Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

1361 Words3 Pages

Symbolism in Hemingway’s Story ‘Hills like White Elephants’ ‘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. Mainly from the dialogue between America and Jig, it seems that the two are an unmarried couple. Their discussion suggests that they are facing some kind of problem. With further analysis, we can begin to discern that the couple was actually talking about having an abortion. It was not explicitly stated, but with their words, "this is really not an operation at any" one can perceive that they were in fact talking about having an abortion. Among the many symbols of history, the top three are the hills, white elephants, and the railway station. Hemingway uses these elements to develop the theme of the story. The theme is how Jig sees the opportunity to keep her child and have a happy life, while the man is unable to see the possibilities and work to persuade her to go through with the abortion. In the story, Jig watched the hills and said: They look like white elephants. The man replied: ‘I h... ... middle of paper ... ...g wrong with me. I feel fine." I put here the two-time "I feel fine," the emphasis on "I". But it could also mean (emphasis on "fine"): now it is still OK. Jig and his partner speak the real problems between them is not enough. In conclusion, the short story ‘Hills like White Elephants’ contains symbolism to a high degree. The most important of all symbolism is perhaps the "white elephant". As we all know, a white elephant is a gift that nobody wants. To correlate this to the story, the white elephant is the baby who wants to abort template hesitant. Work Cited: Besler, R. Sex, symbolism and psychology in literature. Ohio: Octagon Books, 2005. Mays, K. The Norton Introduction to Literature. New York: W.W Norton & Company, 2014. Meter, M. An Analysis of the Writing Style of Ernest Hemingway. Texas: Texas College of Arts and Industries, 2003.

Show More
Related

  • Interpreting Hemingway's 'Hills Like White Elephants'

    1637 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many subtle symbols presented such as the train station, the felt pads, the train tracks and the time but the definitive symbols are the hills, the absinthe and the beaded bamboo curtains. These symbols give readers a clearer picture of Hemingway’s vision. Studying these symbols allow readers to view this story with a different lens and find a different conclusion. In fact, the symbols presented by Hemingway are more effective then the main dialogue at revealing the outcome of the American and Jig’s argument.

    Read More

  • Perspectives on Unplanned Pregnancies: Hills Like White Elephants, and Good People

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Comparing Where Are you going, Where Have You Been and Hills Like White Elephants

    1329 Words  | 3 Pages

    " The Hemingway Review. 15.1 (Fall 1995): p. 27. Literature Resource Center -.

    Read More

  • The Symbolism in “The Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway

    564 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Symbolism in Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway

    1703 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hemingway provides the reader with insight into this story, before it is even read, through the title. The girl in the story mentions the hills that can be seen from the train station and describes them as looking like white elephants. Jig is at a crossroads in her life, accompanied by her partner. She is pregnant and cannot decide whether to choose life for the baby, or to get an abortion. Throughout the story, she experiences persistent uncertainty over what she wants to do with her life. Whatever decision she makes will have a drastic impact in her later years as a woman. While seated at the bar inside the train station, the girl says, “The hills look like white elephants” (Hemingway). The hills that are spotted in the distance directly parallel the decision that Jig must make. Critic Kenneth Johnston was recorded stating, “A white elephant is a rare pale-gray variety of an Asian elephant held sacred by the Burmese and Siamese. The girl’s reverence for life is captured by this meaning of the phrase.” Johnston also says, “A white ...

    Read More

  • Abortion in Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    2463 Words  | 5 Pages

    Renner, Stanley "Moving to the Girl's Side of `Hills Like White Elephants'." The Hemingway Review, 15 (1) (Fall 1995): 27-41. As Rpt. in Wyche, David "Letting the Air into a Relationship: Metaphorical Abortion in `Hills Like White Elephants'. The Hemingway Review, 22 (1) (Fall 2002): 56-71. EBSCOhost.

    Read More

  • Search for Innocence in American Modernism

    1581 Words  | 4 Pages

    In The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume II. Edited by Paul Lauter et al. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath and Company, 1991: 1208-1209. Hemingway, Ernest. A.

    Read More

  • The Themes of Abortion and Pregnancy in Hills Like White Elephants

    977 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Jig

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    The character of Jig is also very indecisive. After The American Man is persuading her to have an abortion, she states that she is willing to have the operation if it will make The American Man happy, and insures he will no longer worry. She also states that since she doesn’t care about herself, she will have the procedure because it will please The American Man. Later during the story, while they are outside looking at the hills, the two have the conversation of:

    Read More

  • White Elephants Symbolism

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Hills Like White Elephants” depicts a private discussion between the American and Jig over a touchy subject to where a vital choice must be made. Normally, Ernest Hemingway does not give sensitivity to his female characters, yet Jig is distinctive for this situation. Hemingway’s utilization of symbolism to hint Jig’s choice is made evident in numerous ways.

    Read More

  • Hills Like White Elephants, a Theme Analysis

    1242 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ernest Hemmingway uses time, place, and symbolism in "Hills like White Elephants" to intensify the central dilemma in a story about a man and a woman deciding on whether to go through with an abortion. Although a literal reading of the title may not seem to have any relation to the story, the title is rich in implications. Critics suggest that "Hills" refers to the shape of a woman's stomach when pregnant, and Webster's 21st Century Dictionary defines white elephant as: "[An] awkward, useless possession. " The term is also defined in Webster's as an item that is worthless to some but priceless to others. According to Victor Lindsey, the child in the story is a white elephant in the view of the man, who is trying to convince the girl to get rid of it.

    Read More

  • Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hemingway packed plenty of theme, symbolism, and overall meaning into this short story. However, the story would not have been nearly as meaningful had it been written from another point of view.

    Read More

  • Life and Death

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    When a woman gets pregnant, she and her partner make a serious decision whether they should give birth to the unborn child or abort it. However, sometimes every couple can have a different outlook about giving birth or aborting because every male and female has his or her ways of thinking. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” the author, Ernest Hemingway tells a story of an American man and his girlfriend, Jig, who have a disagreement in the train station on the subject of whether to keep the unborn child or to abort. However, the author uses binary opposition of life and death to portray the polemic argument a couple encounters regarding abortion. As a symbol for the binary opposition of life and death, he represents the couple’s expressions, feelings, and the description of nature.

    Read More

  • Symbolism in Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    This short story is filled with symbolism, some of which the reader may never find. The title itself can be analyzed a lot deeper. The “hills” refers to the shape of the female body during pregnancy and the “white elephants” symbolize a property requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit (merriam-webster.com). The story is about a man and a woman taking a train to get an abortion. The train is supposed to show change and movement, something this couple appears to need because their life is very routine.

    Read More

  • Pregnancy And Identity In 'Hills Like White Elephants'

    339 Words  | 1 Pages

    Pregnancy and identity go hand-in-hand. The couple in the short story “Hills Like White Elephants” struggles with the pregnancy they are faced with and with what that means for their identity. Hemingway uses various literary devices to convey this theme.

    Read More

More about Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

Open Document