it on the table.” The reader perceives the hat as a symbol of exposing her readiness to discuss something. Besides, she opens the crucial issue in an implicit way when she describes the “hills like white elephants”. This metaphorical phrase presents two different approaches to the pregnancy. In addition, it suggests her imaginative way of thinking: she relates to the hills, as the physical shape of her pregnancy. The American man, seems manipulative and averts responsibility. In addition, his speech is scientific and unimaginative.

There are many ways, shapes, and forms of stories that the reader could put themselves into. Whether they choose to partake in a wayward journey full of adventure or the daily life of a human being with morals; a story’s aspect influences those thoughts with a deeper understanding. In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants,” it follows an American man and girl at a resting point during their travels. They arrived by train, stopping between Barcelona and Madrid. While there, they patiently waited for the next train at a bar inside of the station. They invoked themselves in a very long conversation about an important life changing decision, in which they are trying to figure out together. With narration providing the readers a first-class seat within the story, it is as if they were customers at the bar that happens to listen. This story unravels the true intention of the character’s issue that is deeply hidden within the text and title symbolically. Therefore, the literary terms that makes this story unique is its symbolism, conflict, and narrative point of view.

Ernest Hemingway not only uses the couple, but the setting as well to describe the two choices that are being presented. The setting describes two sides of the valley that represent the choices of life and death which correspond with the characters personality respectively. One side of the valley represents death where it is bare and almost desert like with no life(476). This side is supposed to represent the American lover who wants the abortion. The other side of the valley represents life where there is lush vegetation, rivers, color and life(477 This side is supposed to represent Jig who does not want the abortion. To further represent the choice Hemingway strategically places the railroad station in between the two sides of the valley

Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” can be puzzling and hard to decipher. Due to this, a number of conclusions can be drawn away from the text. The dialog between characters leaves a number of questions unanswered and leaves the reader confused about the conversation as a whole. Many things are left unsaid and not explained in the story, with that being the case, the reader must take a look at the symbolism in the story. Hemingway uses the title, scenery, and drinks as symbolism to reveal the hard truth about the couple’s relationship.

In “Hills Like White Elephants” Hemingway exceeds the boundaries of literature. He provides no clear resolution or climax. The reader becomes unaware of the narrator, only knowing what is said or described within the bare minimum of context. The short story seemingly only makes sense after multiple reads and in conversation with other readers. Each time leads to further interpretation. Its illusion is a simplistic dialogue that Hemingway exhibits. But, the subject upon closer observation is far more complex than just physical appearances. The individual is capable of inner turmoil under the scrutiny of simple actions.

Ernest Hemingway created the iceberg theory, by which he expects the reader to know a great deal of information from the little he expresses in his work. This style is evident in his short story, “Hills Like White Elephants,” because the information the reader must obtain is hidden underneath the surface. This writing style often confuses the reader, but when the short story is read multiple times, the reader can connect to Hemingway’s unique use of a variety of essential elements. The relationship between the reader and the story is strengthened by the vivid imagery, appealing setting, multilayered characterization, and a deep symbolism expressed

In the short story by Ernest Hemingway, "Hills Like White Elephants," a couple is delayed at a train station en route to Madrid and is observed in conflict over the girl's impending abortion. In his writing, Hemingway does not offer any commentary through a specific character's point of view, nor, in the storytelling, does he offer his explicit opinions on how to feel or think about the issues that emerge. The narrative seems to be purely objective, somewhat like a newspaper or journal article, and in true Hemingway form the story ends abruptly, without the couple's conflict clearly being resolved. The ambiguity of the ending has been a subject of much debate; however, the impact of what is not said in words can be gleaned through the

It is also assumed that the act of telling a story can provide insight into past, present and future events (Espinoza, 1997). By going through this process, individuals can find the importance of certain events and assign roles to people who are a part of their story. This act can allow a client to find new meaning and understanding to their reality (Espinoza, 1997). Not only is a

Narrative psychology builds upon broad interdisciplinary and scholarly basics that extend into the humanities as well as the social and natural sciences. Psychologists who come from more outdated arenas of psychological study are challenged with significant obstacles when moving toward narrative approaches: there are multiple spheres of knowledge that relate to narrative but may be totally unfamiliar to them. At least three basic areas which narrative psychologists can discover to better understand this perspective involve (1) the work done in the civilizations by narrative theorists in poetry and disapproval; (2) philosophical voices, such as Paul Ricoeur’s, which suggest narrative as constitutive of human personhood; and (3) social scientists in psychology and related fields who offer bases in which narrative is fundamental to the understanding of human behavior and working.