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Hills like white elephants about abortion
Abortion in hills like white elephants article
Abortion in hills like white elephants article
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In my literary analyst I have chosen to analyze the short story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway and also the short story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O 'Brien. I have chosen these two short stories because the conflicts in both of the stories are not alike one another. In my literary analysis I hope to identify the conflict, literary techniques, and also similarities and differences between both short stories. The conflict in the story “Hills Like White Elephants” is individual vs individual. The reason why it is individual vs individual is because the man and the women cannot come to an agreement about whether to have an operation or not. The conflict in the story “The Things They Carried” is individual vs self. The …show more content…
In this story the literary technique conflict played a major role in shaping the story altogether. I see this literary element throughout the whole story as the man and the women argue about having an operation or not. The second literary element simile is used in the title “Hills Like White Elephants”. This represents the women’s pregnancy in the story. She uses this simile multiple times throughout the story. The first time she uses it, is to bring up the conversation with her significant other about abortion. The second time she uses it is to throughout the idea of abortion and to stop talking about the subject. This helps shape the argument throughout the short story. The third literary element in the story is the climax of the story. I think that the climax of this story is when jig threatens to scream if the man does not quit talking about the operation. She asked several times for him to quit talking about it, and it finally led up to her threatening to scream over the situation. The climax of the story played a major role in shaping the argument as well, and it also made it clear that the conflict in this short story was individual versus …show more content…
In the story “Hills Like White Elephants” the author addresses the conflict in a third person point of view and is very blunt about what the conflict is. The reason why I think that it is very blunt is because the couple is arguing in the whole short story about whether to have an operation or not. In the story “The Things They Carried” the author talks in a first person point of view and addresses the conflict of individual versus self throughout the story in many different ways, but also talks in a third person point of view to get a different perspective of the war. I think that the author also talks in the third person point of view to possibly distance himself from the internal conflict that is going on with him. I think that both of these short stories use very different literary techniques to help their conflict. In the “Hills Like White Elephants” the author is very blunt about what the conflict is by using literary techniques like conflict. This allows the reader to easily figure out what conflict is going on within the short story. In the “The Things They Carried” the author uses a lot of metaphors and other literary techniques that might try and confuse the reader of what the real internal conflict is. In the story the “Hills Like White Elephants” I don’t think that the conflict was ever resolved. In the story “The Things
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 ...
The communication going on between the man and girl in the story, "Hills Like White Elephants,'; are not an honest one. The man seems to lead the conversation where as the girl is quiet. He brings up the subject of 'operation' which suggested abortion, but never mentions the word 'abortion' in the story to understate it. He tries to convince the girl to get the operation, but the girl seems bothered by this subject. However, he does not stop. Their relationship seems to be fine when the baby has not came in between them. We could see this where the guy says, "We'll be fine afterward. Just like we were before.'; The girl wants the relationship to become as before, but is in a huge dilemma whether to give birth to the baby or not. The man does not want the baby and has the choice of abortion in mind, not thinking of the other problems that would occur through operation such as the girl's health. Later on, the girl makes a melancholy remark that the hills look like white elephants. Probably the hills being a round shape reminded her of the baby. She walks toward the end of the station, and sees the beautiful nature. When she looks more toward the nature, one could see her small desire wanting the baby and thinks what may have been happened if she had the baby. The guy does not pay attention to that remark, because he is just concerned about making his point that he wants the operation done, not considering her side.
Charters, Ann, ed. "Hills Like White Elephants." The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to s Short Fiction, IV, 615-618. Boston: Bedford Books, 1995.
Ernest Hemingway has a superbly unique style of writing in Hills Like White Elephants. His short, to the point syntax and sentence style plays a great role in helping readers understand the theme of this short story. The critique M.A.K. Halliday observed, “The story is frequently generated by the repetition of words, clauses, and groups of related words or ethical sets” (Link, Alex). The first set of dialogue that can be pulled from this story is story is short and to the point. The American states, “We can have the whole world.” Jig replies with “No, we can’t” (Hemingway, Ernest). The sentence length is very short, yet there is a hidden meaning behind the small talk. Jig is referring to not having the baby. She can have everything, but her will to decide things. She can’t have a baby due to unloving pressure from the American. It is in sync with the tone of the story perfectly. The tone is forward, direct, and shallow. That is exactly what happens in this dialogue. There is no emotion, just pure sarcasm on a huge topic. Abortion to this couple is nothing more then a qui...
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.
“The Hills Like White Elephants” and “Babylon Revisited” are two different stories but still have many similarities. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Babylon Revisited is a story that is very similar to what he himself went through in his life. Ernest Hemingway’s The Hills Like White Elephant is a story that has to do with the tough decision a couple will have to make that will either make or break their relationship.
While the Hills Like White Elephant is a story written by Earnest Hemingway. The stories talk about abortion even though the word is not mentioned directly. They involve two characters caught up in a situation and are both trying to solve their issues through abortions. The Hills Like White Elephant story is about a man and a woman about to set for a trip to a place where they can procure an abortion. The story is set in Spain as the man and the girl are waiting for a train but we are never told if they boarded the train or not. On the other hand, Black Man and White Woman in Dark
Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway is a short story that deals with the idea of conformity and the conflict caused by internal desire and pressure from another party. The short story is very subtle, and often uses these subtleties in combination with incredible amounts of symbolism interlaced throughout the narrative to cause the reader to look and think deeper into the motives, values and convictions of the conflict between the two protagonists respective desires. When two parties are at an impasse of desire, the conviction of their opposing beliefs becomes increasingly unshakeable. This results in dissension due to the severe lack of understanding between the parties involved and furthermore, they refuse to be held responsible for the inability to communicate their feelings to one another.
Ernest Hemingway is an incredible writer, known for what he leaves out of stories not for what he tells. His main emphasis in Hills Like White Elephants seems to be symbolism. Symbolism is the art or practice of using symbols, especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations (merriam-webster.com). He uses this technique to emphasize the importance of ideas, once again suggesting that he leaves out the important details of the story by symbolizing their meaning.
Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills like White Elephants." Responding to Literature. Ed. Judith Stanford. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006. 841-44. Print.
Burroway, Janet. Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2003. As Rpt. in Rankin, Paul "Hemingway's `Hills Like White Elephants'." Explicator, 63 (4) (Summer 2005): 234-37.
The author superbly utilizes symbolism throughout the short story. “Hills like White Elephants” is told in a vague way that holds the reader at bay. Hemingway’s genius use of symbolism helps the reader understand the story. One of the most prevalent uses of symbolism is the term white elephant, which represents “an unwanted gift, a seemingly remote and immense problem,” that the couple are forced to deal with (Kozikowski 107). The white elephant denotes the unwanted unborn child that is resented by the father, although the mother is curious to see through.
Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” Literature Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. DiYanni, Robert. 2nd ed. New York. Mc Grew Hill. 2008. 400-03. Print.
Hills Like White Elephants, written by Ernest Hemingway, is a story that takes place in Spain while a man and woman wait for a train. The story is set up as a dialogue between the two, in which the man is trying to convince the woman to do something she is hesitant in doing. Through out the story, Hemingway uses metaphors to express the characters’ opinions and feelings.
---, "Hills Like White Elephants." The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Charles Scribner?s Sons, 1953. 273-278.