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Hills Like White Elephant By Ernest Hemingway Symbolism Essay

778 Words4 Pages

The setting of the story is a train station/bar. The symbolic significance of this setting is representing the critical point of a relationship between a man and a woman. It tells the reader that the decision between them will affect whether or not these two people will be together. It also represents the need for the confrontation of the problem, due to the soon arrival of the train. The girl in the situation is often looking off into the distance, which is a hilly area that she describes the scene as "hills like white elephants". Her saying this shows the disconnect between the two people is going through. It also represents the problem and how they can't come to a solution they both like driving them even further apart. Ernest Hemingway …show more content…

The setting is where Hemingway uses his symbolism the most. Hemingway uses the setting to paint the picture of the rocky and disjointed relationship between these two people. For example, Hemingway wrote in "Hills like White Elephants", "The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on." This represents the inner conflict and sorrowfulness the girl is going through because the two can't find a resolution to the problem at hand. Hemingway also uses dialogue to represent the conflict. The dialogue between the two characters is filled with tension and miscommunication. The man does not directly state but tries to convince the woman to go through with an abortion, while the woman is unsure and unhappy with the idea of doing so. The two people often keep away from the problem at hand, by using symbols to avoid talking about it. For example, the man refers to the operation as "just a simple operation" and the woman repeatedly refers to "the hills like white elephants." These symbols serve as a metaphor for the larger issue at hand and highlight the couple's inability to directly address and resolve their

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1044 Words | 5 Pages

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