Underlying Meanings in Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

1291 Words3 Pages

Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants", is a story about a doomed relationship. Hemingway uses symbolism, dialogue, and also setting to tell this story. Behind the words said by the characters, and sights explained to the readers, are hidden meanings that when analyzed, bring the story to another level. Alcohol holds a certain amount of symbolism in the story. The two main characters, "Jig", and a man we only come to know as "The American" are sitting in a bar. The pair order drinks, and they also talk about them. Though the woman in the story is pregnant, she still drinks. From this, one could only conclude that she either does not care about the damage she is inflicting on her young, or that she doesn't realize. While carrying on a conversation about having an abortion, they do take time to discuss their drinks, and also to occasionally order some more. Taking consideration the topic at hand, it becomes somewhat clearer that maybe the woman has chosen not to care about her baby, and that is why she does drink. The alcohol is a device the characters are using to avoid the subject and maybe make it seem a little more lighter, and easier to talk about. The man also uses the word "operation", instead of coming out and saying abortion as a way to defer from the topic also. One could only presume that the two are looking to come to terms on a decision that neither are going to put much thought into. The end of the story leaves the reader hanging, proving my point that no real talking was ever done, and that a conclusion was never reached. The fact that the couple was in a bar also tells something of the nature of their communication. Abortion isn't something that two people should discuss over drinks... ... middle of paper ... ...aiming to deceive at some point or to actually go along with the abortion, she is still running in the same direction as the man. However, being parallel, the tracks never meet. One can conclude from this that the two do not have the same opinion on the matter, and that in fact, they have opposite beliefs. When I read this story the first time, I was completely lost in finding a meaning or even making sense of it. Upon reading a second and third time, I found the story to be a story within a story, and that in order to understand it; one has to understand the symbolism in it. Hemingway used a story to tell an entirely different story. It was rather fascinating to discover some of the hidden meanings, considering the story is absolutely full of them. It takes a great writer to send the reader on such a journey of discovery, and Hemingway did just that.

Open Document