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Iceberg Theory In Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

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In Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants”, Jig has to decide if having an abortion is the right decision for herself. However, the dilemma of having an abortion is not told in the short story. The readers have to read between the lines to understand the situation Jig is in. This style of writing is called the theory of omission and was created by American writer Ernest Hemingway. The concept of the theory is to minimize the context of a short story to allow the text to be pieced together from what is not present. It allows the imagination of readers to find the supporting structure to complete the story and solve the hidden theme. However, Hemingway’s theory could be a problem because there are multiple interpretations of a short story which …show more content…

Silvia Ammary explains that “revealing only ‘the tip of the iceberg,’” grants writers omit information they know the readers can solve in their own interpretation (54). It is an illusion of writers showing a visible part of the iceberg above the water as their short story. The rest of the iceberg which is located underwater is the structure of the story--hidden in between the lines. Letting readers solve the deeper meaning of the short story through subtext creates a bond between the writer’s and the readers. The writers removing important details display how they trust their readers in their knowledge to complete the short stories without the writer's help. Therefore, the writers strengthen the story’s meaning by letting the readers to perfect the story by themselves. The writers use the theory for the readers to fill the intentional void in the short stories. Hemingway has said the style of the theory is “suggestive rather than direct” to allow the readers become the writers of the story (54). By analyzing short stories through subtext, the reader’s learn how get the most of the text from what is not explained or presented, but suggested to complete the structure of the

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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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When first reading “Hills Like White Elephants,” the miscommunication and unintentional manipulation between characters, (an American man and a young woman who we can assume to be in a brief relationship with each other), may not be initially clear to the reader. The reader may first find the American man in the story to be harsh, controlling, and manipulative. However, after a closer second read one comes to realize that these assumptions about his character have come from simple miscommunication between characters. Hemingway refers to the female in the story specifically as a girl, not a woman, so we can infer that there is an age difference between the two characters which is also a contributing factor. As well, it becomes clear that the

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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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David Foster Wallace and Ernest Hemingway are two American writers. Even though they come from different generations, both men argue about the same subject, abortion, which is controversial during their time. While both of their short stories using a third person narrative, Wallace portrays his characters’ actions and behaviours by making readers experience their thoughts in “Good People” while Hemingway portray his characters by allowing readers to observe them from the outside in “Hills Like White Elephants”. Firstly, their different writing styles can help the reader to either understand the characters relationship quickly or slowly. Next, it would seem that the involvement of reader to understand the characters in “Good People” is greater than in “Hills Like White Elephants”.

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Symbols are often placed in the surrounding scenery of a story to give it more than just a visual effect but also an indirect reference to a deeper meaning that can be interpreted. As seen in the title, symbolism is used throughout the short story, “Hills like White Elephants”. Ernest Hemingway’s use of symbolism along with the description of the setting helps to give a visual representation of the conflict between the American and the girl as their conversation continues on the subject of abortion. In the near beginning of the story, Jig, the girl, states that the far off hills “look like white elephants” (Charters 475).

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Hemingway accomplishes that outcome by making use of his iceberg theory - the ability to omit as much as possible from the context and interpretation of the story, leaving the reader to intuit its entire meaning.

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