Women have long faced double standards when it comes to their existence in society. Men were free to do as they pleased, yet women had to keep their true interests secret and behave how society deemed they should. In the 19th and 20th century female sexuality was an enigma. However, that does not mean it was not talked about. Male and female authors alike wrote plenty of poems and short works that discussed women’s desires. Notably, Emily Dickinson in poem “269” and Ernest Hemingway in “Hills like White Elephants”. Both authors acknowledge the secretive nature of these desires by utilizing deep symbolism and metaphor to expand on women’s desire for connection, intimacy, and autonomy. Poem 269 (Wild Nights – Wild Nights!) is Dickinson’s brief …show more content…
The imagery of docking a boat blends the physical and intimate nature of the speaker’s desires together to create a sense of deep connection. Overall, the use of evocative language and nautical imagery is a subtle and complex approach to desire and intimacy, and her discarding of social norms to explore her sexuality. Continuing, Ernest Hemmingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” touches on how women’s autonomy and desires for connection can be painful, not simply fun. The central symbol of the story is the hills that “look like white elephants” that Jig remarks on. The concept of the “white elephant” serves as the main conflict of the story. Generally, it can represent Jig’s pregnancy, which is an unwanted burden from the man's perspective, but seems to be something very significant to her. She seeks connection and intimacy with the man, yet he refuses to be in a relationship with her if she remains pregnant. The intentionally descriptive imagery of the fertile river valley on one side and the dry, barren hills on the other mirrors the choice the girl must …show more content…
Throughout this story, the pregnancy acts as a reminder of the character's sexuality which, at the time, should not exist. She is framed by the man as if she is solely responsible for the outcome and that is why she must get an abortion and do what he says. Clearly, the man has experienced this before but did not face any repercussions for behaving the same way she does. Her sexuality is made to be bad. If she retains her autonomy then she will be alone, and if she gives in to her desire for connection with the man then she loses her autonomy. She faces a very complex issue and must choose between the product of her sexuality or the maintenance of it. The story ends with her saying, “There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine” (Hemmingway). It is not known if she is lying or not. The whole story centers around her choices and the dichotomy of her desires for a future with a child or a future with a man. It is not a simple choice or story and explores the difficulties women have had asserting power over their choices through a descriptive and metaphorical
Novels that are written by pronounced authors in distinct periods can possess many parallels and differences. In fact, if we were to delve further into Zora Neale Hurstons, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, we can draw upon many similarities. Now of course there are the obvious comparisons, such as Janie is African American and poor, unlike Edna who is white and wealthy, but there is much more than just ethnicity and materialistic wealth that binds these two characters together. Both novels portray a society in which the rights of women and their few opportunities in life are strictly governed, usually breaking the mold that has been made for them to follow The Cult of True Womanhood. These novels further explore these women’s relationships and emotions, proving that throughout the ages of history women have wanted quite similar things out life. Similarly they interconnect in the fact that the end of the stories are left for interpretation from the reader. Both these women in these novels are being woken up to the world around themselves. They are not only waking up to their own understanding of themselves as women and individuals that are not happy in the domestic world of their peers, but they are also awakening themselves as sexual beings.
“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.
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 ...
Emily Dickinson and Charlotte Perkins Gilman both lived in a time where women were considered to be “second class citizens”. During this time it was expected of women to be obedient and submissive to their husbands. A woman’s thoughts and opinions were never valued as much as a man’s was. Despite these unfavorable conditions both Emily Dickinson and Charlotte Perkins Gilman fought back and expressed themselves. They served as huge inspirations for other women enduring the same struggles. Although both works depict how each author overcame gender inequality, Dickinson was a rebel who didn’t hesitate to express herself while Gilman
Rpt. in Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Literature Resource Center. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. This article deals with the idea that the symbolism of white elephants is the most powerful and impactful symbol in the story. The scholar writes that the reference to white elephants appears four times in the story, each of which demonstrate a crucial part of the story. The first is a literal reference describing what the hills look like. The second deals with a contrasting image of the beautiful hills with the dry countryside. This shows the difference in the looks of the couple’s potential relationship from different perspectives. The third is brought about by Jig describing what the hills “look like”. Her partner then says he has never seen a white elephant. Here, the tension and sarcasm is strongly brought about by the couple. This is where we begin to see the true problem as being the abortion. The last reference of white elephants deals with how Jig would like for her partner to like her idea of white elephants. Jig would like for him to want the baby. The analysis focuses on how white elephants themselves can be seen as a symbol for many things. The scholar states that the symbol can relate to the birth of Buddha. Or it can relate to the way in which kings bring about hardships to others by presenting them with white elephants. The main point of Weeks is that the white elephant can bring about many different
...ys how an unborn, unwanted child may bring dilemmas like poor communication, inability to make a decision, and damage to relationships; all in a symbolic and creative manner. Relationships issues such as a couple’s inability to communicate efficiently, their distant nature towards one another, the resurfacing of deeper issues contribute to the decision a woman makes regarding abortion. In addition to whether or not a child is born, a man’s defiant and persuasive manner combined with a women’s desire for the relationship she fell in love with can be the difference between a thriving relationship and a broken one. Heminway’s inventive story uses hidden symbols to explore the topics of abortion and relationships in such a way as to leaving the reader wondering and debating if the couple is going to break up or if the American merely changes his mind about the operation.
‘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.
The story "Hills Like White Elephants" is a conversation between a young woman `Jig' and an American man waiting for a train at a station in Spain. The author never names the topic of their discussion but as their dialogue progresses; it becomes evident that Jig is pregnant. The man wants Jig to abort the unborn child but she is unconvinced and wants to become a mother. Hemingway has brilliantly written the story's dialogue which "captures the feel of a private conversation while at the same time communicating the necessary narrative background" (O'Brien 19). At the end of the story, it is unclear as to what decision has been made; however, Hemingway gives the reader several clues regarding what Jig feels, and what she wants to do. Jig's private thoughts are illuminated by Hemingway's description of the setting, the character, and the conflict. Stanley Renner suggests that, as a result of the couple's discussion, "Jig has become able to make a more clear-sighted estimation, and perhaps a better choice, of men" Wyche(59). The couple's inability to communicate effectively their true thoughts and emotions makes their dialogue very appealing. The story examines the gender differences and miscommunications as they influence the decision whether to abort the unborn child or not (Smiley). In his book on Hemingway, published in 1999, Carl P. Eby points out that "[f]or the past two decades, Hemingway criticism has been dominated by a reconsideration of the role of gender in his work" (Bauer 125).
Abortion is a major obstacle in any relationship, leaving the woman to decide to “terminate the baby” or to keep it. During the 1920s, around the decade in which Ernest Hemingway wrote “Hills like White Elephants,” abortion was illegal and frowned upon. Hemingway writes about an American man and a girl named Jig who finds out that she is pregnant. Throughout the essay, the couple is mentioning about having “an operation” or not. With their relationship at toll as well, Hemingway ends the story without the readers knowing what happens with the abortion and the relationship as well. David Wyche, Timothy O’Brien, and Stanley Renner compose articles to try to answer readers’ unanswered questions. Renner in his article, “Moving to the Girl’s Side of ‘Hills like White Elephants,’” states that the question in the movement of the characters as Jig struggles to find her own identity, leading her to the abortion. Similarly, Wyche in his article, “Letting the Air Into the Relationship: Metaphorical Abortion in ‘Hills like White Elephants,’” explains the story about the abortion and the relationship as a metaphor about Hemingway’s affair with Pauline Pfeiffer that ended shortly. Lastly, O’Brien’s article, “Allusion, Word play, and the Central Conflict in Hemingway’s ‘Hills like White Elephants,”’ says that the through the setting and dialogue mirroring the tension, Jig complies with the man. Through the topics of setting and dialogue, readers can predict that by the end of the story, Jig will have realized that without the man directing her, the “white elephant” is just extra baggage.
In the story, "Hills like White Elephants" written by Ernest Hemingway, the main character Jig faces a life changing event, abortion. The struggles with the complications of abortion concern and desire Jig to want to keep the baby. Bringing a new life into the world is a long time commitment and it is something Jig feels she can treasure forever. However, her companion attempted to persuade her in another direction, to proceed with the abortion. As naïve as he is, he feels his persuasion can overcome Jig's desires. Jig is a sarcastic yet reserved woman, who desires to bring a new life into the world, even if her companion does not approve; she knows what is best.
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.
In Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants," the story starts with a scene that opens on a railway station in Spain where the Barcelona-to-Madrid express is. The American and Jig, his girl, sit at a table drinking beer. The landscape surrounding the station plays a role into a part of the conversation the American and Jig will have later on in the short story. The landscape is described as the valley of the Ebro River, with long white hills on each side. Jigs remarks about the hills looking like white elephants which is a defined as something that is of a great burden or a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of, and is especially of something that is expensive to obtain. This remark starts the conversation that is very serious but is being portrayed by the American as not a big deal. The meaning of the conversation is never just bluntly stated, but through clues and a bit of interpretation it is easy to tell that they are having a conversation about Abortion. The man plays off the conversation as not a big deal and a very easy thing to get done, but Jig knows that, that is not the case, and that there is more to the surgery than what the man knows. Through the conversation, the relationship between Jig and the American can be seen as ...
We learn that the woman in this story is called Jig is worried about an operation, and she is making the effort to talk her way into it or out of it. Her male friend, on the other hand, is out to give her support. The story presents the theme of loss of love. In spite of the transparent assertions of the man assertions, it is clear that he needs Jig to abort so that they can continue living their life as before. The approach that Hemingway uses the theme of love and hate is the loss of love. The “Hills like white elephants” may be referring to the baby who is the risk of death though abortion. The couple also seems to be looking at the hills as the lady defines them as being clean and beautiful. Also, white elephants can mean an expensive and great gift. So about this story the white elephant is the baby who is a joy and wonderful gift as well as a burden. The woman views the baby as an expensive gift because she will have to lose her boyfriend in the exchange of the gift. The baby also means a huge price to pay and also to care for the baby alone requires hard work. Through the story does not provide the topic of sexuality in the case of the other two poems I have discussed above, the effects of desire rein this story. The jig is convinced that she can have the world as she looks out to the mountains. The man represents a fear and restriction that are within
“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 use of symbolism is the term white elephant, which represents “an unwanted gift, a seemingly remote and but 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. The use of the railroad symbolizes the divide in the relationship. The young couple is in different directions, however, neither one listens to each other. The girl is pressured by the man to choose one side of the tracks, but at the train station, she is in a position where her choice is visible. His actions are haughty and she is submissive to him. Objects like the alcohol and the bamboo care carefully chosen by the author. The previously stated Absinthe is a symbol for sensuality and a narcotic. The bamboo curtains denote its hollowness and letting the air in; consequently the same manner that the American refers to the operation as “letting the air in” (215). Color plays an integral function in understanding that the couple is at parallel ends like the train track. The “blackness of the licorice and the whiteness of the hills contrast between sorrow and joy”; furthermore, the way the couple seem divided and
Plato's Kallipolis Plato followed the belief that knowledge or wisdom is virtuous. Meaning to know good is to be good. He believed that virtue could be taught, just as we learn good from bad and right from wrong. While his love for philosophy was perhaps unequal, his views on subjects such as ethics, reality, virtues, justice, human nature and knowledge is what promotes his significance even thousands of years after his death. Throughout their discussions and debates within The Republic, Plato makes a number of radical claims that some would view absurd by the standards of their time and even by todays.