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Hills like White Elephants is one of the most discussed works of Ernest Hemingway primarily due to excessive use of symbolism in the story to depict conflict of interest of a young couple on the subject of abortion. Interestingly the word pregnancy or abortion is never used in the story but a reader still gets the message through variety of symbols. These symbols and theme augment the iceberg technique used by Hemingway to illustrate his message without actually using the exact words. In the story, the theme and symbol of white hills play an important role as it lends support to other symbols as well.
White elephants refer to the pregnancy and the unborn child. When the American says he has never seen a white elephant, he is possibly referring to the child who hasn't yet arrived. "The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry.
'They look like white elephants,' she said.
'I've never seen one,' the man drank his...
The American wants to abort the child because he doesn't want to bear the costs attached with having and raising a child. Hills refer to pregnant belly of the woman and possibly her entire "hilly" structure during this time.
We must understand that white elephant is here used both as a myth and as an expensive item. When we say myth, we are connecting the child with the myth. For the American, an unborn child is not a reality yet so it's a myth. He doesn't want to acknowledge the possibility of this child simply because he hasn't seen him and he is not here yet. A myth is therefore something everyone has heard of but no one has really seen. The American is treating his unborn child as a myth. He…
Hills Like White Elephants analyze literary works week's readings, completing: Explain literary work captured interest, terms concepts text support explanation. Describe analytical approaches outlined Chapter 16, details text support interpretations. "Hills Like White Elephants:" Using dialogue to advance a story Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants" is a spare, poetical tale told almost entirely in dialogue. The plot of the story is simple -- a man and a girl are traveling
Hills like White Elephants -- Critical Literary Analysis One of the first things entering the mind of a reader (on an obvious level) in Hemingway's short story is that the image of a white elephant the woman sees in the line of hills in the distance has created a classic man-woman conundrum. She sees it her way and he sees it his. The beer and the anis del Toro -- and
Hills Like White Elephants": Critical Analysis Ernest Hemingway's "Hills like White Elephants" is an intriguing story of two individuals who have come to a difficult conversation. Hemingway captures this conversation between man and woman about a pending abortion but never actually revealing what they are talking about, only subtly alluding to the issue throughout the conversation. The context for the conversation is at a bar in a rather desolate place in
A white elephant, after all, is a false version of something real -- an antique that is worthless is often called a white elephant. When the man and the girl are sitting, trying a new drink together, the girl says that the hills in the distance look like white elephants. However, her language seems to elide the real with the false: "I just meant the coloring of their skin
Hills Like White Elephants Ernest Hemingway's "Hills like White Elephants" Ernest Hemingway's "Hills like White Elephants" Ernest Hemingway's short story, "Hills like White Elephants" draws largely on the themes of selfishness and naivety, which can be seen in looking at the story's main characters. In order to further embed these themes into his writing, Hemingway skillfully utilizes the literary tools of setting and symbolism to not only give readers an understanding of the
Hills Like White Elephants" -- Ernest Hemingway Will the couple agree to an abortion? Jig, the girlfriend, knows she is going to have to give in to the man and have the abortion, and there are hints and there is foreshadowing (albeit very subtle) that provide the clues. This paper reviews the subtleties and on pages 2 and 3 points to specific passages that suggest she will in fact give in