Hills Like White Elephants Critical Analysis

Hemingway’s Use of Implication in “Hills Like White Elephants.” In the early 1920’s, editors ignored Hemmingway’s story “Hills Like White Elephants” because, they felt it was not what the public wanted. Not until the 1990’s did it become one of Ernest Hemmingway’s most anthologized short stories. “Hills Like White Elephants” has a single storyline and it takes place in a single day. The male character “Man” appears to mirror Hemmingway’s own life with his not so wise way of handling difficult situations with the opposite sex, while the female character who is referred to as “Girl” appears to be seen as weak and unsure. This Hemmingway story creatively and subtlety gives many implications and his two characters unfold these implications through …show more content…
The “Man” is encouraging her to have an abortion and states “ I know you wouldn’t mind it, Jig. It’s really not anything. Its just to let the air in.”(401). The “Man” is implying that an abortion would be no big deal and further states, “ I’ll go with you and stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural. That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy.” The term “natural” used by man in this statement implies the abortion is a natural thing to do. This statement gives the impression that the “Man” is attempting to lure Jig into his way of thinking using their surroundings. Jig is disenchanted from nature and what it represents in the story and sees it from his “simple” solution to a clear problem. Their unhappiness is seen in their drinking of alcoholic beverages to dull the pain and feel like nothing is wrong, and implies their inability to face reality. Gazing across the landscape the “Girl” expresses how the hills look like white elephants. This statement is used as a distraction for the so-called “white elephant in the