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Hills Like A White Elephant Literary Analysis Essay

528 Words3 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. Some of the symbolism in the story is difficult to decipher and this analysis will help understand the story by explaining the symbolism.
Hemmingway calls the main characters in this story “the American and the girl.” The main characters seem to be in a romantic relationship with one another and have spent some time …show more content…

She even has difficulty making decisions about how she wants her drink served and only ordered her drink after getting the Americans opinion. This is the same with deciding whether or not to get the operation. She has her own views and opinions about the operation, but is obedient with the American, and will do what he wants rather than doing what she thinks is right.
The girl seems to make symbolic jabs at the American throughout the story. She starts by making comments about the mountains that appear to her like a white elephant. White elephants are rare animals and a small amount of people have ever seen a white elephant. The elephant symbolizes that the operation that the woman is going to get is an operation that not everyone gets, only the privileged people. She also makes statements about not caring about herself in attempt to get the American to change his mind about the operation.
The American states that this pregnancy is what is causing turmoil in their relationship and causing the couple unhappiness. He explains to the girl that when she goes through with the operation everything will go back to normal and the American and the girl can be happy and carefree

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