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Explain the symbolism in the hills like white elephants
Explain the symbolism in the hills like white elephants
10 deeper meanings of hills like white elephants
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In Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants” and Wallace’s “Good People,” both of the young females, Jig and Sheri, experience an unplanned pregnancy and must decide whether an abortion is the right choice. While the former story employs dialogue to depict the relationship of an adventurous, carefree couple in the 1920s, the latter uses third person limited point of view to show a faithful young couple whose religion is their source of morality. Thus, Wallace digs much deeper since both religion and love are a factor in Sheri’s ultimate decision. The enigmatic endings of both stories leave us questioning Jig and Sheri’s choice and its impact on the future of their relationship with their respective partners. The text suggests that Jig will not comply with the American’s wish of aborting the baby because of her vision and the indicative dialogue between her and the American, and Sheri will conform to her religious beliefs and carry the child. Whereas Jig will leave the American due to his lack of obligation, Lane Dean Jr. will marry Sheri in his effort to be a good person.
Jig’s sarcastic tone in her dialogues following the Americans’ is indicative of her decision to not get the abortion. After the American assures her that they will be happy like before and it is a “simple operation” (Hemingway 592) Jig retorts, “What makes you think so?” (592). Hence, it implies her disbelief and realization that things would not change much whether or not she got the abortion. Jig’s desire to keep the child is further evident when she tells him “[they] could get along” (593). She sees the possibility of a happy life with the child; the American sees it as an obstacle. Therefore, he continues in his effort to persuade her otherwise because “[he...
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...n unplanned pregnancy between two young couples. While Hemingway’s story takes place in the 1920s with a couple traveling the world together, Wallace’s story takes place in the present between a religious couple making a moral decision. As revealed by the specific dialogue in Hemingway’s text and Lane Dean’s thoughts in “Good People,” both Jig and Sheri will carry the child, and while Jig and the American will end their relationship, Lane Dean and Sheri will abide by their Christian faith in matrimony.
Works Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Gen. ed. Kelly J. Mays. 11th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 591-594. Print.
Wallace, David. “Good People.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Gen. ed. Kelly J. Mays. 11th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 215-220. Print.
The character of Jig is also very indecisive. After The American Man is persuading her to have an abortion, she states that she is willing to have the operation if it will make The American Man happy, and insures he will no longer worry. She also states that since she doesn’t care about herself, she will have the procedure because it will please The American Man. Later during the story, while they are outside looking at the hills, the two have the conversation of:
Kelly J. Mays. New York: Norton, 2013. 1461 - 1462. Print. The.
Making a decision on having an abortion is very hard. It is even more difficult when the person by your side wants you to have an abortion. In the short story, Hills like white elephants, Jig gets persuaded into abortion without making her own decision. Jig needs to know the ins and outs about abortion before making a decision. Jig has to have a lot of knowledge about abortion before making a decision. Many people can relate to the struggle Jig goes through in the story, because we tend to make decisions based on others happiness. Jig’s mate is unhappy with the pregnancy and wants Jig to get an abortion. We do not hear what the mother of the baby really wants. Even though it is a delicate topic, it is well aware and popular. Deciding on having an abortion is a huge decision and should be looked over many times before falling on one decision. Before Jig makes a life changing decision, it is very important that she gets the right amount of information that will help her make choice carefully and educationally.
In “Good People” by David Foster Wallace and Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants,” two young couples are faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Sheri Fisher may be sympathetic because Lane Dean Jr. gives her little input in a decision within their discussions, he is unsure as to whether or not he loves her, and because Sheri has made big plans for her life ahead before the unplanned pregnancy. I contend that Jig deserves more sympathy because the American is persistent in his persuasion toward the operation, his love is unjustified, and because Jig has not made plans for her life with or without the child.
Jig asks her lover if he will worry about the procedure, and he responds by saying he considers the treatment simplistic. In response Jig states, “Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me.” This statement further asserts that Jig is just looking to appease her male counterpart and put her own feelings aside in order to remain with her lover. Jig doesn’t want to lose her current relationship, and in order to do this, she is attempting to withhold her true emotions and avoid seeming hysterical. Additionally, Jig is continually pressured to not worry by her overbearing lover, because all their problems will be solved after the operation. The man states early on in the story that, “[they’ll] be fine afterwards. Just like [they] were before,” and claims that the only problem that exists between them is this decision about whether or not Jig should have an abortion. At this point, Jig does not want to face the decision to either not receive the treatment, which could destroy her romantic relationship, or to go through with the operation. Due to the societal gender roles telling Jig she is a sentimental woman, Jig agreeably states, “I’ll do it,” in order to end the conversation and keep her true feelings deep within herself. She even goes on to argue that she “feels fine,” although it is
The plot of this story revolves around a decision that two characters, Lane Dean Jr. and Sheri, are forced to make. Lane and Sheri are both Christians who are not an official couple, but clearly haves feeling for each other, sitting in a park bench analyzing the choices they must make. Sheri “ was serious in her faith and values” (Wallace 217) and already has a stereotype towards her on how she must be a good person. Sheri and Lane although not a couple or married, become pregnant. With Sheri being very smart and serious about school abortion is the decision she is leaning towards with an appointment already set. As Lane and Sheri sit at the “ picnic table at the park by the lake”...
We all have expectations, something that we expect as a result of something we did, but what about the unexpected something that we did but never fathomed the consequences? We often times call the unexpected a “curve ball” and that’s exactly what happened to the couples in the short essays “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway and “Good People” by David Foster Wallace, they were thrown a curve ball. The couples in the short stories have extremely hard decisions to make. The woman have the most important decision to make and the men have to decide to support the women in the lives or make a decision to move on. Sheri will most likely have her baby because she cancelled the abortion and she has bonded with her baby in her womb, and Lane Dean Jr. will marry her because he realizes he loves her. On the other hand Jig will most likely have the abortion because she fears the American will leave her if she doesn’t, and the American will stay with her because now they can travel without a baby spoiling his plans.
Through his endless amounts of pestering he never finds a way to get his desire and true feelings across to the young lady and becomes increasingly bothersome because of his inability to convey his feelings. “‘We can have the whole world,’ the American declares. ‘No we [cannot],’ Jig retorts. ‘ We can go everywhere.’ No, we [cannot]. It [is not] ours any more.’ ‘[It is] ours.’ ‘No, it [is not].’” (3) The American is insistent on continuing the nomadic lifestyle that the couple lives by aborting this baby, and pesters Jig continually hoping to sway her with the thought of living their same lifestyle that they currently live. However he never directly tells her his desires and instead attempts to manipulate her as he feels his desire is in their best interest regardless of how he achieves his desire. However he does not realize that in his examples he is strengthening Jig’s resolve and conviction in her own wishes. Earlier on in the narrative the American is quick to turn and begin attempting to conform Jig, without any warning or inkling of a change in topic he quickly turns it into what he wants: “‘Should we have another drink?’ ‘All right.’ ‘The [beer is] nice and cool,’ the man says. ‘[It is] lovely,’ Jig agrees. ‘[It is] really a simple operation, Jig… I know you [would not] mind it.’ [Jig] did not say anything.” (2) Without transition or a telling sign, the American quickly turns an agreement about how lovely the cool beer is on a warm day, into pressuring Jig to conform to his desires. All because of his selfish need and lack of responsibility to settle down and lead a life where they can raise the child, and his desire to continue living a life of excess and materialism, yet he cannot convey these desires of him
...o deal with the situation of the abortion. The companion not the ideal man for Jig. Jig wants to move on in life but her companion is fond of their life without any changes.
There is a common theme in “Hill’s like White Elephants” and “The Birthmark” of a life altering decision. Both women are thinking about having an operation that will affect them for the rest of their lives. In “Hill’s like White Elephants”, Jig and the American are debating whether or not they should have an abortion. This decision is something that will affect both of them deeply throughout their lives together. By the way the two characters interact with each other the reader can deduce how important they feel the operation is. There seems to be a tension in their sentences with each other. Jig says things like “Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you've waited so long for” and “That's all we do, isn't it-look at things and try new drinks” (Hemingway 841)? These responses to the American show that Jig is in a distasteful state of mind which would most likely stem from her thoughts about the operation and what they will do in regard to it. Because these thoughts of the operation are affecting her socially, it shows just how important the operation is to her. How Jig interprets the scenery around them while they are discussing the operation also suggests the importance ...
The story "Hills Like White Elephants" is a conversation between a young woman `Jig' and an American man waiting for a train at a station in Spain. The author never names the topic of their discussion but as their dialogue progresses; it becomes evident that Jig is pregnant. The man wants Jig to abort the unborn child but she is unconvinced and wants to become a mother. Hemingway has brilliantly written the story's dialogue which "captures the feel of a private conversation while at the same time communicating the necessary narrative background" (O'Brien 19). At the end of the story, it is unclear as to what decision has been made; however, Hemingway gives the reader several clues regarding what Jig feels, and what she wants to do. Jig's private thoughts are illuminated by Hemingway's description of the setting, the character, and the conflict. Stanley Renner suggests that, as a result of the couple's discussion, "Jig has become able to make a more clear-sighted estimation, and perhaps a better choice, of men" Wyche(59). The couple's inability to communicate effectively their true thoughts and emotions makes their dialogue very appealing. The story examines the gender differences and miscommunications as they influence the decision whether to abort the unborn child or not (Smiley). In his book on Hemingway, published in 1999, Carl P. Eby points out that "[f]or the past two decades, Hemingway criticism has been dominated by a reconsideration of the role of gender in his work" (Bauer 125).
When a woman gets pregnant, she and her partner make a serious decision whether they should give birth to the unborn child or abort it. However, sometimes every couple can have a different outlook about giving birth or aborting because every male and female has his or her ways of thinking. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” the author, Ernest Hemingway tells a story of an American man and his girlfriend, Jig, who have a disagreement in the train station on the subject of whether to keep the unborn child or to abort. However, the author uses binary opposition of life and death to portray the polemic argument a couple encounters regarding abortion. As a symbol for the binary opposition of life and death, he represents the couple’s expressions, feelings, and the description of nature.
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.
Through the characters' dialogue, Hemingway explores the emptiness generated by pleasure-seeking actions. Throughout the beginning of the story, Hemingway describes the trivial topics that the two characters discuss. The debate about the life-changing issue of the woman's ...
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