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Symbolism in the hills like white elephants
Symbolism in the hills like white elephants
Symbolism in the hills like white elephants
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In the story “Hills like White Elephants” it does not matter in which perspective you want to read the story, it will always conclude that these two characters are in different sides of perspective in a situation. Without doubt, Hemmingway’s “Hills like White Elephants” illustrates a tension of a juvenile American and the uprising maturity of the girl. That is to say, Hemmingway has left a series of symbols and metaphors in order to explain this tension between them, for example, shade, train station, nature and much more. Hemmingway has left us clear that there is a time of transition and decision making, “On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun... the express from Barcelona would …show more content…
come in forty minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and went on to Madrid” (255). A person being in a train station without knowing where to go, it could represent uncertainty on which way should go. In this case, the couple are taking a train from Barcelona to Madrid, a decision is apparently taken, but staying in the train station it allows the characters through that period of waiting to change their mind on their decision. Making the dialogue between The American and the girl more sensitive and important that appears. The narrator in this story can be described as a objective narrator, it never gives us any explanation on how the characters where feeling at any moment. Making this assumption is very important in the beginning of the story since we don’t have any physical description of the main characters , except for this, “The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade,” (254). By this, we can deduct a difference in age specifically that the girl is younger that the men since states that the girl is traveling with the men, giving a sense of superiority, in this case age. For what purpose does Hemmingway unites two characters that have a significant age difference? Leaving that idea in mind, its observed that in a point during the conversation the girl complains of how their relationship has been through all this time. “That’s all we do isn’t it—look at things and try new drinks?” That is to say, the girl accuses of how their relationship is shallow and superficial with The American. Therefore, the girl wants a more commitment from The American, not only traveling and having frivolous fun. Although the girl is showing signs that she wants a deeper relationship, in this part of the plot she still is to attached to The American, when she tell to The American how the hills of the mountain looks like white elephants, representing those hills as hers pregnancy as a dead weight. As the story continues, the girl will notice the true intentions of The American, and the incompatibility since he did not understand her metaphor. Through the conversation goes on, its palpable how the girl is noticing the immaturity and the incapability with the American, “ “They don’t really look like white elephants.
I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees.” “Should we have another drink?”” To explain, the girl on her sentence it can be observed how the girl have a mental battle of whether keep or not to keep the baby. On the other hand, The American does not care what is going through the mind of the girl since he rapidly changed the subject without giving it attention by offering her a drink in exchange of her silence, guiding the reader that The American is a selfish person that only thinks for himself and everything that can ruin his debauchery it should be set aside, in this case kill the baby. In the text are even more evidence of the selfish attitude of The American, “If you don’t want to you don’t have to.” (256). This juvenile attitude taken by The American is product of his desperation to convince the girl to take the abortion, moreover, this manipulative argument that he applied it does not only expresses his desperation, it also expresses his lack of love to the girl. In this story is very important to understand how elements synchronize together with a character to deliver a message, making a clear connection between shade and shallowness of The
American. From the beginning of the plot, the word “shade” was mentioned a couple of times, first when the narrator was describing that scenario of where The American and the girl are talking, “The American and the girl with him sat at the table in the shade.” (254). And for a second time when the girl ran to the fields of grain and she was explaining to The American what they will lose if the choose to do the abortion, but the American tell her to comeback in the shade, “ “But they haven’t taken it way.” “We’ll wait and see.” “Come on back in the shade.” After reading how the symbol of shade appears in the story, it can be deducted that shade represents in both scenarios the regimen controlled by The American, a regimen reigned by shallowness, superficiality, lack of commitment and fear of responsibility. On the contrary, to the fields that the girl is admiring and wishing to have that is related to responsibility, deepness, and commitment. Therefore, these things that the girl experimented on the fields will change her when she returns to the shade with The American? When the girl is introduced in the plot it was discerned that she had many inner conflict, sometimes she was on the side of The American, and other times she defies his debauchery. But, during her time in the fertility side and seeing what it offers it switched something in her that allowed her to gather courage to speak her mind. “ “I don’t feel any way”, the girl said. “I just know things.” Those “things” may be her noticing what she really wants out of this relationship, maybe some deepness or maturity, keeping the baby and raise a family, and leaving behind her all those insignificant fun and settle down. Consequently, hearing all those pointless arguments of The American to abort the baby, makes her impatient and angry. “Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?” That manifesto of anger has never been seen in the entire plot, pointing out that now is the girl that is assuming her fate and no vice versa.
Mutilating the whites and leaving their bodies lying is inhumane. It is such a shocking story! This book was meant to teach the reader about the inhumanity of slavery. It also gives us the image of what happened during the past years when slavery was practised. The book is significant in the sense that it gives even the current generation the knowledge of slavery, how it happened and the reason for slavery.
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.
“Roman Fever” and “Hills Like White Elephants” are two stories that on surface seem very different from one another, but through careful analysis the two are quite similar. Their similarities are mainly evident through the significant use of the dialogues in the both stories. “Roman Fever” has a third person omniscient narrator which the author allows to know the inner private thoughts of both characters, Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley. In contrast, “Hills Like White Elephants” is composed in a third person limited narrative where very little is known about the thoughts of both Jig and the American. At first Ernest Hemingway’s short story can clearly be viewed as the most ambiguous out of the two. With its simplistic style, written mostly in straightforward dialogue which leaves the readers to contemplate over the ultimate outcome of the story and forces them to ...
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 ...
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.
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.
Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills Like White Elephants." In The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume II. Edited by Paul Lauter et al. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath and Company, 1991: 1471-1485.
Hills like White Elephants is a unique story filled with simple yet meaningful dialogue between two lovers in Spain. The entire story can leave the audience with more questions rather than answers when they reach the conclusion. Those who are familiar with Hemmingway and have studied his works have attempted to gain insight and logical conclusions to many of his stories by examining his life. A life that was full of married affairs, alcohol, and hardship. Many of these experiences Hemmingway has faced, have set the foundation for some of his greatest works. This paper will examine the impact that Hemmingway’s first born child, his alcohol addiction and his separation from Pauline had on the popular short story of Hills like White Elephants.
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.
...ny psychological reasons, but it also makes her believe that all she has to offer in a relationship is her body. Due to her internalized racism, she believes she would never be as good as Megan, Drew’s wife. Clemencia understands her skin color to be the reason why Drew did not leave his wife. It is a deluded thought because a man of authority showed inappropriate interest to a young developing girl. Her parents’ relationship and her affair drastically altered the view of herself and the world around her. She had become so obsessed with Drew that she formed a relationship with his son. Cisneros’ story, although sad for the reader, is an example of how women are represented within society. She does not follow this atypical story of how a woman should act, yet is not any less of a woman. This is a woman’s experience that is so often forgotten, but is still a valid life.
As the couple waits between two destinations, Barcelona and Madrid, they are trapped in limbo "between two lines of rail in the sun"(142). The station, placed between the two lines of rails, suggest the two directions the couple may go - toward Madrid and the abortion or away from Madrid and to a family scenario. The landscape describes the conflict, both barren and fruitful. Alongside of one rail line long, white hills stretch across the horizon, the country before them "brown and dry" (143). In stark contrast to the desolate landscape of the hills, the other flank is lush and green, with "fields of grain and trees [running] along the banks of the Ebro" (145). This scenic dichotomy comes to embody the girl's sentiments regarding the abortion: the hills are barren, representing her life if she submits to her partners expressed desires and goes through with the abortion; while th...
Stukas, Jake. "Literary analysis: Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway." Helium.com. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. .
The most important idea that is conveyed in the story is summed up in two sentences, near the end of the story, "There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination".
...n and fertile part of the country was a symbol of the productive part of the woman and the barren part is the symbol of the man who did not want the baby. And the other readers stated that these two different parts of the land were a reflection of the inner part of the woman. The reason for the man not to want a baby was considered as an obstacle for him to travel. It was observed that the woman readers were supporting the woman in the story and the man readers were supporting the man’s part of the argument...