Hills Like White Elephants

In Ernest Hemingways “Hills Like White Elephants” a couple is waiting for their train at a station located in the Valley of Ebro in Spain. The story is told in a third person perspective as if the reader is eavesdropping on the conversation taking place between a man and his “american girl.” (pg 114) as they wait for their train. Through the setting and the dialogue between the two main characters we learn quite a bit about the situation they have seemed to find themselves in. While reading through the dialogue, which is a big chunk, and analyzing the setting of the story we immediately pick up on the conflict between the two characters. Most who read this story believe that the conflict is an unexpected pregnancy in which the couple is on their way to terminate.

In this conversation the girl makes a comment about the hills that can be seen off in the distance. She says “They look like white elephants.” (pg 115) In the swing era the terms “white elephant” was a phrase that meant an unwanted gift. The girl describing the hills she sees points at the fact that the “white elephant” in this story is most likely an unexpected pregnancy. The train station is also a very important piece of setting. The train tracks are parallel in the same manor as the conversation between the man and his girl that takes up the majority of the story. The two of them are talking but not really absorbing what the other one is saying. Another important piece of symbolism we can pull away from the train station is the importance of time. The train the are planning on catching will stop at the station in a few moments symbolizing the fact that she has a small amount of time left to change her