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Hills Like White Elephant Symbolism

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Symbols within “Hills Like White Elephants”

When readers first glance at the short story, “Hills Like White Elephants” they only acknowledge it as a conversation between two people who are waiting for a train, not as the hidden meaning of the two talking about having an abortion. This story was written by Ernest Hemingway, and starts with a description of the setting where this couple are standing. Jig and the man both realize that they have a decision to make that will affect their future. However, it is shown by comments that Jig wants to keep the baby, while the man is persistent in telling her that an abortion is the only thing that will make them happy. The hidden meaning behind the white elephant, the dramatic symbol of the train crossroad, and the landscape that they are …show more content…

They talk together about the situation while sitting at a train station. Hemingway writes that Jig is looking off at the line of the hills when she states, “They look like white elephants” (Hemingway 475). This is the main symbol that was brought up during their conversation. A white elephant is a possession of which its owner cannot dispose of. This not only is a symbol to the way a pregnant woman’s belly protrudes but also to an “unwanted gift.” In his scholarly article, Jr. Weeks states:
The richness, complexity, and irony of the white elephant symbol increases as we see the conflict over the unborn child develop and as we recall that the actual white elephant is a rarity in nature, it is considered sacred and precious, and is revered and protected. (Weeks)
The connection made between the unwanted gift (the baby) and the hills is very significant to the story, and is often overlooked by many readers. The baby in Jig’s belly is related to the white elephant because of how precious the gift is, and also how expensive it will be to keep. Both Jig and the man know that this decision has to be faced

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