Somethings are considered inappropriate to talk about in public but situations arise that force us to talk about them. In these cases, most people use very veiled speech. I had no expectations going into “Hills Like White Elephants” by Earnest Hemingway, I have not read any other his other work. This story was very full of veiled language and unspoken feelings which was daunting at first, but I came to appreciate after I read it. The title both describes a scene and a situation of the elephant in the room. I was very surprised by this story and enjoyed its style very much. Thought this story I have discovered an appreciation for Hemingway and a desire to read more of his work.
While “Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story, it compresses a lot of ideals and feelings in its few pages. The story opens with a couple at a train station passing the time until their train arrives. They sit in the bar area of the station and seem to try to relax over drinks. While trying to make small talk the couple starts to have a talk about an operation the woman, whose name is Jig, is going to have. What the operation is for or on is never said outright, but with the language used, such as “You don’t have to be afraid. I’ve known lots of people that have done it” (Hemingway 636) and “They just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural” (Hemingway 636), I feel they are talking about her getting an abortion. They don’t seem to really be on the same page about how they really feel
Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants" touches on an issue as ageless as time: communication problems in a relationship. He tells his story through conversations between the two main characters, the American and the girl. Conflict is created through dialogue as these characters face what most readers believe to be the obstacle of an unexpected pregnancy. Their plight is further complicated by their inability to convey their differing opinions to each other. Symbolism and the title's meaning are other effective means of communicating conflict.
In the short story "Hills like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway we were presented a man and his girlfriend. They order a couple drinks as they wait for a train. As the story continues, more details of what the couple is discussing unfold. Although it is never actually said we learn that the couple is talking about whether to have an abortion. "It's really an awful simple operation, Jig."(42) It's is also
“Hills Like White Elephants”, by Ernest Hemingway, is a short story published in 1927 that takes place in a train station in Spain with a man and a woman discussing an operation. Most of the story is simply dialogue between the two characters, the American and Jig. This couple is at a critical point in their lives when they must decide whether or not to have an abortion. Certain themes arise from this story such as choices and consequences, doubt and ambiguity, and how men and women relate. Hemingway also uses many examples of symbolism in “Hills Like White Elephants”, including descriptions of the surrounding scenery, the hills themselves, and the station where the action takes place.
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.
A more significant literary element that the author uses is symbolism, which plays a big role in Hemingway’s story. As mentioned previously, one of them are the sides of the hills which represent life and death. Another form of symbolism found in the story is written in the title, “Hills like white elephants.” The man and girl’s conversation basically starts when the girl mentions that the hills look like white elephants. This could represent the idea of abortion. It’s referenced as an elephant like in the common saying “ the elephant in the room” which makes the topic of abortion a big, obvious topic that the couple has to talk about, but tries to avoid by drinking beer (5). As the girl observes the hills more, she realizes that they don’t really look like white elephants, so not everything is what you perceive it to be at first glance. Thereafter, she sees the two sides of the hills and realizes that having the baby wouldn’t be so bad, as she admires the fertile fields of grains and trees on one side. Naturally, the man who wants her to have the abortion says “It really an awfully simple operation,” but the girl realizes that it is not that simple (6). In addition, the man says that they could have everything if she has the abortion, however the girl argues that they cannot, because she can never take back the baby that she will lose if she undergoes the operation. To specify, she
The short story, “Hills Like White Elephants”, by Ernest Hemingway, is not the type of story that explicitly reveals its meaning. However, one must read between the lines in order to understand the purpose of this story, and certain literary elements are deliberately placed within to aid the reader. 3 elements in particular stand out in “Hills Like White Elephants” and their placement within are what make the story important and meaningful. Looking deep in the core of this story, the reader may see the usage of setting, conflict and symbolism to convey the issue of dealing with unexpected problems and confronting the future.
In Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway tells a simple story about a couple who is arguing about an abortion. Through the woman’s dialogue, the readers grasp that she does not want to get the operation done, even though she never states that directly. As the man tries to convince her, she, obviously, becomes more and more frustrated with him. For example the woman says, “I feel fine. There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine”(478). From this dialogue, the reader can acknowledge that the woman by no means is going to give into the man’s persuasion and, ultimately, the final decision will be hers. However, the man does not seem to care that the operation could potentially harm the woman. For example, he describes the abortion, “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig. It’s not really an operation at all”(476). The reader grasps that the man is selfish, does not put himself in the woman’s shoes, and
“Hills like White Elephants” is a story about a couple who is going to undergo an abortion together (which relates to the theme of death). While abortion is not said at first- the reader can tell it is being proclaimed. The story is filled with tension but the reader can tell that this couple loves each other. The tone of this story is hard to identify at first but it can defined as skeptical or confused. Due to the fact that these two young people are unsure about what they
“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.”
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
In “Hills Like White Elephants”, Hemingway describes characters little. This short story basically consists of a dialogue between a man and a woman. In the short story, Hemingway barely provides the information of characters so that this short story can be generalized in one sentence: a man and a woman are waiting for the train to Madrid on the roadside. Because of the hot weather, they keep drinking beer, while discussing an operation. Actually, in this novel, characters are always talking about this vital operation. This operation exists as
In “Hills like White Elephants” only two main characters are mentioned, the Girl and the American. Hemingway might have purposely done this because their names are not rather important as so the story itself which has a deeper meaning. He also doesn’t use “he said” or “she said”, it’s dialogue written as if it was said straight out of the character’s mouths. The characters are sitting at a bar in between two railroads, traveling to Madrid, Spain for the woman to undergo an operation. The Girl we could also refer to Jig, because the American calls her that while speaking in the story (Hemingway 351). He says to Jig, the operation shes about to go through is not much of an operation at all, and tries to calm her nerves about it. To me, possibly persuading her more to get this operation done, satisfying his wishes rather than hers. Jig keeps talking about after the fact if she does going through this operation, if they will be happy again like they
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.
In Hills Like White Elephants, Ernest Hemingway uses controlled concise diction to develop a tension-filled tone, which characterizes the woman as a pushover to the man, revealing how society gives in to lust, blinding them from the love they desire.
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”.