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Recommended: Symbolism
“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway is a short story outlining a conversation between a girl called Jig and an unnamed man referred to as the American Man. Throughout the story the two are discussing a topic, but never deliberately say it in the text, however it is implied that they are debating abortion. Jig and the American Man are in a relationship and she becomes pregnant, but the American wants Jig to get rid of the baby. Looking past the actual story, readers can see certain literary devices used in the story. For example, Hemingway uses writing style, symbolism, effect of the tone, and setting to portray certain feelings and thought to the readers through these devices. Like any other story or poem, the writing style has a big impact on the readers. It is one way the audience connects with the writer. The majority of the writing in this short story is dialogue between Jig and The American Man. A conversation within a story can move the plot quickly or slowly depending on how the writer uses it in their text. For example in this particular writing, Hemingway has quick and direct responses to the two characters such as “We can have everything,” and “No, we can’t.” This …show more content…
Symbolism has a major role in the modernistic period as well as it does today. A title is the name of the whole text and has a part in why the story is called “Hills Like White Elephants.” First glance at this story, readers expect it to be about hills or even about the wild, but when reading this, it is clear that it is not about either of those, but it is included in the text. Jig says, “They look like white elephants,” while she was looking out the hills in the distance. This could symbolize several things based on the way that the audience interprets it. I interpret it as she looks out to the hills wishing she could have a better life, but she could never see it similar to the way you never see white
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.
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.
In conclusion, the short story ‘Hills like White Elephants’ contains symbolism to a high degree. The most important of all symbolism is perhaps the "white elephant". As we all know, a white elephant is a gift that nobody wants. To correlate this to the story, the white elephant is the baby who wants to abort template hesitant.
In this story the literary technique conflict played a major role in shaping the story altogether. I see this literary element throughout the whole story as the man and the women argue about having an operation or not. The second literary element simile is used in the title “Hills Like White Elephants”. This represents the women’s pregnancy in the story. She uses this simile multiple times throughout the story. The first time she uses it, is to bring up the conversation with her significant other about abortion. The second time she uses it is to throughout the idea of abortion and to stop talking about the subject. This helps shape the argument throughout the short story. The third literary element in the story is the climax of the story. I think that the climax of this story is when jig threatens to scream if the man does not quit talking about the operation. She asked several times for him to quit talking about it, and it finally led up to her threatening to scream over the situation. The climax of the story played a major role in shaping the argument as well, and it also made it clear that the conflict in this short story was individual versus
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
Stated in the title and repeatedly mentioned throughout the story, the hills looking white elephants is an important symbol. This symbol is mentioned in the first line, “The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white.” The color, being an important indicator of its meaning, as stated by Abdoo is similar to that of a still born child (Abdoo 239). This observation after knowing what the conflict is gives us direction from the first line. Lewis E. Weeks uses the image of the hills to embody the image of a pregnant woman lying on their back (Lewis) This is
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 “Hills Like White Elephants” and “The Story of an Hour”, the woman in each story imprisons in the domestic sphere. In “Hills Like White Elephants”, the woman in this story conflicts between keeping the baby or getting abortion although the relationship with her boyfriend would not improve as he said. In “The Story of an Hour”, even though Louise Mallard, an intelligent, independent woman understands that she should grieve for Brently, her husband and worry for her future, she cannot help herself from rejoice at her newfound freedom. The author of this story, Kate Chopin suggests that even with a happy marriage, the loss of freedom and the restraint are the results that cannot be avoid.
The Iceberg Principle that Hemingway is so fond of, has already given rise to many discussions over the years. Giving away only a tip of it, Hemingway leaves us behind with a great amount of mystery in his stories.
Renner, Stanley "Moving to the Girl's Side of `Hills Like White Elephants'." The Hemingway Review, 15 (1) (Fall 1995): 27-41. As Rpt. in Wyche, David "Letting the Air into a Relationship: Metaphorical Abortion in `Hills Like White Elephants'. The Hemingway Review, 22 (1) (Fall 2002): 56-71. EBSCOhost.
During the Arguing a Position essay, I learned how to use several course competencies. For instance, I improved my use of meta cognitive knowledge; understanding the important need for details. At one point of the paper I wrote “when all cost are included into the tuition, more students will be able to afford the proper education.” However, my teacher felt as though it did not have enough detail for what I was trying to convey and changed it to “knowing all cost besides tuition, students could make better decision is they know the real ability of a school’s education” only little things changed allowed there to be greater detail shown. I now understand why it is important to understand the need for detail. Secondly the arguing a position paper
For example, in “Hill like White Elephants” not many people understand the title. But, a white elephant is known to be something that is not wanted. In this story, the baby is compared to a white elephant, because the American does not want to have this child in his life. Furthermore, Banks uses more description in his writing of the story. By stating the races of each party, he could be implying that there might be a problem when it comes to race and how others will perceive the news. But, also he also uses the symbol of a dark green rowboat. By stating the boat is green, it is related to nature and growth, but by adding dark before it, it becomes a paradox. By having symbols in each story, it is recognizable there are deeper meanings in each story the author is trying to show the
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.
The thing that makes, Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway such a powerful story is the subtlety with which it is told. Hemingway is commenting on subject matter which for the time would have been considered taboo, but does so without actually spelling it out for the reader. As the characters sit together drinking beer and talking, it becomes immediately apparent that there is something weighty between them and as the conversation continues, the reader can feel pressure building between the two of them. At this point, the source of the tension could be anything and the reader follows along expecting not only some kind of outburst between the man and the American girl, but also to find out what has caused the rift.