Who Is Alpha-Male In Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants?

As humans, we tend to rely on others to guide us in choosing “right” decisions. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway tells a story of an American man with a girl, named Jig, having a conversation about whether or not Jig should undergo this “operation,” which we could assume is abortion. Jig looks to the man to tell her what she should do and what would happen afterwards, basically looking for a “right” decision. The girl is torn between listening to the man, who pushes her to have an abortion, or separating from the man, to instead, keep the baby. Hemingway uses setting and symbolism to interpret the girl’s struggle with abortion.

Most men side with the men, and most women side with women. In the short story Hills Like White Elephants, Ernest Hemingway explores a power dynamic through a situation that is still controversial today. While this short story explores the decision-making process between a girl and a man, the controversy arises: whose decision is it? This power struggle for a decision that, arguably, mainly affects the life of the girl. While the man may choose to wish to be a part of the child’s life, the pregnancy and abortion is solely affecting the girl, not the man. Hemingway strips the girl of any authority and knowledge by differing between girl and woman, yet by closely examining the interactions between the girl and the man, it is the girl remains authoritative over the decision of a possible abortion.

Women and men have rarely ever been able to wholeheartedly agree upon something, especially something as significant as an unwanted pregnancy. “Hills Like White Elephants” centers around an unwanted pregnancy and how a young couple is talking about it and handing it. While the mention of pregnancy or abortion is never actually said, it can be inferred through their conversations and simple clues Hemingway includes such as, “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig” (Hemingway) (Link). The man in this relationship, the American, continues to reassure the woman, Jig, that the “operation” is simple and tons of people have it done. He also continues to repeat “how simple” it is. Jig

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.

Traditionally, a white elephant is a useless possession that is more times than not, unwanted. In today's world we see white elephant gift exchanges where people will exchange unwanted gifts to one another, usually popular among work colleagues or family gatherings. In “Hills like White Elephants” the white elephant is the baby that Jig is unexpectedly carrying. Even though the couple is in love neither the man nor the girl can decide what to do with the child the are expecting. The baby would indeed be a gift, but it would also be a burden, this can be discovered when the man states that “We’ll be fine afterward. Just like we were before” (Hemingway 476). The man obviously believes that if they decide to keep the baby then it will prevent them from doing things they want to continue doing, and that is clear because he continues to badger Jig about the situation they are in that it made Jig beg the man to stop, she pleads, “Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?” (478). By this it is clear that Jig is truly concerned about the situation that affects her life and just wants to stop talking about everything. It is clear that the american man does not want to have the baby, “the man has therefore treated Jig’s pregnancy like a burden or an illness” (Rankin 236). Throughout the short story the man has obviously been for the abortion and does not

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.

Like most stories, the women are mostly known for their vulnerability and being less powerful than men; this is one of the major comparisons between these two different works. In “Hills like White Elephants”, the foreign woman Jig, and her boyfriend the American, are contemplating on going through with an operation, seeking to be an abortion. Hemingway demonstrates to the reader hands on how much Jig depends a lot on the American. Since she couldn’t even order herself something to drink without him, let alone make such a difficult decision. The American, otherwise known as the more stronger character, knows exactly what he wants and sticks by his choice when filling the girl’s mind with promises of being happy and being able to go back to the way things used to be. Because of Hemingway’s “iceberg theory” distracts most of the

In the story, "Hills like White Elephants" written by Ernest Hemingway, the main character Jig faces a life changing event, abortion. The struggles with the complications of abortion concern and desire Jig to want to keep the baby. Bringing a new life into the world is a long time commitment and it is something Jig feels she can treasure forever. However, her companion attempted to persuade her in another direction, to proceed with the abortion. As naïve as he is, he feels his persuasion can overcome Jig's desires. Jig is a sarcastic yet reserved woman, who desires to bring a new life into the world, even if her companion does not approve; she knows what is best.

Ernest Hemingway was an American author and journalist. One of his most famous and controversial pieces “Hills Like White Elephants” is frequently discussed among authors and readers. In this short story there is a girl and a American man sitting at a train station. The girls name is Jig, we come to find out that she is pregnant and that the two are disusing whether to keep the baby or not. They question each other to see if the options would ruin their relationship. Hemingway portrays things to serve as double meanings. Two of the main subtopics and questions formed from this paper is whether or not Jig has the baby. And whether of not the tense relationship between the two lasts. Among the many authors who have their own opinion on what these things mean is, timothy Obrien, who wrote, “Allusion, Word Play, and the Central Conflict in Hemingway’s ‘Hills Like White Elephants”. In his paper he focuses on certain phrases to conclude his belief that Jig does get and abortion and that the relationship between Jig and the American does not last. A professor at Illinois state university by the name of Stanley Renner, author of “Moving to the Girls Side of “Hills Like White Elephants””, does not think the relationship lasts. Although the relationship does not last he believes that the baby does. David Wyche, author of “Letting the Air Into a Relationship: Metaphorical Abortion in “Hills Like White Elephants””, he is not

While the American, a practical man, looks at things in the function of their practicality and possesses little imagination. Furthermore, he is dominant, a know-all and a manipulator to the bone. He takes care of the luggage, speaks Spanish and orders the drinks, not Jig. When sitting in the bar drinking some beers, she looks off at the lines of hills and remarks: ‘”They look like white elephants,” she said. “I’ve never seen one,” the man drank his beer.’ (251). I think Jig is referring to a concept, using figurative language for a ‘white elephant’ is, in fact, an idiom for a rare thing of which the cost exceeds its value. In this perspective, it is an intertextual reference to the yet unborn baby. For the practical American, the baby is just a costly thing, but Jig does not share his view. She values life and nature. In contrast, her lover is talking about a real white, albino elephant. He cannot comprehend what Jig is referring to. When Jig utters her disappointment about the poor taste of the Anis del Toro, they have a quarrel that ends with him saying that they should try and have a fine time (252). Yet the way he puts it sounds more like a demand, an imposition. As the discussion goes on whether or not to abort the child, the American even appears to know that Jig wouldn’t mind to do it. A matter that is clearly linked to women, nonetheless, he knows: ‘it’s all perfectly natural’ (253). When, in fact, you could question

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

The short story "Hills Like White Elephants" morphs into a desperate story of a woman socially dependent on an American man if the story were to unfold in the eyes of Jig herself. It's insinuated that she's bearing the child of the American man who pleads for her to have the "awfully simple operation" that "lots of people have done" (331). If the story were in first person for Jig, she would show the reader her anxiety about undergoing an abortion and the possible ramifications of the procedure. It's inferred that both of these characters never received ample sex education, and that during this time period contraceptives were seen in a negative light.

The American attempts persuading the girl into going through with having the abortion, and the girl questions the outcome. He begins explaining to her the operation is a very simple and easy and she asks, “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 213). Even though the words don't say "If I have the abortion, will we go back to normal?", that’s exactly what she's trying to ask. She's fishing for reassurance from him, in hopes he'd reply that their relationship will remain the same. When responding, the girl’s name is revealed. However, the American only calls her by her name twice. This is where the American's self control feature plays a big roll. This is an indicator of how he feels about the situation, whether negative or positive is hard to tell. He explains he only really care about what she wants to do, "If you don’t want to you don’t have to. I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to" (Hemingway 214) but we don't know if he actually believes what he’s saying, or if he’s doing this in a selfish way to persuade her for his best interest. Perhaps it'd be better for the both of them if the American let loose with his self control, and actually shared his feelings instead of being wordy and trying to tame the

Despite being trivial, an unexpected pregnancy can be very sensitive and may lead to rapid decisions in a relationship. In “Hills Like White Elephants” (1927), by Ernest Hemingway. Is an excellent short dialogue of a couple having drinks and insinuating a dispute concerning abortion, which at first glance it seems to appear that the man wants her to proceed with the operation. In the story, Hemingway only refers to them as the American Man and Jig, but how does Hemingway make his characters appear so real with unique details while also being relevant towards today’s present society? In a simple style of writing, but complicated he can capture the impact that pregnancy can have in a relationship.

The empowerment and the persistent drive for equality for women have become vastly common and effective in modern history. Women have exceeded past archaic stereotypical roles of the housewife, the mother and the submissive doormat to more empowering trajectories. Many debatable issues surround women’s campaign of liberties including the broadly debated right to decide who has ultimate say in regards of getting an abortion. Ernest Hemingway wrote a story called, “Hills Like White Elephants” that conveyed the viewpoint of females centered around the topic . Well into character’s development the reader sees Jig’s ability to come to her own decision about the procedure and submit to the pressure of a culture controlled by men.