Hills Like White Elephants Analysis Essay - 1766 Words

In Hills Like White Elephants, the story opens up with a description of the scenery. There is a couple that is at a train station at a bar going somewhere far. Throughout the story, the couple is having a conversation about something that is never mentioned. However, by paying attention to the characters, the language, and the symbolism, one can see that the conversation is about an abortion and that the couple’s relationship is falling apart. Ernest Hemingway uses characters, sexism, and the setting and symbolism to give the readers a chance to know couple and see their broken relationship. Hills Like White Elephant was written in 1927, right before the Great Depression. In the story, the couple travels throughout Spain to Barcelona and†¦show more content†¦Paul Rankin calls her the â€Å"meeker, weaker-sexed Jig† because though she is against the abortion, she still allows her significant other manipulate her so they can keep their relationship the same(Rankin 234). Sexism is integrated into the story by the way the characters act towards each other and their dialect. Their whole conversation is very controlled. However, throughout the course of the story, the man’s powers are weakened. In the story the man is portrayed as more superior because of his wealth and education. One can tell that the man is well off with money because of what he is able to afford. He is able to travel to many far destinations with the girl and one can tell that he is well educated because he is able to translate Spanish to English.He also knows a lot about the subject of abortion which is shown when he explains to her that the procedure is just letting the air in. The man feels as if the girl is inferior to him, therefore when the girl speaks he gets agitated. Like when then girl shows her imaginative or creative side by stating the hills look like white elephants, they argue with each other. â€Å"He reacts to her powers defensively, in the same way that he h as reacted to her pregnancy,† (Urgo 36). This shows how much of an emotional bully the American man is. Although, the girl is referred to as a girl, she is more than just a girl because as the conversationShow MoreRelatedHills Like White Elephants, a Theme Analysis Essay1243 Words   |  5 PagesHemmingway uses time, place, and symbolism in Hills like White Elephants to intensify the central dilemma in a story about a man and a woman deciding on whether to go through with an abortion. Although a literal reading of the title may not seem to have any relation to the story, the title is rich in implications. Critics suggest that Hills refers to the shape of a womans stomach when pregnant, and Websters 21st Century Dictionary defines white elephant as: [An] awkward, useless possession. Read More Analysis of Hills Like White Elephants Essay1049 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of Hills Like White Elephants â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†, by Ernest Hemingway, is a short story published in 1927 that takes place in a train station in Spain with a man and a woman discussing an operation. Most of the story is simply dialogue between the two characters, the American and Jig. This couple is at a critical point in their lives when they must decide whether or not to have an abortion. Certain themes arise from this story such as choices and consequences, doubtRead MoreHills Like White Elephants Analysis Essay1636 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Hills like White Elephants† is a short story about a young couple that is assumed to love one another. The story is set in a bar, outside a train station in Spain, while the young couple awaits to make the journey for an operation. Both the American and the girl in the story convey to the readers their opposing stances, through Hemmingway’s use of symbolism, in regards to a complex life or death decision they are forced to mak e. Neither party is willing to fully acknowledge or discuss the other’sRead MoreEssay about Fiction Analysis Hills Like White Elephants765 Words   |  4 PagesWC: 754 Title: Sacred Moments Close interpretation of the story Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway leads the reader to an issue that has plagued society for decades. Understanding of the human condition is unveiled in the story line, the main setting, and through the character representation. The main characters in the story are an American man and a female named Jig. The conflict about abortions is an issue that still faces society today. Architectural and atmospheric symbolismsRead MoreAnalysis of Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway Essay978 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† by Earnest Hemingway is a short story from 1927 that describes a couple drinking at a train station in Spain, and the story is relayed by an outside narrator. The third person narrator in this story gives the reader the events pieced together, told afterward, and translated to English. It is clear throughout the story that the girl (who is never named) does not speak Spanish, while he r boyfriend does. When he first orders two beers, he does so in Spanish through statingRead MoreCritical Analysis on Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants Essay575 Words   |  3 Pages The thing that makes, Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway such a powerful story is the subtlety with which it is told. Hemingway is commenting on subject matter which for the time would have been considered taboo, but does so without actually spelling it out for the reader. As the characters sit together drinking beer and talking, it becomes immediately apparent that there is something weighty between them and as the conversation continues, the reader can feel pressure building betweenRead More Analysis of Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway Essay928 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway In â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† Ernest Hemingway relies on symbolism to convey the theme of abortion. The symbolic material objects, as well as the strong symbolic characters, aid the reader’s understanding of the underlying theme. The material objects that Hemingway uses to convey the theme are beer, the good and bad hillsides, and a railroad station between two tracks. The beer represents the couple’s, â€Å"the American† andRead More An Analysis Of Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants Essay examples928 Words   |  4 Pages In Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† I found many layers of symbolism, and a fascinating psychological underplay afoot between his two characters. It begins with the girl’s comment about a line of white hills seen in the distance, which she compares to white elephants. The man responds with the comment â€Å"I’ve never seen one.† The symbolism of a white elephant is widely known as something very large or apparent that no one wishes to acknowledge or speak of in American society. It is an interestingRead More Analysis of Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway Essay1044 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway Hills Like White Elephants, is a short story,. It is a story about a man and a woman waiting at a train station talking about an issue that they never name. I believe this issue is abortion. In this paper I will prove that the girl in the story, whos name is Jig, finally decides to go ahead and have the baby even though the man, who does not have a name, wants her to have an abortion. It is the end of the story that makes me thinkRead MoreBad Hooks Catch No Fish862 Words   |  4 Pageswriting. If not, then all could be lost, unless it is mentally forced upon. This is especially true for a novice, or introductory, reader getting into the finer aspects of literature or composition. Such as, Paul Rankin’s (2005) essay, on Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills like White Elephants,† lacks a motivated lead. The opening transition word could throw a reader in the opposite direction Rankin would have hoped for. The beginning paragraphs poor lead could cause one to become lost b efore the revelation of thesis