Gender Roles In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

The inner workings of human relationships are complex and consistently evolving with the trends of individual, and global history. Authors, throughout the history of the world, absorbed inspiration for stories from non-fictional events during their lives. By observing the different gender roles in relationships, authors intertwine human perspectives, thoughts and emotions into alluring short stories. The examination of Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White
Elephants,” for example, deeply demonstrates the connection that two people have in an intimate relationship. Hemingway’s allegorical story allows readers to look deeper into gender interaction and the changing perspective of women of the 1920s. By weaving together the opposing thoughts of
By describing the landscape of the valley, Jig vocalizes indirect thoughts to initiate conversation about the potential abortion. Additionally, Hemingway insinuates, by revisiting thoughts in the dialogue, that Jig is still considering motherhood. Jig’s submissive nature also characterizes the stereotypical role of women in relationships. Smiley writes “...women language in general, and Jig’s in particular, focuses on emotions rather than fact and objects.” Women are associated with being emotional and indirect with what they are thinking; while men are characterized as direct and factual creatures. By failing to share her true thoughts, Jig reaffirms Smiley’s opinion of the female role in the story.
Cannedy 3 The traditional gender traits of men are dramatically different from those of their female partners. The male role in a human relationship is also depicted throughout Hemingway’s story.
Although motherhood appealed to Jig, the American does not show interest in fatherhood. In a short article, Joseph Urgo describes the male presence in the story as the dominant force. Urgo notes the American’s control, stating:
“He controls the language, translating the girl’s desires from English to Spanish.
Men are seen as having control over their domain, in this case the funds and information about the abortion procedures. By noticing the “reasonable” people around him, the American shows that he is able to understand and notice reason--the opposite of Jig. These powerful characteristics of male dominance permeate Hemingway’s short story as readers dissect the characters’ inner thoughts and wishes.
The changing of gender perspective in Hemingway’s short story is greatly influenced by the major political movements in the early 1900s. In a Public Health article, Dorothy Wardell researches Margaret Sanger, a revolutionary pioneer of birth control, and her efforts to advance the rights of women in America. Wardell notes “her life-long crusade began in 1912, before the phrase “birth control” had been invented, and when the words “prevention of conception” were
Cannedy 4 taboo.” During the early 1900s, abortion was condemned by the masses as an illicit operation.
The controversy over abortion rose from the increasing wishes of women to be independent from their male counterparts. Women wished to be more than vessels for childbearing and servants