Analysis Of Ernest Hemingway's Indian Camp And Hills Like White Elephants

Over the Hills As humans, we are limited to our senses and define the world around us by interacting with each other and by learning from our mistakes. Our biggest weakness is that we cannot foresee the future, and thus, we are left questioning our utter existence or sole purpose. There is a point in every person’s life where he or she must make a difficult decision that carries with them for the rest if their lives. Ernest Hemingway, one of the most influential writers of his time, depicts this idea in his short stories, “Indian Camp” and “Hills like White Elephants,” by constantly referencing to the hills as a sign of uncertainty to the characters about how their decisions will impact themselves and their loved ones in the near future.

Before we are even introduced to the characters in the beginning of the story, Hemingway very cleverly introduces the story by describing the arrival of the father and Nick as, “They walked up from the beach through a meadow that was soaking wet with dew, following the young Indian who carried a lantern. Then they went into the woods and followed a trail that led to the logging road that ran back into the hills.” The arrival of Nick and his father through the rough road foreshadows the harsh realities that the father and son will eventually face. That same rough road leads to the hills where the reader can see the idea of a character, in this case the Nick, reaching a turning point in his life. By overcoming the road that is life, Nick will eventually transform from a young innocent boy to a man. The father’s decision to bring Nick along with him to the camp will alter the way Nick perceives the world since we later find out that Nick witnesses the birth of a child and death all in the same day. Whether the fathers’ decision impacts Nick positively or not is left up to the reader by