ipl-logo

Miscommunication In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants?

828 Words4 Pages

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. Throughout the short story, Hemingway exhibits liminality in his language as he describes feelings of …show more content…

The girl claims that the hills “... look like white elephants”(Hemingway, P1) where the man responses with “I’ve never seen one”(Hemingway, P1). Metaphorically, the girl later elucidates that the hills don’t really look like white elephants which can be portrayed as a subtle hint that she may want to keep the unborn baby that the American missed. The metaphor of white elephants can be linked with the saying ‘elephant in the room’ that refers to ‘the obvious truth that is being unaddressed’. The difficulty to communicate can be explain in the ‘white elephant’ metaphor as the two do not clearly address how they are feeling towards the situation. The setting of describing the country as “dry and brown” which can draw on the realism of their situation, dead and in need of rejuvenation. Dry can be considered dead and may make a potential link to the current issue of

Show More
Related

  • Comparison Of Hills Like White Elephants 'And Sonny's Blues'

    1012 Words  | 5 Pages

    The settings authors use for their stories play an important part in short stories by allowing the authors to express various moods, give insights into the thoughts of their characters, and use symbolism through contrasts in the settings. This essay will look at how the settings of "Hills Like White Elephants" and "Sonny's Blues" were used to reflect the characters' conflicts and emotions while also adding atmosphere and depth to the stories. The short story "Hills Like White Elephants," written by Ernest Hemingway, explores the complexities of human connections. This story follows a couple, Jig and "the American," as they face a major life decision: whether or not to have an abortion, which they refer to as an "operation" (Hemingway 701).

    Read More

  • Hills Like A White Elephant Literary Analysis Essay

    528 Words  | 3 Pages

    Literary Analysis #2 Hills Like White Elephants This short story by Ernest Hemmingway, is about a man and woman’s difference in opinion with one another. The couple is waiting on a train to arrive at the junction station to take them to Madrid, Spain so that the woman can have an operation. In this story, Hemmingway utilizes symbolism and clues to explain the plot of the story and the conflict the two characters are having.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Hills Like White Elephants

    285 Words  | 2 Pages

    The short story "Hills Like White Elephants," is about a couple that is really young and the is having a issue about abortion. The author uses a lot of rhetorical devices to convey his message but mostly use imagery and symbolism. The way that the story is told by the author the reader can see the story told in their head. The way that the author describe the hills and the town that they was in it shows a lot of imagery. The story also picture the couple waiting for the train that they had been waiting for.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Ambiguity In Hills Like White Elephant By Ernest Hemingway

    333 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ernest Hemingway uses repetition and ambiguity in his story, “Hills like White Elephants'' to exhibit the idea that in order to maintain a healthy long-term relationship, communication and consideration of one another’s values are needed. Throughout this story, a couple, Jig and the American, are having an intense and emotional conversation about whether Jig should have an abortion. She displays very sensitive feelings about the procedure, and the American takes advantage of this by trying to manipulate her, repeatedly stating it is her choice: “if [she doesn’t] want to [she doesn’t] have to. [He] wouldn’t have [her] do it if [she] didn’t want to” (477). By doing this he falsely implies he has no opinion, but later contradicts himself by

    Read More

  • Hills Like White Elephants Literary Analysis

    1554 Words  | 7 Pages

    Throughout the short story (1), “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway is speaking about a seemingly unwanted pregnancy and a woman’s uneasiness with going through an abortion. However, Hemingway never explicitly says in this work of fiction (2) that it is about abortion or that the woman, Jig, is uncomfortable with it, but uses symbolism (3) to present this to the audience. At the time “Hills like White Elephants” was published, in 1927, abortion was illegal in most places and a very taboo subject that wasn’t to be openly discussed in public. Thus, Hemingway relied greatly upon the use of symbolism to get his message across for this reason as well as the third person narrator (4) that did not give insight into the character’s thoughts within this piece of literature (5) . He uses symbols such as the train station, white hills, the baggage, and the drinks to point towards the underlying internal conflict (6) of Jig’s decision that is being heavily influenced by the American man, who wants Jig to get the abortion.

    Read More

  • Hills Like White Elephants Relationship Analysis

    813 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Abortion In Hills Like White Elephants, By Ernest Hemingway

    786 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the course of the story “Hills Like White Elephants” the author Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism to describe the the main idea of the girl having the “operation.” Hemingway uses the landscape, the white elephant, and the term “elephant in the room” to represent different aspects of the pregnancy and abortion. The landscape in the story represents choosing the abortion or choosing to keep the baby. The setting of the story is at a train station.

    Read More

  • Hills Like White Elephants Rhetorical Analysis

    739 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway, there is a relationship unfolding, a complex relationship difficult to understand. The relationship is revealed by a conversation between a man and a woman, a topic of conversation that people rarely discussed in the period that the story was set. After researching interpretations, it is consistently said “She is pregnant, and he wants her to have an abortion” (Weeks 76), to which I agree that this conversation is about abortion. With the man seemingly pushing the topic and the girl hesitant and questionable, it is unsure as to the result of their conversation. However, it is my belief that she chose to follow her heart and not get the abortion.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Disconnection In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    1013 Words  | 5 Pages

    One main theme in Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” is the idea of disconnection. In this story, we eavesdrop on a conversation held between both characters. In their dialogue, conflict is created as the characters face what most readers believe to be the obstacle of unexpected pregnancy. This is assumed through symbolism and the titles meaning. The term “white elephant” was used for an unwanted gift.

    Read More

  • Relationships In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    853 Words  | 4 Pages

    The struggles presented between these two characters bring to light issues in human relationships that weigh into everyday life. Hemingway’s short story reveals to readers how relationships affect communication, decision

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    1013 Words  | 5 Pages

    Symbols are often placed in the surrounding scenery of a story to give it more than just a visual effect but also an indirect reference to a deeper meaning that can be interpreted. As seen in the title, symbolism is used throughout the short story, “Hills like White Elephants”. Ernest Hemingway’s use of symbolism along with the description of the setting helps to give a visual representation of the conflict between the American and the girl as their conversation continues on the subject of abortion. In the near beginning of the story, Jig, the girl, states that the far off hills “look like white elephants” (Charters 475).

    Read More

  • Hills Like White Elephants Character Analysis

    1044 Words  | 5 Pages

    In his story “Hills Like White Elephants”, Ernest Hemingway points out the couple's inability to make the decision: whether to abort the unborn child or not. The reader finds that the story deals with couple's miscommunication through the conversation and the emotions that they express. One can observe that no descriptions are given to the characters, thus, Hemingway creates universal dilemma to focus on the crucial issue. In this way, Hemingway leads the reader to identify with his female character that undergoes a struggle.

    Read More

  • The Dialogue In Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    1629 Words  | 7 Pages

    The dialogue in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” reveals a man’s and a woman’s incongruent conflict on abortion, and the author’s fundamentally feminist position is visible in the portrayal of the woman’s independent choice of whether or not to keep the baby she is carrying. The plot is very simple in the story which is less than 1500 words long. A woman and a man spend less than an hour on a hot summers day at a Spanish train station in the valley of Ebro as they are waiting for a train heading for Madrid. Their dialogue takes up most of the space and only few major actions take place.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    1128 Words  | 5 Pages

    Symbolism plays a fundamental role in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants”. The different symbols used throughout the story are capable of subtly conveying intricate concepts to the readers of this recognized literary work. It then becomes essential for them to detect all these symbols, and discern the deep meanings which they hold in order to truly grasp the story’s message which the author intended to transmit. Without this insight, many first-time readers may view the story as a simple and casual dialog between two people, a man and a woman, waiting for a train from Barcelona to Madrid. Thus, they become unaware of the intense conflict the two main characters are actually facing, haunted by the difficult decision of terminating a pregnancy

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Hills Like White Elephants, By Ernest Hemingway

    2016 Words  | 9 Pages

    If taken literally, Hemingway’s story is one in which very little happens. The story takes place in a train station in Spain where a couple argue about a vague event over drinks. From the very start of the short story, there is an overbearing uneasiness felt in the text as the unnamed male and the girl, Jig, hold what seems to be—on the surface—an innocent conversation. By using a limiting third person point of view that consists mostly of dialogue, Hemingway creates an obstacle in the way of understanding as there is no clear insight to what is going on inside of either party’s head. The conflict that the pair seem to be discussing is never named and it becomes the metaphorical elephant in the room much like the white elephants that Jig sees in the mountains.

    Read More

More about Miscommunication In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants?

Open Document