The Theme Of Abortion In Hills Like White Elephants
In the short story, “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway from the start makes us draw out our own conclusions and does not give us a great deal of information. For example, we are only told about two characters, an American man and a girl who are waiting for their train to arrive. Other than this, we are not told what relationship the characters share together or where their final destination is. The protagonist who is referred to as “the girl” is in the middle of a tragic situation which can take a turn for the best or the worst and her partner, the “American man” is not helping but making the situation more heated.
The conflict between the two characters is the issue of abortion and whether or not the girl will go through it. Hemingway does not tell us that the girl is pregnant but hints it throughout the story referring to “the operation” as having an abortion. From the start, you can take
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She is being easily swayed by the man who is making her think that the baby is “the only thing that is bothering [them and] it’s the only thing that’s made [them] unhappy” (212). The “love” she has for him seems real to her at first but soon she realizes it is not even true because she does not really mean anything to him and the baby she is carrying does not make him happy at all since he is going through so much just to get rid of it. She is presented with this realization when she says, “but if I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and you’ll like it” and to that he replies, “I’ll love it. I love it now but I just can’t think about it. You know how I get when I worry” (213). The unborn child is a burden on him but he does not admit it. He shows it by telling the girl he loves her and afterwards, they could be like they were before and how he does not want anybody but
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1554 Words | 7 PagesThroughout 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.
Hills Like White Elephant Omission Essay
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970 Words | 4 PagesI am reminded of two sisters who found themselves in a similar situations to Jig and Sheri, with an unwanted pregnancy. The eldest of the two, in a relationship with man with the attributes of the American and the youngest with a man with the attribute of Lane Jr. The youngest decided not to have the baby because of her desire to follow her career path, as I believe Sheri did in "Good People". The Eldest chose to carry and have the baby despite the odds stacked against her, as I believe Jig did in "Hills Like White Elephants", they both were faced with a decision that would affect the remainder of their lives. The younger would wonder what it would have been like to raise and see the progression on the child she so willingly aborted and the eldest knowing that she made not only the right decision but also the best decision, to allow life to come forth because of love, which may be rocky but it is still
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739 Words | 3 PagesThroughout their conversation, you can decipher a tone where the conversation sheds light on his feelings towards the procedure and her feelings. He says “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig. It’s not really an operation at all” (Hemingway 124), in an effort to persuade her to in fact have the abortion. She, on the other hand, seems silent at first, but then questions how their life will be better after this procedure. Her uncertainty shows in her responses, and in other findings “… the sensuous beauty of a love relation that is quickly deteriorating, now that she has become conscious of her lover’s selfishness” (Maynard 273).
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1108 Words | 5 PagesHowever, the American man rejects the idea of family and selfishly attempts to convince her an abortion is a better solution. Weeks Jr. 77, analysis of the white elephant symbolism supports this theory. Hemingway sets “Hills Like White Elephants” at a train station; this motif symbolizes the state of the relationship between the American man and the girl is at a crossroads. Travelers, including the main characters, must, therefore, decide where to go and, in this case, whether to go with each other and continue their relationship or venture in opposite
Hills Like White Elephants Literary Criticism
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The Theme Of Power In Hills Like White Elephants
1062 Words | 5 PagesA beautiful view of mountains and a sunset in the background or running up hill for hours. Two distinctive perspectives showing different sides of a story. The mountain having power to make something beautiful or feel like it is slowing you down and is just in the way. Power can be argued to be good or bad in certain situations because with power it can mold the person we will become or how we will live our life. Power can motivate us or it can lead to actions that could cause regret.
Hills Like White Elephants Character Analysis
1044 Words | 5 PagesIn 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.
Hills Like White Elephant Literary Analysis
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The Dialogue In Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants
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Hills Like White Elephants Feminist Analysis Essay
958 Words | 4 Pages“Hills Like White Elephants” – A Battle of the Sexes Every iconic story or tale describes a battle—be it the battle between good vs. evil or morality vs. immorality. But perhaps, one of the greatest battles to take place is the battle of the sexes. Through his short story, “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway offers an insight into this clash. The popular view of this story is that the male character exhibits dominance over the female, yet one must acknowledge the fact that, perhaps, this view is flawed. Hemingway’s narration of this story through a unique point-of-view and a dynamic female character named Jig serve as evidence that it is the female who wins this battle.
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