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Use Of Diction In Ernest Hemingway's 'Hills Like White Elephants'

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In “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway employs characterization and diction to illustrate that men can be very powerful and horrible. While introducing the characters the narrator says, “The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building” (1). Ernest Hemingway uses diction to emphasize that there is an American man and a foreign girl. He wants readers to consider that the man has power because he is more experienced than the underage girl. After telling her it’s her decision and trying to sway her decision he reveals “‘I think it’s the best thing to do. But I don’t want you to do it if you don’t really want to’ ‘And if I do it you’ll be happy and things will be like they were any you’ll love me’”

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