Writer also uses many examples of symbolism in “Hills Like White Elephants”, including descriptions of the surrounding scenery, the hills themselves, and the station where the action takes place. The differences in each character in their personality, means of communication and desires, truly emphasize the constant opposition that burns between them, this very opposition leads to the couple’s inevitable separation, as Jig discovers herself and her independence through the dilemma at hand. The story might have shown his true feelings about the pregnancy. In the story, the boyfriend is moody and wants the girl to do what he wants. From boy side he wants this abortion because he wants to keep
The girl in the short story is undeniably nervous about having an abortion. The man in the story is trying to be persuasive but is growing impatient. He keeps telling her that “it isn’t a big deal and he knows people who have had it done and they are fine” (Clugston, 2010). Tone is very important in “Hills Like White Elephants.” The point of view in literature is how the story is told. Point of view is told in different ways to increase or decrease the dramatic effect (Clugston, 2010).
Hills Like White Elephants In Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants”, the story illustrates a young woman named Jig and an American man challenged with the decision of abortion. Throughout the sequence of the story it is apparent that the man is persuading Jig to undergo the procedure. The apprehensive discussion the two are having suggests that they are avoiding the underlying issue at hand. In addition, the setting of the story establishes the stigma involved with the procedure, as Jig left her town and traveled to Spain. Hemingway’s use of symbolism in the dialogue and setting helps reveal the difficult matter through suggestion without the actual term abortion being mentioned.
The relationship between Jig and the American is complex as it is hard to figure out where they are since they are traveling together. Analysis shall try to show what type of relationship really exists between these two people. The story told is that of a woman and a man on a trip to a place where she can have an abortion. Everything in the story is related to the idea of fertility. This main topic can be seen from the title Hills Like White Elephants, where hills refer to the shape of the belly of a pregnant woman, and white elephant is the fetus they are going to get rid of.
This is at the beginning of the story, where he keeps telling Jig that, it’s alright if she, “doesn’t want to do it”. But then when you read more into the story, he keeps getting more and more annoying, because he keeps saying to her that it’s alright if she doesn’t want to, and as you can see on Jig, she begins to grow annoyed with him, even if it might not be his intention. If you look at the story from a different perspective, “the American” could be thought as very cunning. Because if you see the girl as being pregnant, “the American” is tricking her into saying yes/agreeing to get an abortion, which is what he wants. The woman or Jig is friendly and kind.
The second symbol encountered in this passage are the hills. The girl claims that the hills look like white elephants. In years gone by, white elephants were symbolic of a great but burdensome gift. This could potentially be linked to the pregnancy and the child itself. It almosts seems as though she already realizes the great burden that the child could place upon her and her partner.
And then, she introduces us to the other scholarly interpretation that Hashmi most likely to agree: “the girl will indeed have the abortion. Expecting this way to stay with the man, but after the operation has been performed, he will abandon her” (Hashmi 72). Hashmi tries to define the meaning behind the use of the title "Hills Like White Elephants." For Hashmi the hills "appear to symbolize the glimmering hope, remote yet real like the hills themselves, that her sexual relationship with the man might change the solid relationship of family and permanence" (Hashmi 75). Other scholars in their search for an
They give these as a gift to someone else, like the unborn child in this story. The couple is conflicted whether to have or not to have the baby. Jig saying "you wouldn't have" to her American boyfriend is her way of telling him that she is sure he has not seen a baby and wanted to have one of your own. (Hemingway, 1927, para. 5) The "hills" are symbolic of the way woman's stomach looks while she is pregnant.
Hills Like White Elephants A Feminist Perspective By Liane Dinapoli COMP & LIT 2 Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants" is set in Spain sometime in the early 1900’s. The story revolves around social issues for men and women at the time. Even though they do not openly discuss it, Hemmingway gives the impression of a couple arguing over what to do about a pregnancy. Their problems, which are never openly acknowledged by Hemmingway, only imply that they are talking about abortion. Because of society’s opinions during this time, the right of women to make such decisions had to conform to what society viewed as a whole.
Couples often have a different perception of an idea, and one person usually has the greater control on the decision. In Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” a young couple, known by the American and his girlfriend Jig, must decide what to do about a certain operation. Though it is never stated in the story, many factors imply that the issue is an abortion. The tense setting and diction reveal two very different sides of the story; the man’s negative control and persuasion, and the girl’s innocence and uncertainty. The setting in the story reveals a dark and a light side.