Preview

Hills Like White Elephant Analysis Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
689 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hills Like White Elephant Analysis Essay
Sometimes it takes a life-changing moment to awaken a person in a relationship the realities of those around them, Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephant,” showcase techniques that express the relationship among the man and the girl who were in a short-flawed altercation about the girl going under an abortion operation.
Point of view helps display the ‘situation’ or ‘baby-problem’ that corrupted their relationship. This story is narrated in third person which gives the readers information and insights of the couple. For example, “the woman came out through curtains… ‘Train comes in five minutes’ she said… ‘What did she say’ asked the girl?” Both the stage directions and scenery description released an insight that the man is older than the girl by years and appearance might express the obvious. The story quoted, “did not say anything but looked at the bags against the wall of station. They were labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights”. Specifically, ‘spend nights’ were mention instead of ‘spend days’ top conclude that they had ‘slept together’ consistently with a mutual agreement. It wasn’t a public and emotional relationship but a physical, sexual one. It seems like this story was a simple girl who looks for love in older man because she must have not receive or had a ‘father figured’
…show more content…
“Hills like White Elephants” is a metaphor of trying to keep something so rare that the reasons to give it away overcompensate and ‘it’. ‘It’ is the unborn child the young girl is baring. Also, the “White Elephants” can signify the purity and innocence the girl once had before being possibility snatched to early. The consistent alcohol beverage of ‘beer’ could represent the guilt and fear each of them have. Beer is usually known a way to forget something that occur the permit operation that will affect the girls and create a ‘split’ in the ‘love’ relationship he thought he

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Hills Like White Elephant is a story that is narrated with very little detail. The subject of the couples argument is never given yet we are able to find out through the writing. This goes on with the whole story as we must dig deeper to see the hidden clues that Hemingway has left us with. Though this narration is very limited, we are able to analyze sections to strengthen the meaning of the…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Although most of the features of "Hills Like White Elephants" have been well discussed and understood, so that Paul Smith, in his 1989 survey of opinion on the story, can wonder if there is anything left to say about it (209), what has not been satisfactorily resolved is the question of the ending. In view of the fact that Hemingway leaves virtually everything, even what is at issue between the girl and the American, for the reader to "figure" out, meanwhile unobtrusively supplying what is needed to understand the story's structure and conflict, it seems logical to assume that he also expected the reader to be able to answer the question left by the story's ending: What are the couple going to do about the girl's pregnancy? Yet the ending…

    • 175 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bernard and Kamau both lived in a poor neighborhood where every additional family increases the burden of the family. Bernard’s mother, Martha, is very strict on her daughter – in – law. Since Doris is close to the age of 40, she will not have the stamina to help accomplish the chores. Moreover, Martha is worried about Doris giving birth for the family at an old age. According to Kamaus’ parents, Muthoni, Kamau’s wife, was always well treated by Kamau’s parents. Muthoni gave birth to a baby when Kamau left the family to detention camp. She chose to leave because it was extremely difficult and hectic for her to take care and feed the baby without her husband’s support and help. Therefore, both protagonists lose their desired partners mainly because of their financial matters. In the difficult maters, people have difficulties in finding their true love because they should prioritize their lives first.…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Earnest Hemingway writes “Hills Like White Elephants” in such a metaphoric way, that it takes a few times to read it and figure out what the topic of discussion is between the guy…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The short story, “ Hills Like White Elephants ” by Ernest Hemingway, is about a man who is unnamed and a women whose nickname is Jig, as the reader we understand them to be boyfriend and girlfriend. They are both sitting at a train station waiting on the train. After some time (and a few beers), the women brings up that the hills in front of them look like white elephants. The man does not think the hills look like white elephants and this statement brings them both into an argument about how the women is thinking about getting a procedure. From the details in the story, we learn the procedure is an abortion, and the women does not believe that the man will love her anymore if she does not get the abortion. The man says that he will love her no matter what she does he just wants the best for his girlfriend. The abortion is the main point of the story and the conversations always end up relating to it.…

    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout his work “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism and condensed metaphors to sensationalize the power, yet subtleness of the main theme: happiness. While the title does not blatantly represent the characters pursuit of happiness, the simile used in the title does epitomize Hemingway’s writing style as well as the diverse use of symbolism throughout the narrative. Hemingway uses this symbolism to convey the unspoken thoughts and emotions of the characters and the ultimate decision made to begin her journey on the pursuit of happiness.…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hills White Elephant

    • 335 Words
    • 1 Page

    In Ernest Hemingway’s short story "Hills Like White Elephants," he creatively uses setting to effectively underscore the tension facing a couple who disagree about whether the woman should have an abortion. This unique way of using setting to symbolize the characters’ crossroad in their relationship makes this a classic short story favorite.…

    • 335 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephant”, Hemingway uses setting difficult to understand but adequate to stress on the tension, life and death doubt of the two characters, and their antagonistic conversation on whether the woman should have an abortion. The characters, a young girl called Jig and her American lover sits at a train station in Spain around a valley, have beer and try new drinks and dances around their situation on whether they should proceed to Barcelona to abort their unborn baby. Jig opposes the idea of the abortion but ironically, makes her point. The American whiffler suggests abortion as the solution to their problem convince Jig that is the right thing to do. Hemingway show significant emphasis on the story’s settings, the burden the characters relationship and the choices they have to make.…

    • 952 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Scene focuses on the relationship between Young Woman and her Mother. Young Girl is like a puppet to her Mother, a woman who doesn’t listen and has become a part of automated life. She aims to avoid any questions about life and love Young Woman asks her, and instead says only “Love! – what does that amount to! Will it clothe you? Will it feed you? Will it pay the bills?” When Young Woman questions her mother, she replies, “I suppose I did – I don’t know – I’ve forgotten – what difference does it make – now?” Young Woman fears her life for becoming like her mother is the way of most women.…

    • 956 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Symbolism starts at the very beginning with the title “Hills Like Whit Elephants.” A white elephant is a burdensome possession and an expensive undertaking, as is a baby. In paragraph ten, the girl says, “they look like white elephants.” This simile is referring to the hills. Later in the story, the girl retracts that comment, hinting that she may want to keep the baby.…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    hills like whit elephants

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hemingway’s way of writing is to make his readers think outside the box and to make them go back and figure out why and how certain situations occur. The Hills Like White Elephants symbolizes the lives of Jig and the American, where they’ve been and where they’re going. What the future holds for them if they do keep the baby and what will happen if they don’t. He talks about how the hills in the story predicts her decision, how Jig sees the setting of the story as a helping hand, and how she cant do anything to save her relationship with the man.…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The train station signifies how there are many options and tracks one can take, but only one is best for that specific person, like the girl in this short story. Barrooms are common places where there are alcoholic drinks and relaxed human beings who are willing to talk. Specifically, the bead curtains in the barroom provide separation and boundaries between the couples and the public, but also between the girl and the man. Altogether, the settings have a significant impact on the strenuous decision of the couple and their…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hills Like White Elephants

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Ernest Hemingway uses numerous symbols in his short story “Hills like White Elephants.” There are various objects and images used that convey feelings and emotions that are not clarified in words. By doing this, the reader must go through and figure out how the symbols suggest the overall theme of the story. Some of the most important symbols in the story are the hills, the scenery, white elephants, the railroad, and the number two. By analyzing these symbols Hemingway has used in the story, readers can find meaning behind the dialogue, intentions, and emotions of the American and his girl Jig and determine that they are struggling with a decision of whether or not Jig will get an abortion. Hemingway uses the abortion, as well as the various symbolisms, throughout the story to expose the theme to the readers, which is making choices and decisions in life.…

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the story “Hills like White Elephants” the vague dialogue conveys an allusive tone, in order to be represented correctly the author puts more emphasis in the character’s interaction with the setting. The setting is at a stopping point before their final destination. The dialogue mainly transpires throughout between the Girl and the American. This story is based around a vague dialogue, but is filled with the observations of the setting in order to express the pressure, significance, and opinions upon the subject at hand. In order grasp these messages, the reader interprets through the vivid imagery that is depicted by the author. The style of writing conveys this picture with an intended amount of clarity to leave the rest up to the reader to elucidate. This clarification is necessary in order for the reader to truly grasp the decision at hand and the weight of it as well. A metaphorical aspect of the setting is the “Elephant in the Room [2]”. This implies that there is a subject that no one truly wants to discuss, and is left there to fester within the subconscious of these two characters until they have finally reached their decision. Another extended metaphor throughout the story is “…Like White Elephants”. This symbol can be interpreted as a great gift given to a person, but it is also a heavy burden that most would not desire. At this time they are having the discussion on whether or not to have an “Operation”. There are four main aspects of the setting that reflect upon the tone. The first are the hills mentioned in the beginning of the story. The second is the isolation between the two characters within the train station, and this is mainly because of it’s opposition to the tone,…

    • 1887 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The "Perfect" Life

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills like White Elephants”, there is a girl and an American man traveling together. Hemingway mentions they have quite a few tags from their travels, so it can be inferred that they have been together for some time. To pass the time, they are drinking at a bar while waiting for their next train to Madrid. Throughout the whole story the girl seeks approval from the man. This shows that she is very submissive in the relationship. Also she mentions how much she loves him. When she says this to the man, you can feel how genuine she is and she really means what she is saying. While on the other hand, the man says the same, but you do not feel that he sincerely means the words he is saying. With her being this naïve, also shows why Hemingway writes girl instead of woman. Why would a girl be traveling the globe with this man she is clearly head over heels about while he does not feel the same? Is it love? Is she is blinded by their love and what the future holds for the lovebirds? Or is it the unsaid abortion that is keeping them together? The abortion is not clearly stated, but it is implied in the text as well as the title of the story.…

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays