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Hill Like White Elephants Literary Analysis

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From the beginning of the of the story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway , he tells us about how an American man by the name of Jig and a girl at a crossroad waiting for a train to take the to Madrid. While waiting the girl compares the nearby hills to white elephants and the couple sit and talk about an operation that the man wants the girl to have, which is his way of saying abortion (Hemingway 274). The way that the man easily controlled the girl was a great way to use literary elements. The use of characterization,conflict, irony and symbolism help the reader figure out the meaning behind “Hill Like White Elephants” and exactly what's going on in the short story.

The Characters in this short story are an American man …show more content…

She is basically referring to her being pregnant. This is another reason why she asked for permission to have a drink (Hemingway 274). The irony is the girls always wanted to have a baby, but the man wants her to have an abortion. She is trying to find ways to say that she is pregnant and discuss the fact of having a baby.

Symbolism shown in this short story is when the girl said “But if I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and you’ll like it?”(Hemingway 275).

She is referring to how she wants the baby and not have the operation. This decision is really risky for the girl she does not know if this is going to affect the relationship or not. The man does not really want a baby and tries to convince her otherwise. Not really thinking about the fact that the girl really wants this baby.

In “Hills Like White Elephants ” is a story itself, shows that making a final decision can affect you in the long run. The way that the man had the women thinking about the operation and how will it affect their relationship lead the reader to wonder what will she decide to do. This decision will affect both of the characters.The use of characterization,conflict, irony and symbolism explains how “Hills Like White Elephants” compare to her having the baby she always

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