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Hills like white elephants symbolism and themes
Hills like white elephants symbolism and themes
Themes in hill like white elephants
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To the eye reading just what is on the surface, the short story “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway may seem confusing or even bland. However, if the story is examined at a more in depth level, in terms of theme, tone, and symbolism, the full potential of this story can be seen. We see a story of a man and a woman on opposing sides, regarding the woman having an abortion. These three categories allow for the audience to fully experience this breathtaking story. There are several different themes shown throughout the story: communication, manipulation, and choice. From the beginning, the American man and the woman, jig, have an uneasy tension between them. As the story progresses, the tension manifests when they talk and when the …show more content…
The pleading in her words not only convey her need for silence or for the subject to not be approached, but it shows how their conversation is falling apart, due to the man being so literally and apathetic with the subject, when to Jig it is much more than that. On the surface this may make the story just seem like a large argument, and while there is some truth in it, the communication shows the struggle Jig is facing from the man. The dialogue spoken is said with such emotion by Jig and lack of emotion by the man, the loss of love and the want to reclaim it can be felt. Manipulation is shown through most of the story. At first, the man is trying to “convince” Jig that it is “really an awfully simple operation” (line 58). He mentions of people he knows having the procedure and it being harmless to her. While sounding as though he is trying to convince her, it appears he is trying to convince himself as well with reassuring words. Jig picks up on the tactic he is using and begins to use manipulation …show more content…
Control and opposition are tied together because both the man and the woman wanting to “victorious”. The man is wanting the abortion while it is apparent that the woman does not. The man wants to be “victorious” in convincing jig to go along with the operation. This is very obvious and seen when the subject is first mentioned, David and Heather Hardy write in “Love, Death and War: Metaphorical Interaction in Hemingway’s ‘Hills Like White Elephants’” “Having the woman in a vulnerable position, the man launches his major attack.”(paragraph 22, line 1). He wants to win this argument and have them going on being a carefree couple traveling, after the operation is performed. Jig is apprehensive to have the abortion because she possibly wants the child, but she also fears at what may happen after she has the operation. She does not know if things will really be the same. The man is using logic and lack of emotion to be able to convince Jig that the abortion is the right move for her to make. While, Jig uses emotion to try and make him give in to letting it truly be her choice and not just what he wants. This is shown in the lines “I don’t care about me.” “Well, I care about you.” “Oh, yes, but I don’t care about me.” (lines 93-95) The opposition between them is easy to see, being at odds on the topic. This is the fuel for the fire, so to speak, for the conversations throughout. The control and opposition found in
“Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway is about a couple, the American and Jig, who contemplate whether or not to have an abortion. The premise of the story seems simple enough, but the outcome is highly debated. Critics argue that the baby was kept by the couple ( Renner ) and others claim the baby was aborted.( Fletcher ) Others have even simplified the story, claiming that the issue was not resolved because the couple was drunk by the end of the story. ( Sipiora ) Although the conclusion is in questions many have agreed with the idea that the couples relationship would be changed and would end prematurely. ( Wyche ) Dialogue is the main technique in conveying this argument but we can only understand the complexity of Hemingway’s work by looking at the story as a whole. By looking at the many symbols, intrinsically and
Jig’s sarcastic tone in her dialogues following the Americans’ is indicative of her decision to not get the abortion. After the American assures her that they will be happy like before and it is a “simple operation” (Hemingway 592) Jig retorts, “What makes you think so?” (592). Hence, it implies her disbelief and realization that things would not change much whether or not she got the abortion. Jig’s desire to keep the child is further evident when she tells him “[they] could get along” (593). She sees the possibility of a happy life with the child; the American sees it as an obstacle. Therefore, he continues in his effort to persuade her otherwise because “[he...
Through his endless amounts of pestering he never finds a way to get his desire and true feelings across to the young lady and becomes increasingly bothersome because of his inability to convey his feelings. “‘We can have the whole world,’ the American declares. ‘No we [cannot],’ Jig retorts. ‘ We can go everywhere.’ No, we [cannot]. It [is not] ours any more.’ ‘[It is] ours.’ ‘No, it [is not].’” (3) The American is insistent on continuing the nomadic lifestyle that the couple lives by aborting this baby, and pesters Jig continually hoping to sway her with the thought of living their same lifestyle that they currently live. However he never directly tells her his desires and instead attempts to manipulate her as he feels his desire is in their best interest regardless of how he achieves his desire. However he does not realize that in his examples he is strengthening Jig’s resolve and conviction in her own wishes. Earlier on in the narrative the American is quick to turn and begin attempting to conform Jig, without any warning or inkling of a change in topic he quickly turns it into what he wants: “‘Should we have another drink?’ ‘All right.’ ‘The [beer is] nice and cool,’ the man says. ‘[It is] lovely,’ Jig agrees. ‘[It is] really a simple operation, Jig… I know you [would not] mind it.’ [Jig] did not say anything.” (2) Without transition or a telling sign, the American quickly turns an agreement about how lovely the cool beer is on a warm day, into pressuring Jig to conform to his desires. All because of his selfish need and lack of responsibility to settle down and lead a life where they can raise the child, and his desire to continue living a life of excess and materialism, yet he cannot convey these desires of him
There is a common theme in “Hill’s like White Elephants” and “The Birthmark” of a life altering decision. Both women are thinking about having an operation that will affect them for the rest of their lives. In “Hill’s like White Elephants”, Jig and the American are debating whether or not they should have an abortion. This decision is something that will affect both of them deeply throughout their lives together. By the way the two characters interact with each other the reader can deduce how important they feel the operation is. There seems to be a tension in their sentences with each other. Jig says things like “Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you've waited so long for” and “That's all we do, isn't it-look at things and try new drinks” (Hemingway 841)? These responses to the American show that Jig is in a distasteful state of mind which would most likely stem from her thoughts about the operation and what they will do in regard to it. Because these thoughts of the operation are affecting her socially, it shows just how important the operation is to her. How Jig interprets the scenery around them while they are discussing the operation also suggests the importance ...
Hemingway, does not, however, tell us that there is in fact an abortion. Jigg and her lover lead a very simple life before they are forced to consider a solution to their situation. “That’s all we do, isn’t it—look at things and try new drinks?” said Jigg (Hemingway 2). With the “awfully simple operation” (Hemingway 2), however, their entire world will be turned upside down. The American reassures Jigg “It’s really not anything…” and the entire process will be over in a few minutes; everything will be completely natural and fine. Yet Jigg, worried about their life together afterwards, asks the American what will happen. He responds, “Just like we were before.” (Hemingway 2). This leads one to believe absolutely no change will happen, at least in the eyes of the characters. In the story of Jigg and the American, there is what some consider a death (abortion) and what some simply consider an operation. Jigg is worried things will change from the way things were between herself and the American. The American continues to reassure Jigg that by having the “perfectly natural” operation things will go back to normal and “We’ll be fine afterward.” (Hemingway
“The Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story that is about an American man and a girl called Jig. They are sitting at a table outside a train station, waiting for a train to Madrid. While they wait they order drinks and have a heated ongoing conversation over whether or not Jig will have an operation that would be of great significance to their relationship. “The Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway has two important symbols in the story, the hills and the drinks both of which help to give us a better understanding of what is going on between the American and his girl.
‘Hills Like White Elephants’ is a short story authored by Ernest Hemingway about an American and a girl named Jig. In the story, the two are sitting in a train station waiting for the train to Madrid. While they wait, they have an intense ongoing debate on whether or not to abort Jig. At the end of the story, the train is about to arrive and the man carries luggage on the tracks as they prepare to leave. The end of the story does not clearly define the outcome of its decision. She said I feel good at the end of the story - happiness is a central theme of the story, but we wonder if she went through with the operation. The paper discusses the manner in which symbolism has been employed in the story to communicate about an abortion, the couple is considering to go through.
Jig can be perceived as sarcastic, which does not express how she is feeling inside about the idea of abortion. "Yes", said the girl. "Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you've waited so long for, like absinthe"(188). The conversation with her companion conveys Jig as being uninterested with her life. Jig wants to start a new life. "That's all we do, isn't it--look at things and try new drinks?"(189). Jigs traits reveal everything she is feeling, especially her desires. "The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on"(191). Jig wants to be grounded in life and her characteristics and emotions express her mood.
Another issue that is discussed in this story is abortion and two opposing views. When the conversation turns from the hills to the operation one is able to comprehend the mentality of the woman. "Then what will we do afterwards?" (465) shows the woman is concerned about what will occur after the operation. "And if I do it you will be happy and things will be like they were and you will love me" (465). Here, the woman implies she wants the reassurance that he will still be there after the operation, because an abortion places an emotional strain on the on the woman.
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, decisive, and ultimately takes back control of her decisions and life.
Analysis of Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway In “Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway relies on symbolism to convey the theme of abortion. The symbolic material objects, as well as the strong symbolic characters, aid the reader’s understanding of the underlying theme. The material objects that Hemingway uses to convey the theme are beer, the good and bad hillsides, and a railroad station between two tracks. The beer represents the couple’s, “the American” and “the girl’s”, routine activities they do together.
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.
In his short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” the author Ernest Hemingway portrayed the tension and miscommunication between the American man and the girl as they try to address the issue of abortion through utilizing literary elements such as setting, symbolism, and motifs. These aspects of the story effectively bring the readers into awareness of the matter and also urges them to make their own inferences regarding the story. To begin, Hemingway has clearly illustrated the setting of the story to give the readers a sense of the characters’ situation and showed the paths they had to choose from. The story began as a description of the hills, valleys, and the train station in Ebro. Such aspects of the setting may seem trivial at first glance;
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
On average, around 15 million abortions occurred among younger, unmarried women ranging within the childbearing ages of 15-44. In which case, the reader could infer that Jig was among that age range in the text because she was bearing a child. It does not state if the man and Jig were married, but one could infer that they were not married due to the way they were described as young and were traveling instead of settled while Jig was pregnant. This could also infer that Jig became pregnant unexpectedly and very sudden. Becoming pregnant unexpectedly leaves a woman at a higher risk for considering an abortion. The higher risk could be due to her or her partner unready for a child or have an unmet need for contraception. Which could explain why the young couple was highly considering the abortion. Allowing the reader to know this information, it could enlighten them to realize why the man is encouraging Jig to have the abortion at a subtly aggressive extent. He is unready to have the responsibility of a child or a family. In Spain, where the story occurs, abortion is a legal option for women in the first 14 weeks of their pregnancy. This implies that Jig would receive a safe abortion, meaning after receiving the