Category: Hills Like White Elephants

Introduction

Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story first published in 1927. It depicts a couple drinking at the bar at a Spanish railway station and discussing the possibility of an abortion. The male character, only referred to as “the man” or “the American,” advocates the procedure, even if he does not want to appear doing so (Hemingway, 2017). The woman named Jig has her doubts, and these doubts consolidate as the story progresses. “Hills Like White Elephants” highlights Hemingway’s mastery of short story as a genre and of using superficial descriptions to convey deep meaning lying under the surface of what things appear to be. In particular, this mastery manifests in the imagery of the bamboo curtain that symbolizes and propels the divide between the two characters.

Curtain Imagery: Summary of Ideas

There are several factors indicating that the curtain imagery is important for the story and Jig’s arc as she draws her conclusions and arrives to a decision. First of all, the curtain is introduced as early as the text’s first paragraph – its third sentence, to be exact (Hemingway, 2017). Secondly, the very image of the curtain invokes the associations of separation and division, as it is meant to delineate a clear and sharp border between spaces and things. This image fits neatly within a story about a man and a woman who have fundamentally different perceptions – whether of what the hills look like or of the abortion in question. As a result, the curtain highlights the already-present divide between the characters that solidifies as the story progresses.

Short Passage #1

A suitable passage to illustrate the author’s use of the curtain as a device symbolizing and bringing forward the separation between the main characters is the excerpt when it is first introduced. As one can see by the highlighted part, the author points out specifically that the curtain’s purpose is “to keep out” something undesirable, in this case – the flies (Hemingway, 2017, p. 253). This image magnifies the man’s desire to keep the unwanted baby out of his life as well as Jig’s eventual decision to separate herself and her future child from him. This connection is all the stronger as the main characters are introduced right after the curtain.

Secondary Source Summary

The secondary source sharing and developing similar ideas about the text is Stanley Kozlowski’s article titled “Hemingway’s Hills like white elephants.” The author maintains that the curtain plays an important role in highlighting the divide between the characters and facilitating the story’s demonstration of how Jig presumably arrives to the decision to keep the baby. In particular, Kozlowski argues that the curtain symbolizes Jig’s “excision of the identityless “man” – his bull and seed – from her and her precious child’s lives” (p. 108). With this decision, the separation between the two characters, first hinted at when the divisive curtain appears, is complete.

Secondary Source Appraisal: Reasons to Agree

Several reasons allow agree with Kozlowski’s (1994) interpretation of the image as employed in the story. First of all, as mentioned above, it is hardly a coincidence that Hemingway (2017) describes the curtain in the very beginning of the story and right before introducing the characters. Apart from that, the curtain’s purpose of keeping things out is explicitly invoked in the very sentence it appears, highlighting the motivations and goals of both characters (Hemingway, 2017). Finally, Jig makes up her mind while looking at the curtain and even taking hold “of two of the strings of beads” (Hemingway, 2017, p. 254). This reference makes the association between her decision to exclude the man from her and the ever-divisive curtain life even more explicit.

Conclusion

As one can see, Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants” uses deceptively superficial descriptions to convey deeper meaning about the story’s main characters and their conflict. The deceptively mundane image of the bamboo curtain symbolizes the divide between the man and the woman regarding the potential abortion. The explicit reference to the curtain’s purpose of “keeping out” things makes this connection even more apparent. Moreover, curtain as a device propels and signals Jig’s decision to excise herself and her unborn baby from the man, as she is holding the bamboo bead while making up her mind. With this in mind, one can see why “Hills Like White Elephants” may serve as a testimony of Hemingway’ mastery of short story as a genre.

References

Hemingway, E. (2017). Hills Like White Elephants. In S. Hemingway, The short stories of Ernest Hemingway (pp. 253-256). Scribner.

Kozlowski, S. (1994). Hemingway’s Hills like white elephants. The Explicator, 52(2), 107-109.

Master storyteller Ernest Hemingway is ranked among the best American literary writers who specialized in writing novels and short stories. Among the latter, ‘Hills like White Elephants’ stands out as one of the most intriguing tales he has ever written.

Hemingway wrote ‘Hills like White Elephants’ in the third-person perspective that restricts the tale to the words and actions of the characters. The plot of the tale revolves around the conversation between a man and a woman (Stukas). Hemingway does not reveal the ages of the man and woman. They are lovers. The man is an American who is apparently financially well-off , while the girl’s nationality is not known. The girl is pregnant as a result of their sexual relationship; the couple has traveled to Spain with the aim of having her undergo an abortion. Hemingway informs about Jig and the American without actually informing about them by ensuring an overall brevity in presentation that is exquisitely coupled appropriate adverbs and adjectives; apart from this, he powerfully uses two literary elements: setting and symbolism.

The tale covers a very brief time span, yet it succeeds in relating a story that has a much wider scope than itself (Stukas). Hemingway ensures brevity by using short sentences and paragraphs shorn of verbosity. He makes little use of adverbs and adjectives. In addition to descriptive adverbs like ‘angrily,’ he uses ‘perfectly simple’ and ‘perfectly natural’ to describe the operation and ‘afterward’ being the post-abortion period referred to by the man. He uses descriptive adjectives like ‘lovely’ hills, ‘nice and cool’ beer and ‘warm’ wind. He uses descriptive verbs like ‘amused,’ ‘worry,’ ‘happy,’ ‘upset’ and ‘afraid’ to describe the couple’s feelings at various stages of the story.

The setting establishes an undercurrent of tension that prevails throughout the story. The conversation between the man and woman takes place while they are at a railway station in Spain (Stukas). The “station was between two lines of rails” (Hemingway) indicate the couple presently embroiled in the throes of a vital decision in their lives that involves two choices that are opposite in nature . The addition of the words: “There was no shade and no trees” (Hemingway) indicate that the pending decision is a drastic one; there is no way out and the couple have to deal with it immediately.

The use of symbolism starts soon after the waitress serves two glasses of beer. When Jig looks “far off at the line of hills” and remarks that “they look like white elephants” (Hemingway), she is delightedly foreseeing the birth of her child – something extraordinary that is also steeped in divinity . In addition, white elephants are costly animals to own and very expensive to rear; as they are looked upon as holy animals, they are prevented from doing any work, and as a result, become financial burdens whereby possessing them may be a source of pride and pleasure, but also causes a disadvantage (Stukas).

The second symbolism involves absinthe and licorice. The girl remarks that the green, aphrodisiac liqueur tastes like licorice . It suggests their life pattern has become so casual and insignificant that even a bitter situation is trivialized and the sexual pleasure that was involved is forgotten. Jig stands up and walks to the end of the station, observing “fields of grain and trees along the bank of the Ebro” (Hemingway). The fields and trees stand for fertility and prolificacy that represent Jig’s present pregnancy; river Ebro, which provides life-giving water for the fields and trees, symbolizes the life that is growing in Jig’s womb.

But then the “shadow of a cloud” (Hemingway) that symbolizes the impending abortion, dispels Jig’s happiness and optimism. She converses with the man and it is very apparent that he prefers the abortion, and everything he says is aimed at convincing her to undergo it. As she ponders his point of view, Jig “looked across the hills on the dry side of the valley” (Hemingway) which is dull and devoid of vegetation, representing her body in the aftermath of the abortion operation. When the man persists in talking about the abortion, she reveals her growing frustration by blurting: “Would you please, please, please, please, please, please, please stop talking” (Hemingway).

Hemingway next uses another adroit bit of symbolism to give readers an insight of the American. The man “looked at the bags” which had “labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights” (Hemingway). The American comes across as one who likes to travel extensively and enjoy female companionship without commitment. He favors the abortion because he will not be forced to marry Jig and settle down thereby giving up his much cherished free lifestyle. He is so unscrupulous that he is ready to kill a human being to preserve his freedom.

The story ends with the awaited train about to arrive at the station. The train represents the journey of life. It can be progressive or regressive . The two movements symbolize the unsteady relationship of the couple. In addition, the very short stopping time of the train at the station is suggestive of the brief time available to the girl to undergo the abortion.

Hemingway tosses up another enigma at the end of the story. In doing so, he succeeds in exposing a facet of human nature that shows how we often tend to go against our better judgement and engage in undesirable actions just in order to either gratify another person or keep up the status quo (Stukas). When the man enquires how she feels, Jig replies: “There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine” (Hemingway). The words have 3 interpretations: Jig has made up her mind to have the abortion; she has decided not to undergo the abortion and give birth to her child; or she has decided to temporarily shut the matter from her mind and leave the abortion decision for another day. At the end of the tale, it is quite obvious that the vast majority of what is transpiring is not clear but left to the conclusion of the reader.

References

Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills like White Elephants.” Virginia Commonwealth University. (N.d). 2009. Web.

Stukas, Jake. “Literary Analysis: Hills like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway.” Helium, Inc. 2009. Web.

Hemingway’s short stories are widely considered masterpieces of the genre. The author was even awarded a Nobel Prize for his contribution to the development of prose and his outstanding skills in narration. Short stories seemed to be his passion, as he managed to shed light upon so many concepts, topics, and themes within the limit of several pages. Love and the relationship between men and women represent one of the topics that brought him fame. Hills Like White Elephants, published in 1927, was one of his earliest works. In it, Hemingway explores one of humanity’s greatest problems: the inability to communicate despite having the immense power of language. This essay will concentrate on the male character named simply the ‘American,’ focusing on aspects of his behavior and personality that at first glance seem hidden and indistinct, but can in fact be grasped from details that Hemingway placed throughout the story.

The American’s Personality

At the beginning, the narrator does not reveal the characters’ names, which seems strange and inspires the belief that they are irrelevant. However, as the conversation between the American and the girl goes on, the reader learns the name of the female character. This raises the question why Hemingway left the male character with only a nationality for a name. It could be argued that this was just a feature of a conversation between people who have known each other long enough that they do not use names very often. This may have been a moment when there was no use in mentioning it. That might have been the case if it concerned a randomly occurring conversation between two people in real life, but in literature there are rarely coincidences. Thus with a high degree of probability the author left the male character as the ‘American’ for a reason.

One of the possible reasons the author did so is that Americans are famous worldwide for their passion for small talk. It is commonly held that Americans have a low tolerance for silence, and they often tend to fill pauses with conversation that has little practical meaning or does not reflect a person’s views, ideas, or feelings about the subject of the conversation. In this way, all participants in the verbal engagement can feel secure and are able to avoid revealing too much about themselves. This peculiarity of American culture also serves as a non-offensive and non-intrusive speech tactic. As applied to the short story, the key feature of small talk – its intrinsic principle “many words, little meaning” – seems to be characteristic of the American’s conversation strategy. By using this tactic, he tries to avoid expressing his opinion on the topic of conversation too directly. This avoidance weighs on the minds of both him and his partner, and the American finally attempts to present his view. In his choice of words, he often leaves room for disagreement. For instance, referring to the operation, he claims it is “the best thing to do,” but after that he adds that if she doesn’t want to, it is also fine (Hemingway, 2003, p. 477). That might characterize him as either sensitive or weak-willed, depending on the point of view.

The male protagonist, like the female one, understands the delicacy of the topic and does not want to be to blunt because it could upset Jig. He cannot find the power in himself to express support for one position or another. He does not want to push her to a decision that she might regret, but instead of making her feel comfortable, he continues to guess if she is 100 percent certain. He senses that this decision is a crucial turning point in their relationship and he is desperate not to make a mistake. He is full of doubt and confusion as much as any other man in the situation would be.

Another peculiarity of his character can be seen in the author’s description of the American’s looking at the passengers waiting for the train. He noted that they were all “reasonably waiting for the train” (Hemingway, 2003, p. 478). The probable purpose of this word choice was to emphasize the American’s recognition that other people were noticing their argument. The word “reasonably” meant that this is what passengers should do in that situation instead of listening to other people’s conversations. The American probably expected to find signs of their silent judgment in their eyes directed at him, but to his relief he did not. That word told the readers a bit more about the male protagonist: his desire to look decent in the eyes of others and, probably, an inclination to conceal such an uneasy conversation. This also indicates the character’s similarity to real people. His motivation to remain a good husband (or partner) and a good citizen, and to juggle these roles without defining the main one, shows a certain duality and indecisiveness of nature. It seems as though he wants to have everything while sacrificing nothing.

Hemingway specifically wanted to make the male character as close to the reader as possible in order to deliver his central idea. That may be another reason why the male character does not have a name. Any name could have been inserted. His inability to communicate clearly, his persistence in taking all sides at once in order to find an optimal solution fitting for all is only natural. The author made this character typical to mirror any other person. His personality, as it is expressed during his conversation with Jig, is intended to lead us to consider ourselves from the other side. All the character flaws displayed are projected onto the reader.

The American’s Behavior in Relation to Jig

The behavior of the male character in the described situation is seen through the actions and words that reveal his character. The background of the American is not given, therefore there is little a reader can determine about his natural behavior to be able to know his true identity. At the beginning of the conversation, the American doesn’t seem eager to engage in conversation, as his answers are short and abrupt. He even seems irritated, as he reacts harshly to some of Jig’s remarks about his not having seen a real elephant, or the joke she made about absinthe (Hemingway, 2003, p. 476). This may indicate irritation about his partner’s knowledge and love of alcohol. But he seems to have a drinking habit, too. The fact that he knows the names of Spanish drinks seems to confirm this assumption. He drank two beers and one glass of Anis del Toro. The reason for his heavy drinking becomes evident, as he seems to be buried in his own thoughts as he looks for the right words to raise the topic that they had avoided. The alcohol was part of his preparations for it, as he does not seem to find the strength to start this conversation right away. This tendency to steer away from hard topics also sheds light on the male character. He seeks strength in alcohol to face the hardships in life, which does not seem to raise any concerns in either of the two partners.

After a pause, and apparently running out of other topics for conversation, he takes the active position in the conversation. His behavior changes from irritated to soothing and calming. He tries to express his love and support, but Jig apparently wants something else, and after a few desperate attempts and having her almost lose her temper, he abandons the attempt to reach an agreement. He shifts from being persuasive and pushy to reasonable and supportive. He tries to adjust his behavior to his understanding of Jig’s state of mind, but it seems to be an impossible task for him. All of these failures and the character’s flaws lead the reader to grasp the root of the problem.

Conclusion

All things considered, through the male character’s behavior and personality traits, readers are able to understand his role and put themselves in his place to reflect on a deep and timely problem in society. Like many of us, the American is afraid of raising hard topics, which is why he is indecisive, seeks the help of alcohol, and does not have the strength of character to be openhearted with his beloved. He helplessly struggles to find a universal solution and let the other party make the final decision. This is where the reader sees the “convenience” that language provides. It allows people to say words that are evasive and do not reflect their real thoughts while they are trying to inquire about another person’s state of mind. This inadequacy in relationships is what Hemingway tried to emphasize, and the male character vividly illustrates this.

References

Hemingway, E. (2003). Hills like white elephants. In A. Charters (Ed.), The story and its writer: An introduction to short fiction (6th ed.) (pp. 475-78). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

A short story is a rich and complex genre that encompasses a wide range of ideas and author concepts. The story “Hills Like White Elephants” by E. Hemingway is a prime example of how summarizing a situation in general terms can form deep connotations. A man and a woman are sitting at the station, drinking beer, and talking about what they both know. However, from the dialogue, it becomes clear that the key topic is abortion, which, according to the man, is “really an simple operation” (Hemingway 254). The woman, Jig, doubts whether she should decide on such a procedure, while the man is sure that this is necessary and is the only way to maintain the relationship between them. The elephant metaphor that Jig mentions when comparing these animals to the hills on the horizon reveals the underlying problem – what is undesirable and brings potential discomfort. In response to the woman’s remark, the man replies, “I’ve never seen one,” which indicates his desire to close his eyes to the problem (Hemingway 253). As a result, each of the parties remains unconvinced at the end of the dialogue.

This story is a good example to highlight Hemingway’s unique style and manner of conveying deep meaning through superficial descriptions. In his article “Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants,” Kozikowski notes that the writer creates a curtain between the two characters (107). This curtain is light and unobtrusive but, at the same time, separates them and does not allow agreeing on a common opinion due to their distinctive views. The man and the woman perceive the situation differently; for her, the topic of abortion is acute and worries her, while “he feels it as a simple, quick remedy to a removable annoyance” (Kozikowski 107). The inability of the characters to come to a consensus proves their incompatibility and lack of real love. Jig’s final smile emphasizes that she has already drawn her conclusions and determined how she will proceed in the future. As a result, the curtain between the characters does not disappear but, conversely, becomes even denser.

When assessing this position, I fully agree with the idea of ​​a curtain between the characters in the story. As Kozikowski notes, two heavy bags that the man carries symbolize a mother and a child (108). For him, this burden is extremely heavy, and he is not ready for it from the very beginning, having fenced off from Jig with a curtain and separated their common interests and values ​​from his own. The critical assessment of the behavior of Hemingway’s man and woman reflects the difference in views on what is important and what can preserve or, conversely, destroy the relationships. Therefore, this thesis is accurate and allows one to better understand why each of the characters has an individual vision of the situation.

Given the limited context, the curtain thesis may seem ambiguous due to the lack of sufficient background for analysis. Nevertheless, being familiar with Hemingway’s work, I can argue that his style of storytelling in short stories is the factor that eliminates the need to delve into causality. The information that is offered to the reader is sufficient to draw objective conclusions about the subtext and the main idea. According to Hemingway, the American man thinks of only himself, while the woman is not worried about her health or financial situation but is concerned whether she has the right to decide on an abortion (255). Therefore, I agree with the thesis that the main characters are separated by an invisible barrier that prevents them from understanding each other.

As I have read the critical article about the story in question, I have realized that the proposed development should not be associated with problems for Jig. The woman who has drawn appropriate conclusions for herself smiles, which, as Kozikowski remarks, “symbolizes her excision of the identityless “man” – his bull and seed – from her and her precious child’s lives” (108). She will surely overcome all difficulties and cope with problems since the decision she has made does not contradict her worldview. Thus, a critical analysis has made it possible to better understand the possible fate of the main heroine and her child.

Works Cited

Hemingway, E. “Hills Like White Elephants.” The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, edited by Séan Hemingway, Scribner, 2017, pp. 253-256.

Kozikowski, Stanley. “Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants.” The Explicator, vol. 52, no. 2, 1994, pp. 107-109.

Summary

Published in 1927, Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants” is a pinnacle of conversation; that is, more under the surface of the interaction between a girl named Jig and an American man. At first glance, this seems like a simple, sometimes intense communication between two adults waiting for their train, which is going to Madrid. However, a closer reading reveals that they are discussing whether Jig should undergo a “procedure.”

At a time when abortion was illegal in most parts of Europe and America and where women might have been weaned from the Catholic Church if they had an abortion, suddenly the conversation between the American man and Jig becomes one of the most important, both for their beings and for their relationship. However, no one wants to communicate what choice they would like to make openly. This article discusses topics of choice, communication disruptions, and gender roles.

Characters and Theme

The plot of the story develops in such a way that the word “abortion” itself is never pronounced. In various situations, only the phrase “white elephants” appears, highlighting different facets of its meaning. The great writer’s style, like the underwater part of an iceberg, hides not only the word “abortion” but also the fear of a young girl, unaware of pain for an unborn child, her flesh from her flesh, which is not destined to see God’s light. The girl’s dream of a child is inextricably linked with her vision of happiness and measured family life. These properties are genetically embedded in every woman, they are the essential purpose and obligation to be the parent, the one who gives life and the very name of the first woman “Eve” means “life.” For the heroine, abortion is the collapse of last hope, leading only to the continuation of a meaningless life.

Let us recall how masterfully Hemingway draws hills whitening in the sun, scorched by the mercilessly blazing sun, the earth and green fields, the shady banks of a rivulet, and the moving shadows of clouds. These different frames are full of functional significance. These are the stages of the girl’s state of mind, which is likened to scorched earth. At first, the comparison of the hills with white elephants evokes admiration for the girl.

In the middle, this image reappears, but this time there are notes of heartbreaking doubt. In the final part, white elephants appear, but the girl’s gaze only sees how they descend into the scorched valley. Together with the dream of a child, the colors of the world and hopes for happiness die for the heroine: they fade together. Making a decision, which is to kill her unborn child, turns into the most profound psychological stress, and the girl subconsciously knows that she says goodbye to the highest value.

There is a perception of meaninglessness, absurdity, an irreplaceable void of life, a sense of terrible spiritual poverty. In order to show her emotional conflict and struggle to explain it, Jig says: “Can’t we stop talking?” She feels that life will become unstable, lose stability, love will become soulless and will turn into bitter loneliness. In this life, fiction will take the place of genuine values. The gloom is already spreading not only around the person, and it is already powerfully penetrating the person himself. A man has nothing to rely on, and no one is waiting for him. He is powerless before the power of chaos, “No, we can’t. It is not ours anymore,” – this bitter remark of Jig describes the spiritual condition of a young woman in the best possible way.

Analysis

It seems that the story is an excellent example of understanding the controversial bioethical problem: the problem of abortion, mother, and fetus, in which many aspects can be distinguished. This is a problem of the status of a human embryo, as well as the question of whether it is an individualized human life from the moment of fertilization. This question can be approached from different perspectives: biology and genetics, sociology, law (civil or criminal), psychological, historical, cultural, theological, and moral. From a bioethical perspective, all of the above positions should be combined to draw a solid conclusion.

Some readers, summing up the laws of genetics and embryology, might conclude that the fetus from the moment of conception has its determined biological reality. It is a fully distinguished human individual in development, which autonomously, step by step, continuously creates its form, carrying out, following the plans laid down in it, the project outlined in its genome. This fact is scientifically established and should be accepted as given, not like anyone else’s opinion. Since the embryo is already a developing individual, which will become a specific person, we can freely talk about the ontological and ethical value of the newly conceived fetus. Starting from the first instant of the emergence of human life, the human individual is a human person. Any criticism of this position will be a denial of the ontological approach to personality.

From the very first days, the embryo enters into a special kind of dialogue with the mother’s body, blocking the production of hormones through specific signals to the pituitary gland and other internal organs. Thus, the process causes a combination of changes in the mother’s body, forcing it to “recognize” the presence of a new life, a unique personality. Psychoanalysts prove that the fetus is in social relations with the mother, accumulating in-depth experiences, feelings, positive and negative impulses that, even in adulthood, will leave their imprint on it. Sociologists say that it is not relationships that determine the reality of the subject, but the existence of the issue that makes interpersonal relationships possible. However, a human fetus does possess a partial form of consciousness due to its responsiveness to outside signals.

Conclusion

It is critical to note that the given book gives a clear perspective on the issue of abortion. Under the current legislation, affirming the unrestricted right of every woman to have an abortion, is an example of a misunderstanding and use of freedom. The main character does not precisely show her stance on the issue, but either way, one’s independence will be limited.

In the framework of the strict logic of personalistic philosophy derived from the book, we can summarize that the embryo or the fetus, as a result of a continuous process of development programmed from the inside, is a unique human individual possessing actual social value. Besides, the embryo or the fetus has a genuine connection and a true destiny to become a person. Consequently, abortion is a crime against the life of a human person.

Bibliography

Cornell, Drucilla. The Imaginary Domain: Abortion, Pornography and Sexual Harassment. New York: Routledge, 2016.

Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants. New York: Men Without Women, 1927.

Sanger, Carol. “Talking About Abortion.” Social & Legal Studies 25, no. 6 (2016): 651–666.

Sisson, Gretchen, and Katrina Kimport. “Depicting Abortion Access on American Television, 2005–2015.” Feminism & Psychology 27, no. 1 (2017): 56–71.

Narratives often tell different stories on various thematic concerns experienced by the authors. Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” is a fascinating memoir which describes a relationship story marred with myriad perspectives. Primarily, Hemingway uses his literary expertise to present the characters in a background of social norms, for example, drinking beer while waiting for a train in some station in Spain. Hemingway addresses various issues ranging from the tensions in human interactions and ideological perceptions to love and family concerns.

The American is the antagonist in the story owing to his manipulative request and demands that are contrary to those of Jig, his partner. An example of his devious behavior is for the companion to procure an abortion, which is divergent from her belief and need. While the wife has the ambition of living together with the American, he is of the wish for them to stay single. Therefore, the American serves to hamper the protagonist’s accomplishment of wishes, making him her real contender throughout their journey. The central conflict within the narrative lies in the American’s objection to the progressive needs of her lover, such as keeping a family. The antagonist wants the partner to terminate her pregnancy, which seems to anger the lady at first because she claims the gestation was a blessing she has been waiting for so long (Hemingway, 1927). Likewise, their relationship paints a picture of the ties flawed with both internal and external pressures. The American persists on the wife having an abortion, so she begins to question some aspects of social norms, including having a child. A good spouse would continually support their partner based on beliefs of the antagonist. However, the American contravenes the norm to maintain his freedom and escape the responsibilities. He focuses on influencing his fiancée and asserts authority over her. Although the decision is not depicted as inevitable, the girlfriend remains lingering with many questions. She slowly becomes more independent and assertive in the judgments that she makes over time. Consequently, the protagonist plays a heroic role as she emerges as a more decisive character molded by the adversary’s conclusions.

The story happens within background and plot, including a typical journey on a train. The setting is alongside the Ebro River, the boundary between Barcelona and Madrid seemingly creates an image of people coming from different circumstances. Notably, such a plot would help portray the value of multiplicity in human reasoning and relationships. The two main characters begin their interaction in a recreational area. This environment potentially helps the author illustrate social norms and how some relationships start within contemporary society. Likewise, the nearby hill countryside description has a contextual implication which intrigues the reader’s cognition. The presence of the blowing wind and the curtain may implicate various issues which exist in societies such as relationships and power differences between men and women. Sometimes love stories, and family ties face massive turmoil and expose partners to temptation emanating from nature. Eventually, affections between the main characters help illustrate how love and adventures may sometimes change individuals’ behavior.

To conclude, Hemingway tells the story of an American man and a female to help us understand various practices in everyday society. The train setting and plot aid in revealing the characters’ behaviors during the journey. The story heightens the values of norms and character in family ties and change. Likewise, the journey portrays people with substantial differences in individualistic perceptions and social norms. The narrative is a masterpiece in highlighting pragmatic aspects of our society. Arguably, there are elements of culture portraying women as dependent beings who have to follow men’s decisions. Thus, the relationship between the protagonist and the antagonist in this story indicates how societies treat each gender.

Reference

Hemingway, E. (1927). Hills like white elephants. Men without women. Charles Scribner’s Sons

Hills like white elephants by Ernest Hemingway is the story under discussion. It abounds with different symbols which may be interpreted in different ways. Abortion and the relation of people to it is the central theme of the story which offers a lot of topics for discussion. The relationships between a man and a woman, the differences of attitude to pregnancy and life in general, the seriousness of relationships, and the ability to grow up and bear the responsibility for the actions.

Coming closer to the discussion of symbols in the story, the setting of the story should be referred to. A man and a woman are sitting at the café located at the railway station “between two lines of rails in the sun” (Hemingway, 1998, p. 211). Isn’t it symbolic? The points of view of the girl and her companion are different in the relation to a child and this location may symbolize their parting. What touches my attention greatly is the side of the station.

At the beginning of the story, it is understood that a man and a woman are sitting in the shady side of the station where “the warm shadow of the building and a curtain, made of strings of bamboo beads, hung across the open door into the bar” (Hemingway, 1998, p. 211).

This part of the story symbolizes hope, the girl hopes that the man is going to change his point of view about the unborn child. At the same time, the author describes another side of the station where “there was no shade and no trees” (Hemingway, 1998, p. 211). At the end of the story, a man offers to “take the bags over to the other side of the station” (Hemingway, 1998, p. 214), where no hope for childbirth and their relations is seen.

Reference List

Hemingway, E. (1998). Hills like white elephants. The complete short stories of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Ernest Hemingway’s famous short story “Hills Like White Elephants” is a short work but full of contextual details. The setting in which the events of the story unfold is notable for how much it influences the course of the narrative. Various non-obvious aspects presented by the author allow the reader to find new meanings in the story and reveal the characters more deeply. First of all, it is worth noting the location within which the conversation unfolds. The Spanish countryside emphasizes conservative views on difficult moral decisions such as abortion. The railway station refers to the crossroads on which the couple is located. The hills against the background of the story unfold to show the man’s lingering from the events and his misunderstanding.

First, Hemingway chose a specific location to describe the actions of his story. Spanish setting “contributes to the ironic tone of the story, for the moral drama takes place in a predominantly Catholic country where the church stands in firm opposition to abortion” (Johnston). Thus, the narrative acquires an ironic and satirical tone since the central conflict between the characters has a moral basis. In countries with dominant religiosity, such conversations could not arise at all. Moreover, the girl, unlike her companion, does not know Spanish and asks him “what does it say” (Hemingway 229). This emphasizes her dependence and incompetence, the American being her only acquaintance and guide.

The bar at the train station is also a notable element of the story’s setting, as it symbolizes path and movement. This location emphasizes the tension of the situation as abortion is an “unspoken reason for their trip to Madrid” (Bloom). Being in a bar, drinking, and having a not effective conversation, the characters show that they are in an uncomfortable situation where they both do not want to make a decision. The railway station is a pathway for both of them, on which their joint fate is decided. Thus, the setting of the story emphasizes the dynamics of events, the reader experiences anxiety. Moreover, the train must arrive soon, which means that a decision must be made, which cannot be delayed any longer.

Another significant detail, undoubtedly, are the hills themselves, against which the conversation unfolds. Kozikowski notes that “American man, as distant from metaphor as he is from the hills.” In reality, the hills symbolize childbirth, just as their color refers to the difficult decision and the uniqueness of the girl’s position. However, only she was given to understand how much pregnancy and abortion are of great importance in a woman’s life. Her companion cannot understand this fact, which is emphasized by the presence of hills, to which the girl pays attention, but the man does not. The setting, in this case, emphasizes the man’s indifference and Jig’s anxiety.

Hemingway skillfully incorporates many details into a short story, turning it into meaningful work. It is difficult to learn much information directly from a conversation between a girl and a man. However, the setting allows the reader to understand the meaning of events occurring. The irony of the situation is underscored by the Spanish location with a dominant Catholic restrained faith, within which it is impossible to talk about abortion. The railway station is a symbol of a difficult decision, as well as its fatefulness. The hills refer exclusively to the values ​​of the girl, which the man does not share since he cannot understand them. Thus, the setting in the story plays no less role than the characters themselves and their dialogue.

Introduction

This story brings up a particularly challenging issue of abortion, which always provokes a lot of debate and controversy. Paradoxically, this topic is as significant as is taboo and is usually bypassed in works or represented one-sidedly. The story is not long-drawn and with no explicit details; but is replete with metaphors and veiled essence, like an iceberg. In this work, two people discuss the matter of conceivable abortion. Most readers would probably side with the girl since this character is better spelled out and easier to sympathize with. However, for the whole comprehensive picture, it is vital to look at what is happening through the eyes of the second side — her man.

The Man’s Alternative Perspective to the Circumstances

One of the main characters, Jig, is lost, upset, and in urgent need of the support of her lover. Her partner does not have a name in this story, only the faceless description “American” at the beginning of the narrative. The couple travels throughout Spain without doing anything on purpose, but “just trying different drinks,” which Jig says sarcastically. During their conversation, it becomes clear that the man does not need a child since this is a serious obstacle on the way to an open-handed life. He actively convinces the girl of the littleness of the operation, that all people do it and live happily ever after. There is no constructive communication; people do not understand each other. The frivolity of the man is expressed in belittling the seriousness of abortion and unwillingness to disclose the subject. He also offers Jig alcohol drinks one by one, deliberately neglecting the fact of her pregnancy (Schumacher, 2017). In his eyes, everything is pretty simple and can be solved in a couple of minutes.

Varying Interpretations of Metaphors in the Story

The man is not on the same wavelength as his companion. He does not understand her imaginative comparison of hills to white elephants due to his more down-to-earth reflection. If Jig sees the whole picture, her man does not see it as well as the future with a child. The expression “white elephant” means a too high-priced and pretentious gift, which is hard to appropriately adapt to everyday life (Schumacher, 2017). The girl consciously or unintentionally attempts to reveal a parallel between such a gift and a child. She already considers the child as a present but does not know what to do with it. However, the man not only does not share her point of representation, he persistently does not see her whole picture of the world. For him, everything is easy: hills are hills, white elephants are animals, and abortion is a small operation on the way to a freewheeling life.

Conclusion

The story does not have a well-defined core and is more like a part of some big novel. However, even a few lines of the dialog can make readers assume the feelings of the woman and charge the man. He probably does not do this out of malice or intentionally; there is a big misunderstanding and disconnection between the lovers. They had a former life full of joy and travel; perhaps he sincerely does not understand why to change it. The man’s emotions are not sufficiently described in the text, but his actions and quick catchwords speak for themselves.

Reference

Schumacher, A. (2017). Disenfranchised mothers and maternity insurance – tracing progressive arguments in Ernest Hemingway’s short stories. Current Objectives of Postgraduate American Studies, 18(1).

Introduction

Subtext and metaphors play an enormous role in Hemingway’s works. A story written in 1927 called Hills Like White Elephants is an example of such a work. So, two characters are waiting for a train, a couple, they are talking, she orders a drink, it seems like nothing special. The style is very precise, telegraphic, and dry, and the author avoids even such remarks as “he/she said”, which many English authors are very fond of. But behind these terse dialogues – is the whole story of the relationship.

The Dialogue

The first thing worth noting is the dialogue in the story. The point is that the writer, in fact, does not insert his own comments or vision of the situation. The entire work is built through a dialogue between two people, whose remarks describe the world around them, and their thoughts and what is happening in general. It is necessary to consider one of the most striking examples of revealing the world through dialogue:

• It’s a minor operation, Jig, – the man said. – It’s not even an operation.
• And if I do it, won’t you be nervous? – No, because it’s nothing.
• Well, then I will. I don’t care what happens to me (Hemingway, 2).

Not a single sentence says anything about the baby or the abortion. But the reader understands that the situation is this – the characters are expecting a child, the young man does not want one, their relationship is falling apart, and he pushes her to take the tragic step.

The Environment

Geography plays an important role in literature. The geography in this short story shows the situation’s positive side but also the downfall and negativity. The resolution contributes to the conflict and tension that lies between the couple, showing the literal and figurative aspects of the situation. The couple sits facing the side of the valley with no trees, and there is a brown area in the distance, which is in great need of water. On the opposite side of the valley, along the banks of the Ebro, there are “fields of grain and trees” (Hemingway 1). But as she watches this happen, “the shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain,” foreshadowing the death of her unborn child (Hemingway 1). Another thing to keep in mind is the cultural aspect of the setting. Hemingway placed his story in Spanish territory. Most Spanish-speaking countries are mostly Catholic, which means they don’t agree with abortion. “However, the woman does not understand Spanish, which helps to reveal her essential helplessness and dependence. She is a stranger in a foreign country where her companion is her only interpreter and guide” (Hemingway 2). Their luggage reveals that they are not from the entire area, and their luggage also hints that they have two options once they leave the station. They can go to Madrid and become a family, or they can go to the same place and have an abortion.

Symbolism

Hemingway uses symbolism in his works to hide the obvious by making the reader think. There are many examples of symbolism in this work. For example, the suitcases, the train, and the character’s name. The main symbolism is the hills, around which the story revolves and through which the climax occurs. This is the most important symbol, revealing everything, both the meaning of the character’s journey and their different attitudes toward what is to come. In addition, it is the white elephants that show the conflict. Thus, Hemingway does not need to tell the story of what happened because the symbolism does that on its own.

Conclusion

Ernest Hemingway’s stories are characterized by their strangeness and expressiveness, related to the artistic techniques used by the author. In the story Hills Like White Elephants, it becomes apparent that dialogue and symbolism are central to the writer’s work. In addition, Hemingway hardly ever comments on what is happening; readers either understand it themselves or are told by the symbols. This effect is achieved through the charismatic setting and symbols, which makes the writer’s work unique.

Work Cited

Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants. Short Story. HarperPerennial Classics, 2013.