An Analysis Of ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ By Ernest Hemingway Essay

Hills c atomic number 18 etiolate Elephants is a precise clever composition written by a journalist, sullen ambulance driver, turned military, turned prose and fiction author. Ernest Heming bearing was popular for his novels and brusk stories, provided before he entertained his passion for the art of storytelling, he worked for the Kansas City Star as a reporter he was alike an ambulance driver during creative activity contend I and enlisted in the Italian infantry.He took e real opportunity to treat the pen, in fact, afterward the war he worked for the Toronto Star. Hemingway was more than in be intimate with the pen than with the musket as during the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War, he even worked as a immatures program correspondent. This brilliant writer produced butional military universes of literature that are cherished for their musical note to this day such(prenominal) as Death in the Afternoon, The Green Hills of Africa, A word of furthermo stewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea.Hemingway drew from his experiences in the motifs of his pieces which usu all in ally had masculine motifs give care hunting, war, and other activities associated with the masculine gender. For some contrasted reason, however, Hemingway committed suicide in 1961. His works of short fiction were far better than his novels however it is with his novels that he built a reputation for himself. Hills like White Elephants is integrity of his short stories that quite reflects the skill of Hemingway as a fictionist.Hills like sporty Elephants is a piece of literature that demonstrates what is fill outn to literaturists as literary control in tackling the primary(prenominal) theme which is abortion. It is a story that addresses a precise unsanded issue with the use of allegory and a philosophical approach to fiction known as existentialism.The story Hills like White Elephants is a relatively short short story that is ridden with symbolism for all its worth, it might have as well been a piece of poetry, if not for its obvious narrative style. It is about 2 respective(prenominal)s, an unnamed Ameri bunghole and dance who have a discussion over some plights at a train station in Spain.The matter of their discussion is dark at first, and becomes clear to be abortion later on. The piece is a silent commentary about the difference of views between males and females in everyday as well as the poignant re fulfil of both genders to currents that may or may not change ones way of life. In this fussy story, Hemingway apply the third person perspective to give the consultation a superstar of distance when reading the story. By this, it agent that the audience, sooner of closely associating themselves with the characters in the story, would instead, identify themselves on a dissimilar direct, thus, fully grown even the subject matter of the story a metaphorical odour, disdain its organ ism a tangible and quite material issue.This distinct level of identification in the story because of the narrative is a technique used by most writers to create a more general feel to the story so that the audience, in reading the story, does not have to add themselves to a contingent detail and identify with that detail. reflexionably so, this same quality of the story is withal achieved by Hemingways use of direct, relatively short sentences for the conference of the two characters. This technique, again, gives the story a distinct indifferent feel.It allows the endorser to explore the story on various levels instead of full zooming into one circumstance aspect of the story. It also prevents the audience from succumbing to the temptation of making particular proposition conclusions about the story early on from the temptation of simply treat other details in the story and focusing on the important subject matter, which is abortion. Even this particular issue is never me ntioned in the piece, except in the form of symbols and validatory statements from the characters.This particular style of writing, where the writer skimps on words, and instead, attaches multi-level meanings to the text is known as literary control. The main theme of abortion is addressed in this particular style, to begin with the title itself, Hills like White Elephants. (Hemingway, 1950) The title, which is illustrated more in the first paragraph of the story which severalises the circumstancesting, acquires a new level of interpretation from the passage, The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and neat. (Hemingway, 1950) and the daughterfriend continues to describe the barren landscape, They note like white elephants. (Hemingway, 1950)What this does in particular is it foreshadows the main theme of the story by presenting something decrepit or useless. White elephants are accepted to be symbols of huge structures that are not functional, and in the way this par ticular phrase is used to describe the hills in the story, it takes on a different meaning that the hills, barren and dry, supposedly equalations of abundance and fertility, are simply white or ineffectual on a superficial level.This particular style combines two opposing images, that of fertility in the hills, and emptiness, in the knowledge of Jig. What this does is it confirms Jigs pregnancy, but alludes to this pregnancy being empty, in the sense that she feels that her pregnancy is meaningless, if not to her, to her lover. The tension in the conversation is given some other push with the mans remark about Jigs description of the hills, Ive never seen one (white elephant). (Hemingway, 1950)Then Jig responds, No, you wouldnt have. (Hemingway, 1950) On the level that has been discussed, this particular exchange in their conversation basically presents the man as being indifferent not scarce to the feelings of Jig but to the concept of emptiness and aloneness that other than not being able to sense how Jig is feeling at the moment, he also is naturally and habitually indifferent, selfish, even.This early in the story, there is also an reference as to the personality of Jig being very dependent and link up to the man because of her requiring his approval first before she does anything in having a drink, she asks, What should we drinkCould we try it (Anis del Toro)? (Hemingway, 1950) and when she is asked if she would take the drink with water, she asks (addressing the man), I dont knowIs it good with water? (Hemingway, 1950)These statements from the young woman show how valuable the mans approval of her decisions is. These show the weightiness of the mans decisions even with matters concerning Jig. This particular exchange also gives the audience an intellection of how the tone volition be when the main issue of abortion comes into maneuver. At this point, the girl also senses the impassibility of the man and indicates this with the line, Everyth ing tastes like licorice. Especially the things youve waited so long for, like absinthe. (Hemingway, 1950)The girl here makes an indirect reference to their lifestyle that nothing is new with them and suddenly, when something new happens she gets pregnant the man refuses to accept the change. In particular, this also gives a slight recital that the girl wants to continue the pregnancy when she implied that it is a change that she waited so long for (Hemingway 1950) This interpretation is further strengthened when the girl remarks, Thats all we do, isnt it look at things and try new drinks? (Hemingway, 1950)Another indication as to the lifestyle of this couple comes later in the story, with the authors description of the bags at the station, He did not say anything but looked at the bags against the wall of the station. There were labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights. (Hemingway, 1950) This description of the bags creates the mental imagery of the ow ners of the bags being people who are on a pleasure bring out from one place to another(prenominal). Bags are also used here to represent the emotional or mental baggage that the man is carrying as a consequence of the pregnancy of Jig.When the man finally reveals in the story that he wants Jig to have an abortion, in the passage, Its really an awfully childlike operation, Jig, Its not really an operation at all. (Hemingway, 1950), the tension begins to rise, and more symbols emerge. Of course, with this remark from the man, the girl becomes silent and does not react.However, her first line after this revelation is Then what will we do afterward? (Hemingway, 1950) Basically, what this does is it amplifies the emptiness of the womanhood in relation to the abortion her asking what to do afterwards (Hemingway, 1950) shows that she does not see anything after the abortion that everything after the abortion is covered in haze. The man further refers to the pregnancy as something tha t has made them both joyless (Hemingway, 1950), in response, the girl takes hold of two strings of beadworks from the bead curtain and says, And you think then well be all ripe(p) and be happy.. (Hemingway, 1950)However, note that although the girl almost validates the statement of the man regarding the pregnancy, notice the action of holding the beads firearm this shtup soft be passed finish up as an unconscious musing, it could also be symbolic for prayer. beads are derived from the old Middle English word bede which means prayer. The string of beads as described very much look like the ones in rosaries hence, it could be interpreted that although the girl seems to agree with the man, she is praying or hoping against all hope that abortion was not the solution to their problem.The girl is at a loss for words at this point and refers back to the white elephants in her previous exchange with the man specifically pointing out his earlier reaction to this remark, But if I do i t, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and youll like it? (Hemingway, 1950) Now, if the previous interpretation of white elephants being emptiness is employ to this statement, it becomes quite sarcastic as opposed to the tone at which it is utter the girl here is submitting to the man and implying that she will be empty with the abortion, but will the man like her in this state, anyway? The man responds, Ill love it. I love it now but I just cant think about it. (Hemingway, 1950) Slowly, from their exchanges, a brute record emerges from the man, insensitive, and indifferent. Their conversation then continues on to indicate that the girl will be having the abortion but not because she wants it, but because this would make her man happy, also implying that her own happiness is not a matter of concern, because she has put the mans happiness before her own this she conveyed with the lines, Then Ill do it. Because I dont care about me. (Hemingway, 195 0) Here we can see that a resolution is not met between the two characters, only a submission, which, by the way, is against the will of the lady.The author alludes to the ladys confide of having the child when he put in a description of the prospect at the other side of the station which, in this story, represents a crux or a point of decision. The station here is symbolic of a turning point in both of the lives of the characters, and so, the author, earlier, describes that the hills are dry and barren, while at the other side of the station, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro. farther away, beyond the river, were mountains. (Hemingway, 1950)All these images represent fertility, life, and renewal, and at this point also, when the lady sees this particular scenery, she experiences a change of heart and realizes that she should at least take another chance at convincing the man that the abortion will give-up the ghost her empty, which should be the main issue between the two of them, if the man was sensitive enough. This realization is clear in their rapid exchange of lines, I utter we could have everything./We can have everything./No, we cant./We can have the hale world./No, we cant./We can go everywhere./No, we cant. It isnt ours any more./Its ours./No, it isnt. And once they take it away, you never get it back. (Hemingway, 1950)In this exchange, it is evident how whole unrelated the mans arguments are in relation to the girls. Here, they dont really meet each other in terms of what they are talking about. This not meeting of minds has another indirect symbol in the railroad tracks which are parallel and never meet. Notice the last statement of the girl in the above exchange in this particular line, she is referring to the child in her womb, while earlier on in the conversation, the man is actually referring to the material and carnal pleasures that they had both been enjoying.The man says that they can have all these, but the lady disagrees. In the end, there is no closure in their argument and Hemingway leaves the audience hanging as to whether the girl decides to have the abortion or not. What is known, however, is that in the end, the girl indicates that she is all right (Hemingway, 1950) considering her previous arguments, then it can be assumed that she will not be going for the abortion.While the story is fairly simple in its presentation, it tackles a very deep philosophy known as existentialism, suitably so because the writer lived in an era when this philosophy was in force. scorn the girls seeming submission to the mans will in this story, she actually exercises her individual existence and choice two very basic concepts of existentialism.From the text, it is evident how the lady struggles to assert her own individual set of beliefs, and how she, although in a very subtle way, dismisses the mans arguments in favor of her own set of beliefs and her freedom to choose. So, while we can easily s ay that for a superficial reader, the story is just an exchange of conversation between two people regarding an abortion, the symbols and the clever use of language comes into play to coax the reader to digest the story and interpret it a different level at which level, the references to existentialism become clear.In closing, the story is thusly a hotbed of symbolism and a classic example of literary control. It does not spoon-feed the audience nor takes all the thinking away from the reader. It very discreetly, but very accurately infers various meanings into the text by way of allegory, and profoundly presents the idea of existentialism simply by playing around with the conversation of two people, the introduction of a sensitive matter, and finally, the unspoken assertion of the lady of her individual nature and her own freedom.ReferencesHemingway, E. (1950). Hills like White Elephants. 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