“Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway. Set in Spain in the year 1927, and narrated in the third person limited, this is the story of the internal conflict of an unmarried expectant couple in route to have an abortion. Hemingway cleverly uses several literary elements to describe underlying conflicts between the couple as they discuss the procedure. The central idea is an identity crisis regarding self-identity, and how conflict, setting, diction, and symbolism are used to tell the story. The central idea is an identity crisis, Jig experiences an identity crisis as she realizes her feelings about the pregnancy are in direct contradiction to the feelings expressed by the man concerning her pregnancy.
Hemingway used a simple story to hide a deep, sensitive message for his readers to discover for themselves. He wanted people to put more thought into reading his story, therefore he left it up the oneself to discover hidden messages. Hemingway hid clues of abortion through the usage of white elephants, the drinking habits of the two characters, and the landscape. Never once did he straight up tell the readers that the two characters were having a secret, coded discussion about abortion. Things are not always what they
Jig sees her pregnancy as a positive experience other than a negative experience. She is deeply in love with the man. She would like to settle down and have a life with the man. Yes, “said the girl. “Everything tastes of liquorice.
Between the lines 106 and 110, the American drank another beer at the bar and the girl remained sitting at the table. This part of the story implies that they will end their relationship and go their separate ways. Jig has realized that she does not need the American anymore, and that she is capable enough to handle life on her own. When asked, “Do you feel better?” (109) by the American, she responds with a confidently stated, “I feel fine… There is nothing wrong with me. I feel fine” (110).
“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway. The American and Jig wait on the afternoon train to Madrid, Spain. Due to a pregnancy that took them by surprise the two are at a difficult time in their relationship. It is clear that regardless of whether Jig surrenders to the American 's requests, their relationship is bound to be a disappointment and fail in the end. This is made clear using imagery in the title, setting and discussion between the two characters.
Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants” is about this couple at a train station in Spain needing to make a decision about an abortion. In this short story, there are a number of symbols to look at, like the setting, the drinks, the train, and the white elephant. This story takes place at a train station in Spain. The train station is in the middle of two fields. The field on the right “were fields of grain and trees.
“Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story written by the American author Ernest Hemingway. The story was first published in 1927 in the experimental literary journal transition and later on during the same year in the second collection of short stories written by Hemingway called Men Without Women. Ernest Hemingway is regarded as one of the most important writers of the 20th century and most of his works are considered as classics of American literature. After a first read of the short story “Hills Like White Elephants”, the reader can clearly see that Hemingway entwined some autobiographical components into the story, especially his lifelong difficulty to engage in meaningful relationships with women in particular. The numerous allusions
The work of Ernest Hemingway offers the reader a chance to dwell in the world of struggle and decision-making. Moreover, the interaction between the girl and the American keenly reveals a sense of insecurity within a relationship built on persistent distractions. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway uses simplicity in conversation, essential symbolism, and character development to expose the couple’s immaturity and the choice between romance and family. Hemingway effectively disguises the growing tension between the girl and the American through idle conversation. Several instances demonstrated the uncomfortable air that surrounded the two.
As the plot unraveled, it became evident the main character, Jig, was pregnant, but her significant other, the American man, wanted to persuade her to have an abortion. The man first mentioned the abortion when he stated, “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig. It’s not really an operation at all” (Hemingway). Jig did not respond, therefore the man continued to persuade her to get an abortion by oversimplifying the operation. She questioned what they would do post-abortion, so he explained that they would be happy, just like the couples they knew.
It is in Ernest Hemingway’s 1927 short story “Hills like White Elephants” that the commonality of problems of communication between two is cited as a reoccurring theme. Clearly identified by the two unnamed characters that the dialogue expresses miscommunication, confusion and switching between two languages; English and Spanish. Never directly diagnosing what exactly the operation they discuss is for, presumptions can be made of an abortion and refer to it as “it” (Hemingway P.3). Despite a strong presence of miscommunication, Hemingway manages to incorporate literary techniques such as realism throughout his story, which allows readers to connect and understand the reality of the story with plenty of dialogue and the use of imagery. The discretely included metaphor of the elephants is also considered an example of miscommunication as many commodities that the two wish to convey goes discoursed.