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Hills Like White Elephant Symbolism Essay

950 Words4 Pages

For many of centuries, authors commonly used an object or person to symbolically portray a deeper ideal or theme. Ernest Hemingway’s short story, Hills Like White Elephants, is a strong example of the use of symbolism. The basis of the story is a short conversation between an American and his girlfriend on a train in Spain. After a few rounds of drinks, the couple begins to argue about an operation, which from context clues is easily concluded to be abortion. The story ends when their next train comes in, and the girl eventually decides to quit arguing. Hemingway expertly applies symbolism within his work to create a story where the reader must analyze actions or objects to understand the deeper theme. Many of the symbols in the story have more than one meaning …show more content…

Hemingway, through his symbolism of a white elephant, reveals to the reader how the girl feels indecisive about the abortion. Another way Hemingway uses symbolism is the nickname he creates for the girl. During the conversation, the American tells the girl, “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig” (Hemingway 312). A generally known definition of jig is a fast, upbeat dance with lots of leaping movements. The nickname “Jig” symbolizes how the girl is dancing around the topic of abortion. It shows how she is unsure of the choice she wants to make and would rather just avoid having to speak of it. The nickname could also refer to the fast, leaping movements in her life. She is not married to the baby’s father, so her pregnancy was probably an unplanned, sudden surprise. Now she must quickly decide, within a few months, to have abortion or not, a choice that will determine the future of her entire life. Another definition for jig is a tool, which controls the location or movement of another tool. This can be analyzed in two different ways. The first interpretation can be how the American views the girl as a device or tool for his own pleasures. Grzegorzewski

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