At the end of the story, we can only assume that they decide to go through with the abortion, when Jig tells the American male “I don’t care about me.” The man goes and haves a drink by himself and return to his companion. She assures him that she is fine and they both head to Madrid, where, presumably, the abortion will take place. Some of the themes used in this story includes the coming of age, psychological manipulation in a sense that he attempts to manipulate Jig into having the abortion by presenting the operation as a simple procedure that is in her best interests. The dynamics of the romantic relationship and it’s metamorphosis into a family is another theme. When it comes to symbolism, this story has plenty of it.
Les Murray’s beautifully written poem, Away Bound Train, is clearly identified with the main character encountering new ideas. An assumption of a journey is that they bring change and this certainly holds true for Away Bound Train. Murray has used the train ride as an extended metaphor of travelling through life. Away Bound Train seems to be a reflection of Murray’s life as he has
Lesson 2 Assignment: Answer These Questions “Hills Like White Elephants” (pg. 96) Realism is defined by a style of art that represents or describes people and or things just as they are naturally, with no artificial elements. (B) Three specific areas within “Hills Like White Elephants” that demonstrate realism are; (1) at the beginning of the story the setting describes the day as being warm, with no shade. The man and the girl seek out shade and a cool drink while waiting on their train to arrive. This gives you a visual of where they are and sets a tone for the story.
The short descriptions of setting may not seem very detailed but combined with dialogues they tell us the true meaning of this three and a half page story. There is a couple waiting for the train. The American and his young girlfriend nicknamed Jig are sitting at a table in the shade, waiting for the train, talking and drinking beer. The whole story centres on a conversation over whether the girl should undergo an abortion or not. Although Hemingway never uses the words “abortion“ or “baby“, we can clearly tell that is all the characters are talking about.
“Hills Like White Elephants” is from a collection of short stories “Men Without Women” by Ernest Hemmingway. It was first published in 1927. The story is about a couple waiting for a train at the train station. The male character is referred as “the American” and his female companion as “the girl” and later “Jig”. The girl is pregnant and the man is trying to insist in a very artful way that she must go for an abortion.
Earnest Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants” is a story of a verbal battle and contest of wills between two characters. The reader is asked to decipher much of the information in the story through the use of symbolism and imagery. The reader must also come to a conclusion as to how the character chooses in the end. Beginning with the title “Hills like White Elephants” and through further description of the terrain surrounding the couple, the reader can sense the internal struggle between the two characters over the issue of whether Jig will agree to have an abortion. The story is set in a bar beside a train station.
Thesis: • Hemingway uses numerous symbols, such as white elephants, the hills, the valley, how simple the operation is, the luggage, and time, in order to demonstrate the huge commitment Jig and the Man must make about the “operation”/abortion. Intro: include the title, and the author • The story, Hills Like White Elephants, describes an experience between a man and a girl named Jig, in the valley of Ebro at a train station. While waiting for the train, the man and Jig discuss numerous things, what should they drink, what the hills look like, but the most important topic they discuss is about a certain “operation”. Hemingway, the author of the story, uses numerous symbols in the story to help the reader better understand the huge dilemma this “operation” will or may cause to both the man and Jig. Section 1: • Topic Sentence: o After only reading the title and the first paragraph, the idea that both the hills and white elephants appear to be symbolizing a certain choice involving something precious yet burdensome.
Hemingway demonstrates with setting and symbolism that Jig will keep the baby after blossoming into an independent, strong woman. Hemingway allows the story to unfold through the use of setting and the symbolism of the landscape. The couple’s surroundings tell you more about them than what the couple actually says. Since the story was set at a train station, it highlights the fact that the couples’ relationship is at a crossroads. As the couple waits between two destinations, Barcelona and Madrid, they are trapped "between two lines of rail in the sun"( ) as if they were in limbo.
The Decision to Grow Up In Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” we are shown how fragile a relationship between two lovers is once reality sets in. Hemingway puts us at a “train station between two sets of tracks in the sun.” The sun seems to represent reality and the bright light of day that we are all faced with at some point in our lives. The man chooses to sit in the warm shadow of the building, perhaps to block out the light of the reality that he and Jig are facing, the choice of how to handle this unwanted pregnancy. At this train station there is a bar and when alcohol is mixed with the shadows the man is able to find comfort from the sun and the ever-present choice that he must deal with in the event that Jig chooses to keep the baby. Jig is referred to as a girl, but she is in fact a young woman faced with the problem many young women find themselves faced with.
The main purpose of Ashbery’s poetry as Ashbery himself asserted is: "to record a kind of generalized transcript of what's really going on in our minds all day " The best example is ‘Melodic Trains’ which is innovative and based on stream of consciousness technique recording a real transcript of our minds. Elusiveness perhaps best describes Ashbery’s poetry. His poems are difficult reading for those weaned in the early 20th century poetry. Landscapes dominate Ashbery’s poems. His pictures are always laid against the backdrops of vast landscapes, as the train is against the photomural of the Alps in Melodic Trains.