word ‘damhsa’ or ‘dance’ in English (Whelan 9). The country dancing that was popular until the 17th century is said to have “spread from England into Ireland” (Whelan 10). However, during the late 17th century, the term ‘jig’ began being used for the Irish dance (Whelan 10). The jig is the more modern term to describe the dancing of Ireland. It is a wonder that the technique of Irish dancing was so uniform all around Ireland. The greatest contributors to the spread of the technique of Irish dancing
In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” the character Jig is submissive to her counterpart The American Man, who is encouraging her to have an abortion. While Jig is not sure what she wants, she does not wish to press the subject of the operation because The American Man is intent upon persuading her to go through with the procedure. Throughout this story Jig’s helplessness, indecisiveness, and her lack of education become apparent, although by the end of the story she becomes confident
“Treble up down, treble up down, tip step slide cut 2 3. Hop back, heal cut, hop rock 2 3, step click 2 3.” Cormac O’Shea shouted as we danced in waves across the hard floor in front of the floor to ceiling mirror at the front of the studio. Our hard shoes would thunder steadily to the beat of the music as my dance friends and I worked hard to get our Hornpipe perfect. Irish dancing is fast paced and very invigorating. I danced for seven years at O’Shea Irish Dance and every day felt proud of the
It's not about them, but couples in general. The way they talk vaguely to each other without saying what they're actually talking about is how most people communicate. The nickname that the man calls the woman, Jig, may indicate how close they are since it's a nickname and not her full name. "Jig" can be used as a way to show how they are a bonded couple and give a sense of his compassion toward her. 2) The story's first paragraph has "The American and the girl" then also goes on with "It was very hot
traits from only the dialogue between himself and the charterer name Jig. The American acted was self-centered and could be considered controlling of the girl, Jig. In the begging of the story the American first seems to skip over the main reason of why they are in the Train Terminal in the first place, the couple is going to get an abortion, however once the topic ix brought up the American is trying to convince the girl, Jig, that she is really oversimplifying the issue and that her operation would
to go against Jig. She is a foreigner who cannot speak a word of the countries native language that she is in. Jig is also heavily reliant on her boyfriend to get her to Madrid for the abortion and on other things as well. The baby has become more of a burden than a blessing for Jig and her boyfriend. Lastly we see Jigs change of mind set on how the hills look like white elephants. All of these clues suggests that Jig does get the abortion which her boyfriend heavily pushes for. Jig is in a foreign
Hemingway, one can see that the character Jig would give birth to the baby, because she is unhappy with the life she has been living, becomes stronger in her character, and later is free from the American. The first reason Jig would have given birth to the baby is because her unhappiness with her life would have intensified to the point of having the baby. When the man, the American, first attempts to convincing Jig to abort the baby, Jig looks to the ground. She does this as if in
opinions. As a result, the words do not come across. The American, though, does everything in his power to convince Jig of conducting an abortion, in which he seems to succeed at first. But as the story develops, the divided and childlike Jig transforms into an independent woman, who possesses an internal strength, determination and a mind of her own. Hence, I am going to argue that Jig will not have the abortion and will eventually leave the American. Hemingway, considered to be a modernist writer
The Complex Relationship between the American and Jig in Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” In Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants”, the American and Jig are like the tracks at the train station, they can never meet. While Jig represents fertility, life and continuity, the American represents sterility, dryness and death. Unfortunately, Jig depends emotionally on the American – as many women depended on their male counterparts in the 1940s – and lacks the autonomy and willpower
and through the character representation. The main characters in the story are an American man and a female named Jig. The conflict about abortions is an issue that still faces society today. Architectural and atmospheric symbolisms are used to set the mood and outline the human condition. The love bond between the man and Jig is strong; however, the more powerful bond between Jig and her unborn child is sacred. Many years ago our society was filled with moral and ethical values, unfortunately they
from seeing each other’s view point. Although Jig comes off somewhat submissive, both parties are strong willed and consumed by the power of their ideas and it prevents them from understanding one another’s outlook on the situation. When that occurs, any chance of compromise is lost. Not even halfway down the page of the story, the couple begins to bicker at each other. Jig: (the hills) They look like white elephants, The American: I’ve never seen one, Jig: No, you wouldn’t have. The American: I might
foundation of trust between a man and woman. In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” we learn about the communication breakdown, between a woman named Jig and her companion who is an American man. They must make a decision that will affect both of their lives, and potentially end their relationship. The setting of the story represents Jig and her relationship with her American companion. “The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees
” the lives of Jig and the American, the main characters, are put on display for a brief period of time. Jig and the man have had a romantic relationship for quite some time, and now their future together is in jeopardy. The impregnation of Jig has caused the American to pressure her into getting an abortion. We find these two individuals in the Valley of the Ebro. Traveling from Barcelona to Madrid, the couple takes these few minutes to discuss the future of their baby. Jig now must make one
conflicting sides of Jig and the man regarding the issue of abortion. Hemingway uses a third-person, telegraphic writing style and also equips the use of symbolism to convey the feelings and development of characters and also create a better understanding of his piece. Along with those devices, Hemingway also shapes the tone of the characters in their dialogue to show the shifting of emotions. The purpose in using these devices is to effectively show the evolution of a dominated girl (Jig) to an assertive
precise, straightforward, and has low emotional content, but Jig is imprecise and tries to tie in emotions. Smiley indicates in the article that men are more goal-based and women may tend to be emotional oriented. This is significant because it shows how women can often submit to a male, rather than follow their own decisions. Possibly one of the most interesting facts pointed out that happens in Hills Like White Elephants is that Jig exhibits dependency on the American, which is something I did
life? Could you decide between keeping your significant other and losing your unborn child or losing your significant other and keeping your child? In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants”, an American man and his girlfriend, who he calls “Jig”, argue about whether she should have an abortion or not. The couple tries to discuss the “elephant in the room”, but fail to ever really understand and accept each other’s point of views as they wait for the train to come. Although the ending results
through Jig and the American man’s relationship. First, Hemmingway introduced the tense relationship between Jig and The American to the readers in order to inform the power a man has over a woman. In the story, Jig and The American were sitting at a table in the shade. She talks about what she sees to the American. She explains how the hills she saw looked like white elephants. After Jig observes that the hills look like white elephants, the man says, “‘ I’ve never seen one, and Jig replies
short story "Hills Like White Elephants," Hemingway uses a plethora of symbols to convey the idea that the young girl, Jig is ambivalent to having an abortion and that her older American boyfriend does not want to have the baby. Although the word abortion is never used in the story, the reader understands the concept through Hemingway's symbolism. In the beginning of the story, Jig and her boyfriend are waiting for a train in the valley of Ebro. They did not take a car or any other customary means
White Elephants”, by Ernest Hemingway, Jig searches for her identity as she makes a challenging decision. In the drama A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Walter searches for his identity by demonstrating his love for money throughout the play. To begin with, in “Hill Like White Elephants”, Jig is searching for herself. Jig does not know whether to have an abortion or to keep the baby. The American man tries to persuade Jig into having the abortion, but Jig knows that it is the wrong thing to
” Hemingway uses dialogue in a number of ways to enhance his story. Hemingway’s use of almost total dialogue displays the personality, motivations, and concerns of both the American and Jig. The first way dialogue improves this story is that it adds in the characters personality. This allows us to imagine how Jig and the American are really