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Hills Like White Elephants Literary Analysis Essay

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Dalton Dornburg Ms. Billo English 1302 22 March 2018 Literary Analysis Research Paper: Hills like White Elephants The short story "Hills Like White Elephants," by Ernest Hemingway, is about a young couple and the issue of abortion. However, since the word "abortion” is found nowhere is the story, it is mainly understood through Hemingway's use of literacy elements such as setting and symbolism. This story takes place in a very short period of time, but yet tell a tale that is much bigger than face value. The woman is named Jig, where the man is known simply as "The American." Although the relationship between the two is uncertain, they are clearly not married, but have maintained a relationship that resulted in the woman being pregnant. The story hints that the couple travel often and stop in different cities before moving on to the next. The couple have different thoughts and views on the decision to get an abortion and these feelings …show more content…

His active spirit is shown through the bags with all the hotel labels on them. He realizes that if Jig were to continue with the pregnancy, he would have to settle down and consider raising a family, which would mean putting an end to seeing the world. Their traveling lifestyle would not be possible with a baby, or at least it would be difficult to continue in it’s current form. Therefore, the man thinks an abortion is the best solution. This is quite clear due to his general declaration of an abortion or operation being an "easy" and "simple" process, and that things will be as they were after it is performed. His comments of "I don't want anyone but you" and "I don't want anyone else'' illustrate his desire to keep their relationship at it is by not introducing a child into their life. Jig has obvious doubts, but she goes along with it for the sake of continuing their lifestyle that they have

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Ernest Hemingway uses repetition and ambiguity in his story, “Hills like White Elephants'' to exhibit the idea that in order to maintain a healthy long-term relationship, communication and consideration of one another’s values are needed. Throughout this story, a couple, Jig and the American, are having an intense and emotional conversation about whether Jig should have an abortion. She displays very sensitive feelings about the procedure, and the American takes advantage of this by trying to manipulate her, repeatedly stating it is her choice: “if [she doesn’t] want to [she doesn’t] have to. [He] wouldn’t have [her] do it if [she] didn’t want to” (477). By doing this he falsely implies he has no opinion, but later contradicts himself by

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Throughout their conversation, you can decipher a tone where the conversation sheds light on his feelings towards the procedure and her feelings. He says “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig. It’s not really an operation at all” (Hemingway 124), in an effort to persuade her to in fact have the abortion. She, on the other hand, seems silent at first, but then questions how their life will be better after this procedure. Her uncertainty shows in her responses, and in other findings “… the sensuous beauty of a love relation that is quickly deteriorating, now that she has become conscious of her lover’s selfishness” (Maynard 273).

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“Doesn’t it mean anything to you,” she asks, implying to the American that he must think deeper than the surface to find the importance of not doing the operation versus going through with it. Unfortunately, we see that the American does not desire to have a baby in this moment but has a hard time clearly sharing his opinion to the girl. He beats around the bush; so to speak, and instead promises her that she can have the whole world once she does the operation (76). His main concern is sharing the lifestyle of traveling and experiencing all that the world has to offer while Jig is more concerned with what may or may not happen if the operation is done. She tries to communicate her view of the situation; however, the man implies that the pregnancy is “…the only thing that’s made [them] unhappy” and that they will “…be fine afterward,” as if nothing has happened (Hemingway

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Throughout the short story (1), “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway is speaking about a seemingly unwanted pregnancy and a woman’s uneasiness with going through an abortion. However, Hemingway never explicitly says in this work of fiction (2) that it is about abortion or that the woman, Jig, is uncomfortable with it, but uses symbolism (3) to present this to the audience. At the time “Hills like White Elephants” was published, in 1927, abortion was illegal in most places and a very taboo subject that wasn’t to be openly discussed in public. Thus, Hemingway relied greatly upon the use of symbolism to get his message across for this reason as well as the third person narrator (4) that did not give insight into the character’s thoughts within this piece of literature (5) . He uses symbols such as the train station, white hills, the baggage, and the drinks to point towards the underlying internal conflict (6) of Jig’s decision that is being heavily influenced by the American man, who wants Jig to get the abortion.

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Symbols in the "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway The short story "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway features an American man and a girl by the name Jig. Two are sitting at a table and having an argumentative talk on whether the girl should opt for an abortion. The story has various themes and symbols which symbolizes various situations and portrays a particular message relating to the relationship between the two. The aim of the essay is to analyze the use of symbolism and explore the theme of the short story.

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It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy” (121). The man’s constant thought of an abortion being the only solution towards being happy proves that the relationship is not as strong as they thought. He believes he can convince her by holding their relationship hostage, but the woman is smart enough to know that she will be much happier keeping the baby rather than dumping it. During the twenties, women did not have the option to express themselves or make decisions (history.com). So, this woman made a bold choice to make the decision.

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In the story, a girl named Jig and an unnamed American man are travelling in Spain. While waiting for a train, they have a few drinks, and the subject of “an operation” (476) comes up. This “operation” (476) is presumably an abortion, and the two characters have drastically different opinions on the matter. Jig wants to go through with the pregnancy, while her partner wants her to go through with the abortion. Eventually, Jig stops arguing, putting on a smile and telling the American man that she feels “fine” (478).

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The American’s immediate fear is him having to marry Jig to “make an honest woman of her”, if she has the baby (Hannum). So the American starts talking about his love for Jig and claiming that the abortion is “perfectly simple,” just “to let the air in.” But Jig

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One main theme in Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” is the idea of disconnection. In this story, we eavesdrop on a conversation held between both characters. In their dialogue, conflict is created as the characters face what most readers believe to be the obstacle of unexpected pregnancy. This is assumed through symbolism and the titles meaning. The term “white elephant” was used for an unwanted gift.

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Hills Like White Elephant is a short story by Earnest Hemingway from 1927. The story is talking about a failing relationship between an American man and his girlfriend. This couple is at a critical point on their lives. At the bar in a train station in Spain, the girl, Jig, does not want to end up her pregnancy, but she is going to sacrifice the baby to satisfied him. Because he is critical of the exploitation of his girl’s feelings concerning the continuation of unbalanced relationship.

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Written during the period of Modernism and published in 1927, Ernest Hemingway’s work, “Hills like White Elephants,” is a short story about a conversation between an American man and a young girl, Jig, while drinking beer at a railway station in Spain. Modernism was the vague term to describe the literary shift which marked a strong and intentional break with tradition in areas—arts, religion, science, politics, and social conventions. The author keeps the major conflict in the story ambiguous by giving very little context and interpretation. Hemingway writes this piece of realistic fiction which conveys a story through images imbued with meaning rather than explanations and words. Using Modernism, along with Imagism and Objectivism, “Hills

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The story titled, “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway is about a young American man and a woman, who is waiting at a railway station for a train that will take them to Madrid. They are drinking liquor as they wait and discusses what the American man says will be "a simple operation" for the girl. The man, while urging the girl to have the operation, says again and again that he really doesn 't want her to do it if she really doesn 't want to. However, he clearly is insisting that she do so. The girl is trying to decline to have the operation but the couple keeps arguing.

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Symbolism plays a fundamental role in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants”. The different symbols used throughout the story are capable of subtly conveying intricate concepts to the readers of this recognized literary work. It then becomes essential for them to detect all these symbols, and discern the deep meanings which they hold in order to truly grasp the story’s message which the author intended to transmit. Without this insight, many first-time readers may view the story as a simple and casual dialog between two people, a man and a woman, waiting for a train from Barcelona to Madrid. Thus, they become unaware of the intense conflict the two main characters are actually facing, haunted by the difficult decision of terminating a pregnancy

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The author leaves us asking whether or not the woman decided to have the abortion, which is one of the most difficult and impactful decisions an individual could make. The tone of the story is controlled. We are given a small amount of information and conversation throughout the story. It is up to the reader to interpret the story and discover the meaning. Symbolism plays a large role in this narrative.

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In his story “Hills Like White Elephants”, Ernest Hemingway points out the couple's inability to make the decision: whether to abort the unborn child or not. The reader finds that the story deals with couple's miscommunication through the conversation and the emotions that they express. One can observe that no descriptions are given to the characters, thus, Hemingway creates universal dilemma to focus on the crucial issue. In this way, Hemingway leads the reader to identify with his female character that undergoes a struggle.

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