“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.
Paper One Literal meaning of “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway The story starts off with a detailed description of a train station surrounded by white hills, grassy fields, and trees in Spain. An unnamed man and his girlfriend are sitting at a table in a bar outside the station. They are waiting for a train to Madrid. The weather was very hot, and the man decides to order two beers from the female bartender. The girlfriend says that the hills in the distance look like white elephants, which the man says that he has not seen one.
A round of beer to start, then Anis de Toro (a strong liquor). A set of train tracks runs on each side of the train station. The train that they are waiting for that goes to Madrid will arrive in forty minutes on the other side of the building. In front of them the scene is flat and dry. There are not any trees in sight only two distant hills and the woman refers to them as white elephants.
I think that Jig saw her pregnancy and the challenges that it would bring as wonderful. She say’s “they’re lovely hills.” When Jig says, “they look like white elephants” she is remarking on how rare and beautiful a child is, just as a white elephant would be a rare and beautiful site in nature. The American says “I’ve never seen one” and Jig pointedly remarks that he wouldn’t have. This tells me that she feels the beauty of unborn life as only a mother to be can and that she realizes that he has no way of knowing how she feels. The unrelenting heat represents the steaminess of the sexual relationship between Jig and the American.
Andrew Rawlins Mrs. Bonham English 12 ACP 12 October 2012 Too Much Princess In both The Princess Paradox by James Poniewozik and Cinderella and Princess Culture by Peggy Orenstein the authors suggest that there is an over exposure of princess themes to young children and that they have many different effects. Poniewozik offers evidence from Hollywood and different movies that have been released with an underlying princess theme to them. Then, Orenstein takes the approach from the social aspect stating that young girls are thought of being “princesses.” Although both of these authors have the same underlying claim, their approaches are very diverse and one author is much more effective in supporting their claim than the other author. Poniewozik,
The other side of the train station is green, luscious and fruitful like her womb if she reaches full term and gives birth to her child. The train station in other words is only a stopping point and not Jig’s final destination. When Jig describes the hills as white elephants, the reader understands that she is trying to make light of her situation with her boyfriend. She is trying to make something more interesting and significant than it really is. This clearly shows us how she feels with the lifestyle she is living with her boyfriend when she says, “That’s all we
When it comes to symbolism, this story has plenty of it. One of the main symbolisms in the story is when Jig stares at the hills and comments on them. She says they look like white elephants. The phrase “Hills Like White Elephants” is symbolic of the pregnant Jigs belly. It’s also symbolic because the American views the couple’s unborn child as an approaching obstacle just like a hill.
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. • Supporting Evidence: o Description of hills on the first side: by Jig • “No shade” • “No trees” o References the title on the very first page: • “They look like white elephants” Goes back and says that they don’t actually look like elephants (does this mean that she only wanted to mention white elephants for no apparent reason?) o Description of hills on the other side: by Jig • “fields of grain and trees” • “beyond the river” makes it seem way cooler/colder than the other side • Mountains in the distance In comparison to hills on the other side • Shadows from clouds are found on this side No shade on the other o Each side appears to represent a choice, one seeming to be the very obvious, 2nd side, and one seeming not as good, 1st • Topic Sentence: o Hemingway chooses words and phrases that subtly give off hidden
The story is set in a bar beside a train station. A woman and an American man sit together at a table discussing something that is unknown to the reader. The couple is enjoying a beer while awaiting their train. The young woman seems disconnected as she looks out over a line of hills and says, "They look like white elephants". The American discounts the young woman’s remark and keeps drinking (Napierkowski, par.
Hemingway portrays both of his characters in several different ways by simply modifying each characters dialect and language use towards each other and when speaking about their surroundings. “’They look like white elephants,’ she said. “I’ve never seen one,” the man drank his beer “No, you wouldn’t have,”’ (223). Formal dialect takes place throughout the story when the young women and young man speak to each other casually or in some cases very sternly. The young couple chats about things like liquor, weather, and hills without any sign of tension or confusion.