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Hills like white elephants analysis essay
Hills like white elephants analysis essay
Controversial issues with abortion
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People today when often asked about manipulation they definitely say no, that no one has ever manipulated them because people don’t tend to want to be looked down on. It’s human nature for people to want to look tough and being manipulated or manipulating others to do something for our own advantage make the person just look weak. An although we do not like to admit that people have been able to control us from doing a small task like doing someone’s homework or to a severe case in which someone is forced into having an abortion, its most likely true that someone has taken advantage of us one way or another. A couple of years ago I remember having a sleep over with my best friend and at one point throughout the night I began reading her messages between her and her boyfriend. This guy was being very vulgar, mean, and aggressive towards the way he was speaking to her and as I began to ask her why she was letting him speak to her in that manner, she began to cry. I had no idea what was going on, so I let her know that I was here for her and that she was able to tell me anything she wanted. She began to open up to me a little bit and that is when she dropped the bomb on me, letting me know she had undergone an abortion not too long ago. She began to tell me that since the operation her boyfriend had become this aggressive person towards her, blaming her for killing their child and just mentally and emotionally abusing her. I told her she did not have to deal with that, it was her body and her choice and frankly the guy did not understand the struggles she would go through if she had decided to keep the baby. She felt trapped and she continued to tell me that because she did this to the guy she felt like she deserved the way he was tr... ... middle of paper ... ...g to a woman, so not determining a solution can only make the reader feel much more closer to Jig. Hemmingway’s short story, “Hills Like White Elephants” not only involves us being able to understand the mindset of someone dealing with such a difficult decision of having an abortion, but it allows us to view ourselves or others who we know have been through this same situation. Jig being manipulated into doing something she is not ready for not only pertains to abortion but it can relate to almost any situation and Hemmingway teaches us that if you are not ready for something then you should not do it. He allows us to realize that we have the last decision and although in the end of the story Jig does not make a final decision, I believe that is 7 Hemmingway’s way of telling us no matter what Jig ends up choosing, you the reader can make your own final decision.
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:
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...
In conclusion, Hemmingway may not have given us many clues as to the thoughts and feelings of Jig, but through interpretation, we are able to get some idea as to the person she used to be. Interpretation also gives us an inkling as to her final decision. On the surface, Jig’s final decision is to keep the baby. However, on the inside, her decision is to rediscover herself. She gradually breathes life back into her old self. Jig’s rebirth of the vitality she once had is one of the themes in "Hills Like White Elephants." Though she lost her herself in him, she finds her strength returning in this child. The strength and determination she once had is now alive and kicking.
Life is a series of crossroads, major and minor, and each decision plays a key part in analysing the character of a person. In “Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway tears back the curtains and exposes one of these moments in full ingenuousness. A man and a woman, named Jig, are at an impasse. They have to decide whether or not they are going to abort their child. The man wants no change in his life, and so he wants no child. The woman wants a change in lifestyle, but in order to keep the child she has to break the autonomous lifestyle that has surrounded her for her entire life. She, in essence, must change her identity in order to follow her aspirations. By juxtaposing the character’s perceived identity to the character’s hopes, Hemingway provides the reader with certain axioms of life. These axioms that Hemingway presents fit into the curriculum of Junior Year by relating to specific values and social conventions, by having literary merit and lastly by transcending time by influencing modern society’s media themes and motifs.
...ys how an unborn, unwanted child may bring dilemmas like poor communication, inability to make a decision, and damage to relationships; all in a symbolic and creative manner. Relationships issues such as a couple’s inability to communicate efficiently, their distant nature towards one another, the resurfacing of deeper issues contribute to the decision a woman makes regarding abortion. In addition to whether or not a child is born, a man’s defiant and persuasive manner combined with a women’s desire for the relationship she fell in love with can be the difference between a thriving relationship and a broken one. Heminway’s inventive story uses hidden symbols to explore the topics of abortion and relationships in such a way as to leaving the reader wondering and debating if the couple is going to break up or if the American merely changes his mind about the operation.
Detroit: Gale, 2002. Literature Resource Center. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. The main idea in this analysis is to prove that Jig and her partner are in the middle of a comedy and trajedy. Comedy in this case refers to marriage and sexual union rather than humor. Tragedy refers to the end of something such as the end of family or society. Henningfeld states that the decision Jig has to make about the abortion will take the couple in either a comedic direction or a tragic direction. The ending is inconclusive and the only thing the readers can interpret is that there is a huge struggle the couple is facing. Henningfeld states that many of Hemingway’s stories deal with
The scene is set in Barcelona, Spain at a railroad station that overlooks hills across the valley. The main characters proceed to wait in a bar until their train arrives to take them to Madrid, Spain. Jig begins by asking if she can have a drink and the two start drinking and speaking of an operation Jig is supposed to be having. The conversation gets slightly intense which becomes apparent by the body language and tone that is given off. The American is trying to settle her nerves by telling her “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,’ the man said. ‘It’s not really an operation at all.”(Hemingway) Although it seems like the American is trying to be supportive it changes when Jig replies. After thoroughly reading the story you come to find out the operation is actually an abortion. At first read you think the American is being supportive and trying to calm Jigs nerves but that later changes when you read Jigs reactions to what is being said to her. An argument flourishes and causes Jig to walk away and look at the scenery and dwell in the beauty. This later transitions to the end of the piece where the American takes the baggage to the end of the tracks because their train would be arriving shor...
Throughout Hills Like White Elephants, the American refers to his girlfriend only as Jig (which is a device used for measuring whiskey). This nickname implies that he sees her only as an object; a companion to his wolfish self-gratification. The name in itself is an epithet for the bibulous and carefree lost generation lifestyle on which the two indulged. By leaving the American nameless, Hemingway endows the character with strength in anonymity. He is not concerned with his health, life or future and is only preoccupied with his present existence and the preservation of what he considers to be pleasurable to him alone. This gives the American the upper hand over Jig; thus exhibiting his dominance. Although she so desperately wants to move on from this lifestyle and start a family, she does not want to lose the man she loves. Therefore she is willing to postpone her transition into womanhood so as not to ruin the romantic connection she feels exists between them.
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
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
Hills like White Elephants takes place in the early twenties, a time when abortions were not only illegal, but negatively impacted ones reputation detrimentally. In the 1920’s, some 15,000 women a year died from abortions because they were shamed into having them done illegally by those who were not medically trained to perform such an operation. (Pollitt) This was because of the extreme prejudice against women and their rights to their own bodies and to making their own decisions. In a time where a woman was viewed as her husband’s property, Jig is torn between making the decision she feels is right and the decision that she is being told is
To sum up, Jig has realized her desires, motivations, and traits that convey her needs. The story is an acknowledgment of an everyday struggle that women deal with. Jig realizes that she needs to do what makes her happy, not what makes her companion happy. The story implies how the companion felt, not how Jig felt about the abortion. Jig's character grows emotionally, and builds up confidence throughout the story. Her thoughts about her companion change throughout the story. "Do you feel better?" he asked. "I feel fine," she said. "There's nothing wrong with me. I feel fine"(191). Jig is a powerful woman and is not persuaded to make a decision with which she is not comfortable.
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 ...
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.
Close interpretation of the story "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway leads the reader to an issue that has plagued society for decades. Understanding of the human condition is unveiled in the story line, the main setting, and through the character representation. The main characters in the story are an American man and a female named Jig. The conflict about abortions is an issue that still faces society today. Architectural and atmospheric symbolisms are used to set the mood and outline the human condition. The love bond between the man and Jig is strong; however, the more powerful bond between Jig and her unborn child is sacred.