Critique of "Hills Like White Elephants"

933 Words4 Pages
Critique of “Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway is well known for his theme of symbolism in his stories. “Hills Like White Elephants” is a short and vague story that revolves around a brief conversation between an American boy and a girl he calls “Jig” while they debate her having a procedure, which is perceived to be an abortion. This story was written before abortion was legalized in America. “By 1910 all but one state had criminalized abortion .” (Henshaw, 2010). This made the procedure a huge issue for the two main characters. Hemingway’s use of symbolism throughout the story is shown through even the tiniest of details from the setting, their conversation, and even the body language that makes the story more complex than it seems at first. The story’s setting takes place in northern Spain, at a train station somewhere between Barcelona and Madrid. Throughout the entire story “Jig” is debating on having the abortion which Hemingway describes through the scenery. In the beginning of the story Hemingway describes the scenery. “The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry.” (Booth & J. Mays, 2010). The line of hills is symbolic because it is said to represent a pregnant woman’s belly. The country setting was brown and dry, meaning it was dead, not alive like her fetus would be if she were to go through with the procedure. Perhaps, brown and dry was also symbolic towards how she personally felt inside. Towards the end, the girl stands up and notices the scenery again but this time a cloud moved across the field and she noticed a river through all the trees. Water is said to represent life. Whether it is intended to represent the baby or herself, isn’t clear. From the beginning of the story the conversation between the American boy and “Jig” is very uneasy and almost resentful. In

More about Critique of "Hills Like White Elephants"

Open Document