Hills Like White Elephants Essay

509 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN hills like white elephants

In this short story” Hills like White Elephants” written by Ernest Hemingway, one of the main characters is called as “the man” or “ the American”. Through the entire story, there is no descriptions about the background information of this American. When the story starts, the man and his girlfriend is waiting at the train station in Spain. Through their conversation, it is clear to see that his girlfriend recently becomes pregnant. From the description of their luggages “ There were labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights.” (Hemingway), the man must have a romantic relationship with this girl and they enjoy themselves during these trips. Even though, the author doesn’t show any clues about this American, we can still …show more content…

He pays no attention to the outside when the girl mentions “ the two hills look like white elephants”. While the girl seems reluctant to take an abortion, the man tries to persuade her “ I'll go with you and I'll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it's all perfectly natural.” (Hemingway) He claims that their relationship will turn to normal and they will be happy as before if the girl have an abortion. From these dialogue, this American is clearly a man who is powerful in this relationship. He is selfish and egoistic when he mentioned the word “ simple” several times in his talks, such as “I won't worry about that because it's perfectly simple” (Hemingway). Even though he seems to be very emotional in this conversation, he never cares about the girl’s feeling and the potential physical damage on her. We can have a feeling that this man is not honesty towards the girl. In other words, he is fraudulent. From the beginning of the story, this man is thinking about how to persuade the girl to take the action. When he notices the girl talks with hesitation and not willing to have an abortion, he shows his sympathy by saying " I think it's the best thing to do. But I don't want you to do it if you don't really want to." (Hemingway) However, these talks are not convincing because he

Show More
Related

  • Symbolism in Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway

    1703 Words  | 4 Pages

    In a well-written short story, different literary elements and terms are incorporated into the story by the author. Ernest Hemingway frequently uses various literary elements in his writing to entice the reader and enhance each piece that he writes. In Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway uses symbols to teach the reader certain things that one may encounter during daily life. Symbolism may be defined as relating to, using, or proceeding by means of symbols (Princeton). The use of symbols in Hills Like White Elephants is utterly important to the plot line and to the fundamental meaning of the story. Through this use of symbolism, the reader can begin to reveal the hidden themes in this short story.

    Read More

  • Jig

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Manipulation of Syntax in Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Immorality in The love of My Life by T.C. Boyle and The Hills as White Elephants by Ernest Hemingwat

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Jig and the Stream of Life in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants”

    1631 Words  | 4 Pages

    I see many people as I wander through the streets, yet I can only hear silence. I see couples getting into a restaurant, order, check their smartphones, eat, and I wonder why they do not look up, face each other and genuinely communicate. What I perceive, are men and women living not with, but next to each other. This is exactly what I imagined when I read Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants”. A couple waiting to catch a train and as they sit and drink some beers, they start talking about Jig’s pregnancy and the option of abortion. However, all I can hear is silence because they simply do not speak the same language. They are both living in different worlds filled with divergent ideologies and opinions. As a result, the words do not come across. The American, though, does everything in his power to convince Jig of conducting an abortion, in which he seems to succeed at first. But as the story develops, the divided and childlike Jig transforms into an independent woman, who possesses an internal strength, determination and a mind of her own. Hence, I am going to argue that Jig will not have the abortion and will eventually leave the American.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Hills Like White Elephants

    1092 Words  | 3 Pages

    In my literary analyst I have chosen to analyze the short story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway and also the short story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O 'Brien. I have chosen these two short stories because the conflicts in both of the stories are not alike one another. In my literary analysis I hope to identify the conflict, literary techniques, and also similarities and differences between both short stories.

    Read More

  • Setting in Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    Swaying trees in the distance, blue skies and birds chirping, all of these are examples of setting. Setting can create the mood and tone of characters in a story. In the story Hills Like White Elephants, the story starts out with our two characters, Jig and the American, also referred to as the man, on a train overlooking mountains. “The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry” (Hemingway). In the case of this short story, the hills provided Jig something to take her mind off of the grueling conversation she was having with the Man. As said by a critic, “the story itself is comprised almost entirely of dialogue. Although there is a situation, there is no plot” (Henningfield). This characteristic makes the story harder to identify. As the couple reached the station they sat down on a bench and continued to talk. “The girl stood up and walked to the end of the station, looking at fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro” (Hemingway). The location of setting plays a big role in how the characters wi...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Hills Like White Elephants And A Clean Well-Lighted Place

    1418 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American in “Hills like White Elephants” is constantly saying how simple of a procedure it is when in actuality he has no knowledge of abortions. He goes on to say that “she doesn’t have to be afraid because he knows lots of people that have done it (Hemingway 476) The taking of a life no matter how it is done is never as simple as saying other people have done it so don’t be scared. Even though the American says he just wants her to be happy. It is clear that the most important thing is not her safety or happiness but him being able to live his care free lifestyle burden free (Wyche). He is constantly pushing the conversation even when she ask him to stop. For him the thought of death is an escape from his responsibilities. Her indecisiveness is hindering his plans to travel and he says if she does have an abortion then he will be happy again and then she will be happy too. He is so simple minded and egotistical that he tells her what she needs to do to be happy and that that’s the only way. At this point the American has indirectly said I cannot love you and be happy if we have a child, but if she has this procedure then everything will be back to normal. In “A Clean, Well-lighted Place” the protagonist the young waiter has a similar outlook but in a different situation. The waiter is constantly saying that “he wishes the old man had just killed

    Read More

  • Interpreting Hemingway's 'Hills Like White Elephants'

    1637 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway is about a couple, the American and Jig, who contemplate whether or not to have an abortion. The premise of the story seems simple enough, but the outcome is highly debated. Critics argue that the baby was kept by the couple ( Renner ) and others claim the baby was aborted.( Fletcher ) Others have even simplified the story, claiming that the issue was not resolved because the couple was drunk by the end of the story. ( Sipiora ) Although the conclusion is in questions many have agreed with the idea that the couples relationship would be changed and would end prematurely. ( Wyche ) Dialogue is the main technique in conveying this argument but we can only understand the complexity of Hemingway’s work by looking at the story as a whole. By looking at the many symbols, intrinsically and

    Read More

  • Essay Hills Like White Elephants 'And The Story Of An Hour'

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Abortion in Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    2463 Words  | 5 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Themes In Hills Like White Elephants, By Ernest Hemingway

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the short story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, the author employs the use of the iceberg theory to convey a hidden message within the lines of the story for the reader. Through the use of strictly dialogue, Hemingway allows the reader to only see the part of the iceberg that is above water. The rest of the story is inferred by the reader. For example, Hemingway uses simple sentences rather than complex sentences to get straight to the point. All of Hemingway’s use of detail and explanations of scenery or background is made simple.

    Read More

  • Communicating Conflict in Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    1264 Words  | 3 Pages

    ---, "Hills Like White Elephants." The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Charles Scribner?s Sons, 1953. 273-278.

    Read More

  • Hills Like White Elephants, a Theme Analysis

    1242 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ernest Hemmingway uses time, place, and symbolism in "Hills like White Elephants" to intensify the central dilemma in a story about a man and a woman deciding on whether to go through with an abortion. Although a literal reading of the title may not seem to have any relation to the story, the title is rich in implications. Critics suggest that "Hills" refers to the shape of a woman's stomach when pregnant, and Webster's 21st Century Dictionary defines white elephant as: "[An] awkward, useless possession." The term is also defined in Webster's as an item that is worthless to some but priceless to others. According to Victor Lindsey, the child in the story is a white elephant in the view of the man, who is trying to convince the girl to get rid of it. Hemingway hints about how the man and the woman each feel about the unborn child, but he never tells us why they have such different views on the prospect of an abortion. The man in the story, referred to as "the American," claims that the abortion is necessary because it would save their relationship, whereas the woman, Jig, has doubts as to whether or not she should have an abortion at all.

    Read More

  • Setting in Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Hills Like White Elephants Essay

Open Document