Hills Like White Elephants Compare And Contrast

The story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway is centered around a woman’s decision to either let go of her unborn baby or let go of the relationship she has with her lover. Similarly, the song “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men focuses on a woman’s struggle to let go. Additionally, both the song and the story present the message in the form of a conversation between a man and a woman. The two differ in that the woman from the song is struggling to let go of a lover who has passed on rather than a current lover who has become toxic. Although this difference exists, the similarities in message and style make “Little Talks” the perfect addition to the “Hills Like White Elephants” soundtrack. Both the song and the story center

In “Little Talks,” the couple is struggling to adjust to the new reality that they have been separated. The man reminisces about the past, saying, “We used to play outside when we were young, / And full of life and full of love.” He goes on to say, “Tell her that I miss out little talks.” This shows that he wishes he could go back to the simplicity of how their relationship used to be. However, they now must accept that those times are over. The woman admits this when she says, “Now we’re torn, torn, torn apart, / there’s nothing we can do.” Similarly, in “Hills Like White Elephants,” the man wants the relationship to go back to the way it was before the woman got pregnant. After telling her that getting an abortion will be a simple procedure, he says, “We’ll be fine afterward. Just like we were before.” (Lines 84-85). He thinks that without the baby, they can go back to traveling the world (Lines 174-176) and having a simple relationship. The woman, on the other hand, recognizes the issues developing in the relationship. While the man sees the baby as an obstacle, she seems ready to settle down and raise the child. This is evidenced when she says to her lover, “Doesn’t it mean anything to you? We could get along.” (Lines 162-163). It is apparent that the man and woman want different things moving forward, and even if the woman does let go of

In “Little Talks,” the woman realizes that she can not allow the memory of the man to consume her any longer. She accepts that he is no longer present, saying, “You're gone, gone, gone away / I watched you disappear. / All that's left is a ghost of you.” In the same fashion, the woman in “Hills Like White Elephants” understands that she wants different things than the man, and therefore she must either put him in the past or compromise her own desires. She makes reference to this when she says, “And then you think we’ll be all right and be happy,” (Lines 91-92), and “Yes, you know it’s perfectly simple.” (Line 167). In both statements, the woman makes the distinction that the abortion is what the man wants and what the man thinks is right, implying that she disagrees. However, unlike the woman in “Little Talks,” she is not quite ready to part ways with her lover. She allows him to take her bag to the other side of the station (Lines 192-193), which indicates she is still planning on boarding the train with him. Still, the idea of parting ways with the man and letting go of her souring relationship has begun to form in her