ipl-logo

Theme Of Manipulation In Hills Like White Elephants

924 Words4 Pages

Humans are selfish, and only communicate to retract their wants/needs. Many humans will use certain tactics and strategies in order to get what they desire. These actions can be disoriented with a being's true intentions. Manipulation is a perfect tactic to gain control, and exploit others while having to avoid taking responsibility for the consequences of the action. Within manipulation many strategies can be conducted to receive the result the user wants; Reverse psychology is a manipulation technique that involves the user of the technique getting what they want from people by prompting and suggesting them to do the opposite. In Ernest Hemingway’s short novel “Hills Like White Elephants,” The American character secretively uses manipulation …show more content…

They are at a cafe in Spain, and the couple begins to have a sit and chat. Their conversation appears to be awkward, and like there is an avoidance of a specific topic to discuss. The man brings up what appears to be the avoided topic. The topic of their conversion is abortion and how it would affect their relationship. The writer does not specifically state the topic, but it is most definitely implied with context clues. The American man in the novel uses manipulation to try and convince his partner to go through with the operation. The American man says to his partner, “‘It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig’ The man said. ‘It’s not really an operation at all.’” (Hemingway 315) The American man tries to manipulate his partner to complete the operation by telling her how simple and easy it is; however, he is a man so how would he know how ‘simple’ this operation is? The partner senses that the American man is in favor of the abortion, and this situation has caused a difference in their relationship. All the partner cares about is going back to ‘how things used to be’. The American man senses his partner's craving for their relationship before the situation, so he uses it to help manipulate her into thinking that the abortion is the right choice. The partner says to the American man, “‘And you think then we'll be all right and be happy.’ ‘I know we will, you don't have to be afraid. I’ve known lots of people that have done it.’” (Hemingway 315) The American man tries to make it seem like he is in support of his partner and their relationship, but he is using what the partner seeks the most as an incentive to help manipulate her into thinking that having an abortion will fix their relationship. The American man even emphasizes and restates the ‘simplicity’ of the operation; however, it is not to be comforting and supportive but to manipulate her to make the decision that he seeks. Their

Show More
Related

Examples Of Ambiguity In Hills Like White Elephant By Ernest Hemingway

333 Words | 2 Pages

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

Read More

Essay On The Raven And O Brien's The Things They Carried

682 Words | 3 Pages

Donovan Crowley Mr. Callaghan AP Literature & Composition May 2, 2024 Echoes of Loss & Memory Edgar Allen Poe’s iconic poem “The Raven” and Tim O’Brien’s famous Vietnam War novel The Things They Carried resonate with loss, memory, and the weight of the past, emphasizing how the tormenting presence of the past defines the present. Through vivid imagery and symbolism, Poe and O’Brien create a haunting atmosphere that reflects the psychological and emotional behaviors of the characters. While The Things They Carried is a war story and “The Raven” is a poem about a scholar and bird, both pieces of writing highlight the conflict between man and self when associated with grief and insanity and expose the distinction between truth and imagination

Read More

Hills Like White Elephants Rhetorical Analysis

739 Words | 3 Pages

In the short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway, there is a relationship unfolding, a complex relationship difficult to understand. The relationship is revealed by a conversation between a man and a woman, a topic of conversation that people rarely discussed in the period that the story was set. After researching interpretations, it is consistently said “She is pregnant, and he wants her to have an abortion” (Weeks 76), to which I agree that this conversation is about abortion. With the man seemingly pushing the topic and the girl hesitant and questionable, it is unsure as to the result of their conversation. However, it is my belief that she chose to follow her heart and not get the abortion.

Read More

Good People And Hills Like White Elephants: A Comparative Analysis

970 Words | 4 Pages

Comparison/Contrast Essay 1 “Good People” and “Hills Like White Elephants” are stories that portray young couples facing an unwanted pregnancy and the decision of whether to terminate the pregnancy or keep the child. Jig in “Hills Like White Elephants”, is headstrong and knows what she wants to do about the pregnancy, will have the baby and the American will likely stay with Jig. Despite the decision she make concerning the pregnancy, his feelings of affection are genuine for her and the child. In the story “Good People” Sheri will likely terminate the pregnancy despite her religious convictions.

Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Lost Ones By J. Cole

1006 Words | 5 Pages

He grasps the audience’s attention because the song is revolved around such a sensitive topic, abortion. Even though it may not be the best decision for your situation it could be for the next person’s situation. The dialogue between them is very important because an abortion is not a quick and easy move to make. Thankfully, there is a choice available though. There are many factors that tie into the decision to have an abortion, from whether the mother is healthy enough to carry to whether the child was conceived by rape.

Read More

Compare And Contrast Selfishness In 'Hills Like White Elephants'

706 Words | 3 Pages

The American suggests that their single, carefree lifestyle doesn’t include a child and he was indifferent to the situation. Furthermore, the American suggests the operation only if she was in agreement; however, never insisting on the operation, leaving the situation

Read More

Masculinity In Sonny's Blues

1526 Words | 7 Pages

So he sketched out a scene titled "Hills Like White Elephants." Throughout the story, the American behaves according to Hemingway’s rigid conception of masculinity. Hemingway portrays the American as a rugged man’s man—knowledgeable, worldly, and always in control of himself and the situation at hand. Even when vexed or confused, he maintains his cool and feigns indifference, such as when he tells the girl he doesn’t care whether she has the operation. He initially avoids discussion of their problems, but when pressured, he tackles them head on by oversimplifying the operation and relentlessly pushing her to have it.

Read More

Nagel's Argument Analysis

1897 Words | 8 Pages

IV. The Problem of Evil So far, we have examined only arguments for the existence of God. But for each argument, we have also discussed some objections. Some theists may accept all these objections and yet maintain a belief in the existence of God.

Read More

Hills Like White Elephants Literary Analysis

1554 Words | 7 Pages

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.

Read More

Relationships In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

853 Words | 4 Pages

[he’s] known lots of people that have it done”(53). After all of these comments he made to convince her of his decision he tries to play it off like he wants her to do whatever she feels is right. The final key to manipulation: make it seem like it was her decision when in reality he manipulated her into making this choice all along. Manipulation is unfortunately a common theme in relationships and this short story does an incredible job by shining light on that issue in human relationships.

Read More

The Theme Of Abortion In Hills Like White Elephants

893 Words | 4 Pages

In the short story, “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway from the start makes us draw out our own conclusions and does not give us a great deal of information. For example, we are only told about two characters, an American man and a girl who are waiting for their train to arrive. Other than this, we are not told what relationship the characters share together or where their final destination is. The protagonist who is referred to as “the girl” is in the middle of a tragic situation which can take a turn for the best or the worst and her partner, the “American man” is not helping but making the situation more heated.

Read More

The Dialogue In Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

1629 Words | 7 Pages

The dialogue in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” reveals a man’s and a woman’s incongruent conflict on abortion, and the author’s fundamentally feminist position is visible in the portrayal of the woman’s independent choice of whether or not to keep the baby she is carrying. The plot is very simple in the story which is less than 1500 words long. A woman and a man spend less than an hour on a hot summers day at a Spanish train station in the valley of Ebro as they are waiting for a train heading for Madrid. Their dialogue takes up most of the space and only few major actions take place.

Read More

Popular Mechanics Raymond Carver

1291 Words | 6 Pages

The man acts like he would be fine with having the baby but it is obvious he doesn’t want it at all saying “I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to. But I know it’s perfectly simple” (Hemingway 925). She likes the idea of having a baby throughout the story and the man realizes she wants to have it. At the end of the story he walks through the bar and has a drink by himself and “look[s] at the people” to get used to being in a bar by himself again (Hemingway 926). He is planning to break up with her because she wants to have the baby and he wants to live his life the way he has been.

Read More

Literary Analysis Of Hills Like White Elephants, By Ernest Hemingway

2016 Words | 9 Pages

If taken literally, Hemingway’s story is one in which very little happens. The story takes place in a train station in Spain where a couple argue about a vague event over drinks. From the very start of the short story, there is an overbearing uneasiness felt in the text as the unnamed male and the girl, Jig, hold what seems to be—on the surface—an innocent conversation. By using a limiting third person point of view that consists mostly of dialogue, Hemingway creates an obstacle in the way of understanding as there is no clear insight to what is going on inside of either party’s head. The conflict that the pair seem to be discussing is never named and it becomes the metaphorical elephant in the room much like the white elephants that Jig sees in the mountains.

Read More

Coming Of Age In Ernest Hemingway's The Girl

717 Words | 3 Pages

This causes an emotional strain for the protagonist, thus fuelling her towards this quest of self-realisation. In Hemingway’s story, The Girl journeys into this quest when she awakes to the limitation of her decision -set by The American. The Girl tries to regain (or discover) her autonomy by rebelling. First rebelling inwardly through her subconscious by seeing the hills ‘…like white elephants’, and describing ‘the colouring of their skin through the trees.’ Moreover, she continues to rebel outwardly, by using sarcasm continuing to straightforwardly speak out against The American.

Read More

More about Theme Of Manipulation In Hills Like White Elephants

Related Topics

Open Document