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Hills Like White Elephants Relationship Analysis

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The relationship between the American and the girl in “Hills Like White Elephants.”
In the 1900s, there was a distinct relationship between a man and a woman, with each having their own traits. During this time, Ernest Hemingway also had his own idea of this relationship which he portrays in his story, “Hills Like White Elephants”. Within this story, the relationship between the two characters, the American and the girl, is portrayed as strained and distanced by their constant avoidance of the “elephant in the room”. With this avoided truth, they find ways to distract themselves from it, but also attempt to hint at or let the other side know their feelings about the problem. Through this, we notice how their relationship is at a crossroads and how they make …show more content…

Nevertheless, Ernest Hemingway soon shows that this relationship contains a rift. This becomes apparent once they try conversing to one another. The girl attempts to spark a conversation by mentioning that the hills look like white elephants, but this topic soon turns hostile with the American’s replies. How this conversation is handled already shows that the couple “are trapped in a state of imbalance and disagreement” from the beginning (Link). The problem with the conversation is that the American’s personality of being simple and serious. This is shown by his reply to an imaginative remark with a short, straightforward answer of, “I’ve never seen one” (Hemmingway 1). However, when she agrees, he is quick to defend his pride, attempting to maintain his image of being “the authority of knowledge” (Link). As for the girl, she is imaginative, and evasive as she quickly changes the conversation instead of handling it. Donald and Heather Hardy support these ideas with a brief analysis of the two characters’

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