Theme Of Communication In Hills Like White Elephants

Communication is defined as the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else. Communication is one key aspect in a healthy relationship, without it there is no way to tell what he other person is thinking in regards to your relationship. The couple in this story tries to communicate to discuss a problem that seems to have put a strain on their relationship. In his story, Hills Like White Elephants, Ernest Hemingway uses the difficulty of communication between an arguing couple as the cause and effect of conflict.

In Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway shows that dialogue alone can carry a story. The lack of communication clearly

‘“They look like white elephants,” she said. “I’ve never seen one,” the man drank his beer. “No you wouldn’t have.” “I might have,” the man said’ (Hemingway 475). The girl points out the fact that the hills look like white elephants, while the man completely rejects her statement saying that he has never seen one. This petty exchange between the two reveals the hidden meaning behind the white elephant. The woman bringing up the white elephants is her bringing up the idea of the newborn child. Her saying, “No you wouldn’t have” is her attempt at saying that this baby that she is having is not the man’s problem because he is not the one who is going to be getting the abortion or not. The couple’s way of communicating is very trivial and each remark that is said has a way of hinting at the abortion without ever actually mentioning

However, the reader never truly knew what the couple was thinking since Hemingway hid that through his use of miscommunication. This story became to revolve around the couple’s miscommunication rather than the abortion itself. The final statement from the girl in the last line of the story not only focuses on the abortion but in fact has a deeper meaning. ‘“Do you feel better?” he asked. “I feel fine,” she said. “There is nothing wrong with me. I feel fine” (Hemingway 478). At first it may seem as if she is referring to the fact that she is pregnant and contemplating getting an abortion. However, it may also seem as if this is referring to her being fine with keeping the child. There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep the baby and in fact there is something wrong with him because he does not want to keep the baby. This story was told from only the couple’s words therefore allowing further interpretation for the reader. If the couple had better communication skills then the reader may have been able to tell whether they were going to get an abortion or what their true intentions really were. The miscommunication was the main focus and resulted in there being no resolution to the