In "Hills Like White Elephants," by Ernest Heminway it is easy to sympathize with the woman, to like and admire her more than the man in the short story. In the story the woman's name is "Jig," and the man is being called "the American." Throughout the story Hemingway makes it easier to sympathize with and easier to admire Jig by conveying her likeable traits throughout the conversation being held by her and the American, who is portrayed as very unlikeable.
In Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants," the story starts with a scene that opens on a railway station in Spain where the Barcelona-to-Madrid express is. The American and Jig, his girl, sit at a table drinking beer. The landscape surrounding the station plays a role into a part of the conversation the American and Jig will have later on in the short story. The landscape is described as the valley of the Ebro River, with long white hills on each side. Jigs remarks about the hills looking like white elephants which is a defined as something that is of a great burden or a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of, and is especially of something that is expensive to obtain. This remark starts the conversation that is very serious but is being portrayed by the American as not a big deal. The meaning of the conversation is never just bluntly stated, but through clues and a bit of interpretation it is easy to tell that they are having a conversation about Abortion. The man plays off the conversation as not a big deal and a very easy thing to get done, but Jig knows that, that is not the case, and that there is more to the surgery than what the man knows. Through the conversation, the relationship between Jig and the American can be seen as ...
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...oes not have to, becaues it is her choice. He does not care about Jig enough to even ask what she wants or care that she might actually want the baby, all he wants to do is keep living the way that he is living.
In "Hills Like White Elephants," by Ernest Hemingway the it is easy to sympathize with the woman, to like and admire her more than the man in the short story. Through reading the short story and going through the conversation that Jig and the American have it is easy to say why Jig is more likeable because she is sort of a victim of the American. He is pushing her into having an abortion that she may not want to have to keep their relationship the same, but if she has the abortion the relationship will not be the same anyway. The American is just pushy and selfish and wants only what is best for him, while Jig wants what is best for both of them.
Hemingway provides the reader with insight into this story, before it is even read, through the title. The girl in the story mentions the hills that can be seen from the train station and describes them as looking like white elephants. Jig is at a crossroads in her life, accompanied by her partner. She is pregnant and cannot decide whether to choose life for the baby, or to get an abortion. Throughout the story, she experiences persistent uncertainty over what she wants to do with her life. Whatever decision she makes will have a drastic impact in her later years as a woman. While seated at the bar inside the train station, the girl says, “The hills look like white elephants” (Hemingway). The hills that are spotted in the distance directly parallel the decision that Jig must make. Critic Kenneth Johnston was recorded stating, “A white elephant is a rare pale-gray variety of an Asian elephant held sacred by the Burmese and Siamese. The girl’s reverence for life is captured by this meaning of the phrase.” Johnston also says, “A white ...
In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” the character Jig is submissive to her counterpart The American Man, who is encouraging her to have an abortion. While Jig is not sure what she wants, she does not wish to press the subject of the operation because The American Man is intent upon persuading her to go through with the procedure. Throughout this story Jig’s helplessness, indecisiveness, and her lack of education become apparent, although by the end of the story she becomes confident, decisive, and ultimately takes back control of her decisions and life.
Ernest Hemingway has a superbly unique style of writing in Hills Like White Elephants. His short, to the point syntax and sentence style plays a great role in helping readers understand the theme of this short story. The critique M.A.K. Halliday observed, “The story is frequently generated by the repetition of words, clauses, and groups of related words or ethical sets” (Link, Alex). The first set of dialogue that can be pulled from this story is story is short and to the point. The American states, “We can have the whole world.” Jig replies with “No, we can’t” (Hemingway, Ernest). The sentence length is very short, yet there is a hidden meaning behind the small talk. Jig is referring to not having the baby. She can have everything, but her will to decide things. She can’t have a baby due to unloving pressure from the American. It is in sync with the tone of the story perfectly. The tone is forward, direct, and shallow. That is exactly what happens in this dialogue. There is no emotion, just pure sarcasm on a huge topic. Abortion to this couple is nothing more then a qui...
Hemingway also uses immorality as the central idea. The American is trying to convince the girl to abort: ‘“I have known lots of people that have done it…. ‘But if I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants…‘I’ll love it” I just cannot think about it” (596,597). Here one sees how the man manipulates the girl.
‘Hills Like White Elephants’ is a short story authored by Ernest Hemingway about an American and a girl named Jig. In the story, the two are sitting in a train station waiting for the train to Madrid. While they wait, they have an intense ongoing debate on whether or not to abort Jig. At the end of the story, the train is about to arrive and the man carries luggage on the tracks as they prepare to leave. The end of the story does not clearly define the outcome of its decision. She said I feel good at the end of the story - happiness is a central theme of the story, but we wonder if she went through with the operation. The paper discusses the manner in which symbolism has been employed in the story to communicate about an abortion, the couple is considering to go through.
The theme of physical and emotional burdens has a strong connection to Hemingway 's life. Hemingways alcoholism was more of a physical burden as it caused him to have liver disease whereas his fight with depression was more so of an emotional burden. However, the physical and emotional burdens in “Hills Like White Elephants” is focused around a completely different topic than depression or alcoholism. “Hills Like White Elephants” main focus is on a woman named Jig and her lover whose name is never told. All the readers know it that he is an American man. Jig is currently pregnant with what seems to be an unplanned and unwanted child, at least from the point of view of Jigs boyfriend. The couple begins to talk about the pregnancy and, at first, it seems that they have both agreed that the child should be aborted. However, as Jig and her boyfriend continue their conversation about the baby it becomes painfully clear that Jig does not want to have an abortion. Instead, the only reason that she is even considering the abortion is because her American lover does not want the baby and continuously tries to persuade her into having the abortion by emphasizing how simple the procedure will be. Jig’s boyfriend notices how apprehensive she is and tells her that if she truly doesn’t want to do it he’ll support her decision but also tells her that her having the abortion will make their relationship happy once again. Once again insinuating that it is the best decision. Jigg agrees to the abortion but only because she says she “does not care about herself”. Jiggs agreement to the abortion while also saying that the reason she is agreeing is due to her not caring about herself shows just how heavy of an emotional burden she is carrying. Jig loves her boyfriend and wants him to be happy, however, she wants to keep her baby. This causes
The subtle manipulative control that the American has over Jig’s thoughts and actions transforms itself into a complete control over her decision. After finding out that she is pregnant, Jig has a difficult time weighing her options because of her dependence o...
We learn that the woman in this story is called Jig is worried about an operation, and she is making the effort to talk her way into it or out of it. Her male friend, on the other hand, is out to give her support. The story presents the theme of loss of love. In spite of the transparent assertions of the man assertions, it is clear that he needs Jig to abort so that they can continue living their life as before. The approach that Hemingway uses the theme of love and hate is the loss of love. The “Hills like white elephants” may be referring to the baby who is the risk of death though abortion. The couple also seems to be looking at the hills as the lady defines them as being clean and beautiful. Also, white elephants can mean an expensive and great gift. So about this story the white elephant is the baby who is a joy and wonderful gift as well as a burden. The woman views the baby as an expensive gift because she will have to lose her boyfriend in the exchange of the gift. The baby also means a huge price to pay and also to care for the baby alone requires hard work. Through the story does not provide the topic of sexuality in the case of the other two poems I have discussed above, the effects of desire rein this story. The jig is convinced that she can have the world as she looks out to the mountains. The man represents a fear and restriction that are within
“The Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story that is about an American man and a girl called Jig. They are sitting at a table outside a train station, waiting for a train to Madrid. While they wait they order drinks and have a heated ongoing conversation over whether or not Jig will have an operation that would be of great significance to their relationship. “The Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway has two important symbols in the story, the hills and the drinks both of which help to give us a better understanding of what is going on between the American and his girl.
This short story is filled with symbolism, some of which the reader may never find. The title itself can be analyzed a lot deeper. The “hills” refers to the shape of the female body during pregnancy and the “white elephants” symbolize a property requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit (merriam-webster.com). The story is about a man and a woman taking a train to get an abortion. The train is supposed to show change and movement, something this couple appears to need because their life is very routine.
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.
Hemingway's characters in the story represent the stereotypical male and female in the real world, to some extent. The American is the typical masculine, testosterone-crazed male who just ...
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 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 symbolism of their surroundings. Upon examination of the setting, the couple's final choice becomes instantly apparent.
On average, around 15 million abortions occurred among younger, unmarried women ranging within the childbearing ages of 15-44. In which case, the reader could infer that Jig was among that age range in the text because she was bearing a child. It does not state if the man and Jig were married, but one could infer that they were not married due to the way they were described as young and were traveling instead of settled while Jig was pregnant. This could also infer that Jig became pregnant unexpectedly and very sudden. Becoming pregnant unexpectedly leaves a woman at a higher risk for considering an abortion. The higher risk could be due to her or her partner unready for a child or have an unmet need for contraception. Which could explain why the young couple was highly considering the abortion. Allowing the reader to know this information, it could enlighten them to realize why the man is encouraging Jig to have the abortion at a subtly aggressive extent. He is unready to have the responsibility of a child or a family. In Spain, where the story occurs, abortion is a legal option for women in the first 14 weeks of their pregnancy. This implies that Jig would receive a safe abortion, meaning after receiving the