In Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” I found many layers of symbolism, and a fascinating psychological underplay afoot between his two characters. It begins with the girl’s comment about a line of white hills seen in the distance, which she compares to white elephants. The man responds with the comment “I’ve never seen one.”
The symbolism of a white elephant is widely known as something very large or apparent that no one wishes to acknowledge or speak of in American society. It is an interesting opening to a very strained conversation concerning an apparent pregnancy, and the man’s wish to terminate it. The couple’s careful avoidance of actually naming the problem, or the proposed solution, suggests the situation in which a mate, reluctant to assume responsibility, or unprepared for the task of parenthood, is lobbying to prevent it.
In her next comment, “No, you wouldn’t have.” the girl returns a very passive aggressive riposte, perhaps suggesting that the man cannot, or will not, recognize an unpleasant issue. His defensive reaction to her response suggests that she is correct. She then changes the subject casually, as though retreating from his irritation. He plays along with it in a placatory manner, seemingly eager to avoid an escalation of the tension that obviously exists between them. Clearly, the woman in this story is reluctant to abort her pregnancy, while the man is strongly committed to making it happen.
After he orders them...
Initially, light during Hester’s stay in prison is a reminder of the judgements of society. When Hester first comes out of the prison to face her trial, “She bore in her arms a child, a baby of some three months old, who winked and turned aside its little face from the too vivid light of day; because its existence, heretofore, had brought it acquainted only with the gray twilight of a dungeon, or other darksome apartment of the prison.” (Hawthorne, 50). Within the confines of the prison, Hester and the baby were safe from the judgments of the townspeople. This is why, during the child’s first exposure to the town, she turns away. She is not used to the invasive light and the cruelty. However, in the forest, light transforms into a symbol of truth and purity, just as Pearl’s relationship with it does too. As Hester and Pearl are entering the forest to meet Dimmesdale, Pearl is captivated by the sunlight, and notices that it does not shine upon her mother, due to the scarlet “A” on her chest. Meanwhile, Pearl absorbed the sunlight. “As she attempted to do so, the sunshine vanished; or, to judge from the bright expression that was dancing in Pearl’s features, her mother could have fancied that the child had absorbed it into herself” (Hawthorne, 180). This scene reinforces the symbolism of light to depict purity and truth. Pearl had always been truthful, and never sinned, thus
I thought I had a good grasp on it at first, but soon I came to realize that I didn’t have any goals. I tried to make some goals but they all turned out to be aspirations. Since then I’ve put a lot of thought into it and made sure my goals met all the points of the SMART system. So looking at the future I want I can’t predict anything but I can plan what I will be doing to get there. I have committed my time to school, work, and fitness. School will always come first, because if I want to become a professor it is the important for my future career. Work is second because I want too much and everything costs money. My truck and gas and insurance all come out of my pocket and there crucial so that I can get to and from school. I did not work out at all this summer and I since then have gone to the gym every day and have found that I feel better. I want to be healthy so this is now something I want to commit my time
Firearms changed the landscape of the world. They brought a chilling reality to the easiness of death, and forever altered the way human civilization operated. Upgrading from swords and shields to firearms forever changed the battlefield, and our streets. A movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, Sandy Hooks Elementary School, a Sikh religious center, and even U.S. Military Installations have all been targeted by gun violence, showing us that guns are dangerous in all situations. Gun control has been an issue that plagues not only the United States as a nation, but rather affects the world as a whole. The violence that can be caused by a firearm is inevitable and extremely dissatisfying to many people around the world. Unless you’ve been living your past years without a Internet connection, newspapers, or television, you have probably heard everything when it comes to gun control. Jeffery Goldberg is one of the many who chimed in on the matter to try to add some opinion. After reviewing the works of Goldberg, “The Case for More Guns (and More Gun Control)” , we discovered some key fallacies including false analogy and hasty generalization. Although Goldberg is a reputable author, fallacies in his arguments made his work less credible, and made his argument weaker. However, before we can divulge into the article, we must first know why gun control is such an important issue in America, and why such a rampant debate rages on, even today.
Gale. Weeks, Lewis E., Jr. "Hemingway Hills: Symbolism in 'Hills like White'" Elephants. Studies in Short Fiction. 17.1 (Winter 1980): 75-77.
Ernest Hemingway is an incredible writer, known for what he leaves out of stories not for what he tells. His main emphasis in Hills Like White Elephants seems to be symbolism. Symbolism is the art or practice of using symbols, especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations (merriam-webster.com). He uses this technique to emphasize the importance of ideas, once again suggesting that he leaves out the important details of the story by symbolizing their meaning.
There is no single answer to end the debate on gun control. Many variables must be examined but the evidence presented cannot be ignored. Gun control does not end violence, but makes the law-abiding citizens more vulnerable. In the 1878 Arkansas case of Wilson v. State, a judge stated, “Common sense dictates that inanimate objects, such as guns, are not responsible for human behavior. We don’t hold a match responsible for arson or a camera responsible for pornography. We rightly hold the people who misuse these tools liable. The same should be true for guns.”
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson is known for being one of the greatest American poets. She is described as a death-obsessed writer whose poems embodied the truth and hidden humor about death. She proved that death is a mystery and it must be unveiled. Through her poem “If I Should Die”, Emily Dickinson confronts death peacefully. Her approach to death in this poem reflects her spirituality and defines her title as a metaphysical poet.
Hills Like White Elephants displays the differences in the way a man and a woman view pregnancy and abortion. The woman looks at pregnancy as a beautiful aspect of life. In the story the woman’s pregnancy is implied through their conversation. She refers to the near by hills as elephants; "They look like white elephants" (464). She is comparing the hills to her own situation, pregnancy. "They’re lovely hills. They really don’t look like white elephants. I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees" (465). Just as the hills have their distinct beauty to her, she views pregnancy in the same fashion making the reference to the hills having skin—an enlarged mound forming off of what was once flat. The man views pregnancy just the opposite. When the girl is talking about the white elephants and agrees that the man has never seen one, his response is, "I might have, just because you say I haven’t doesn’t prove anything" (464). This shows the defensive nature of the man, and when the woman implies the he is unable to differentiate between what is beautiful and what is not.
White elephant is not only a part of the title of the story but it is also the main symbol in the story. The girl began by saying “they look like white elephants” (Charters 368) and immediately it is a reminder of the cliché “an elephant is in the room”. In hearing that comment the reader is forced to think that she does not want the unborn child and that it is an inconvenience as no one would want an elephant since it is really big and can be an inconvenience. Though it seemed casual she was actually acknowledging the elephant in the room which was the pregnancy. By doing this she opened the line for a conversation on the matter. As t...
In the short story by Ernest Hemingway, "Hills Like White Elephants," a couple is delayed at a train station en route to Madrid and is observed in conflict over the girl's impending abortion. In his writing, Hemingway does not offer any commentary through a specific character's point of view, nor, in the storytelling, does he offer his explicit opinions on how to feel or think about the issues that emerge. The narrative seems to be purely objective, somewhat like a newspaper or journal article, and in true Hemingway form the story ends abruptly, without the couple's conflict clearly being resolved. The ambiguity of the ending has been a subject of much debate; however, the impact of what is not said in words can be gleaned through the symbolism of their surroundings. Upon examination of the setting, the couple's final choice becomes instantly apparent.
Hemingway has manufactured a fleshed-out characterization of the couple and a clear and complete exposition of their dilemma using almost nothing but dialogue. The title of the story has led many to speculate on what the “white elephant” symbolizes. It is notable that "white elephant" is a term used to refer to something that requires much care, yielding little profit; such as a relationship. A white elephant is generally thought of as unusual and cumbersome: better referred to as, in short, a problem. Hemingway disguises the true underlying problem with this couple, with the subject of abortion. It almost distracts the reader and encourages them to take sides: either relating to Jig or The American, when the problem was not in the operation, or the child, but their poor commutation skills.
Almost unknown as a poet in her lifetime, Emily Dickinson is now considered as one of the most mysterious and original American poet of 19th century for her innovation in rhythmic meters and creative use of metaphors. Her poems were rarely published in Russia because most of them had religious content (to express religious feelings was restricted in Russia for almost a century). However, some poems that I read impressed me at the first glance. Dickinson’s poems spoke powerfully to me about meaningful events in living. Many impressions that she compressed into only few words helped me to understand my own experience through her emotional clarity. It was not easy to understand Dickinson’s poems. I had to read “between lines” to get what she meant. However, her poems contained the pain and sorrow to which I can easily relate because of several losses that I had to go through in my own personal life.
Cullina, Alice. Chainani, Soman ed. *Emily Dickinson's Collected Poems Summary*. GradeSaver, 26 July 2009 Web. 26 March 2011.
It is only when the American girl makes the comment, "No, you wouldn't have" (487) in response to the man's statement that he had never seen a white elephant, that we get the first implication of conflict. Her comment is laden with contempt, which the man's response seems to confirm; "Just because you say I wouldn't have doesn't prove anything" (487). As the conversation continues and we learn that the girl is going to undergo some kind of surgical procedure, it is the man's shocking indifference to her well being that affronts the reader. He continually tells her that the procedure is nothing to be scared of, and that he knows plenty of people who have gone through it. Though he eventually tells her that he doesn't want her to do anything she doesn't want, it is hard to believe him.
Almost unknown as a poet in her lifetime, Emily Dickinson is now considered as one of the most mysterious and original American poets of 19th century for her innovation in rhythmic meters and creative use of metaphors. Her poems were rarely published in Russia because most of them had religious content (to express religious feelings was restricted in Russia for almost a century). However, some poems that I read impressed me at the first glance. Dickinson’s poems spoke powerfully to me about meaningful events in living. Many impressions that she compressed into only few words helped me to understand my own experience through her emotional clarity. It was not easy to understand Dickinson’s poems. I had to read “between lines” to get what she meant. However, her poems contained the pain and sorrow to which I can easily relate because of several losses that I had to go through in my own personal life.