Hills Across The Bar Symbolism

In order to connect the setting of this story to the plot we must take a closer look at each place that this story takes residence. We start with the “hills across the valley of the Ebro.” We note that “there is no shade and no trees” This is the first thing that we could relate to the plot, our main characters discuss some important topics in the plot of the story. The first part of successful communication is that there must be willingness on both sides of the relationship for the two people to be “out in the open” about their thoughts and concerns. The second setting-related thing described in this story is the “curtain, made of strings of bamboo beads, hung across the open door to the bar.” Hemingway could have simply stated that the

We will skip ahead to the next description of the setting, which is the train station. “He picked up two heavy bags” (I mean, talk about baggage…) Based on the interactions, or lack thereof, that this couple have in the bar, it is safe to assume that their relationship has many unresolved issues. “He looked up the tracks but could not see the train.” That’s it, that’s the whole point of this story. Nothing gets resolved, the characters are too stuck to in their current situations to change anything, and they decide to not acknowledge the “elephant in the

It’s really not anything. It’s just to let the air in.” He clearly wants to let the wind go through the curtain. He’s trying his best to get through to Jig, but she is the one who put up the bamboo bead curtain in the first place, she is the one making the luggage heavy. “the girl stood up and walked to the end of the station. Across on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the bank of the Ebro…” As the setting description turns from “brown and dry” to “Rivers, mountains, and trees,” all beautiful parts of nature, she says, “And we could have all this.” In this section, she acknowledges that she wishes the relationship wasn’t “brown and dry” and that, all this time, she had been hoping for “rivers, mountains, and trees.” But we soon find out that she no longer believes that they could have everything. She opens herself up in this moment, to let us know how she really feels. Unfortunately, we see the man immediately asks her to, “come on back in the shade,” and “you mustn’t feel that way.” This story is far more complex that it originally seems, because on the surface it looks like Jig is too stubborn to try to resolve these issues, but the moment she opens herself up to having the conversation, the man tells her to “come back to the shade,” or back to the bead curtain. Which makes us wonder, who is to blame for the bead