Abortion In Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants
Since its creation, abortion has been an extremely controversial and sensitive topic. Regardless of how one feels, there always seems to be a subsequent reticent disposition when discussing abortion because the subject is so vexatious. The apprehensiveness to genuinely discuss an abortion is essentially the infrastructure in Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants”. The reticent, yet passionate conversation between the protagonists sets the stage for numerous interpretations. Nevertheless, by writing such an ambiguous piece, Hemingway demonstrates the exceedingly powerful impact literary devices can have on a piece of literature. The first literary device introduced, and one of the most important, is the setting. In the second sentence,
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A white elephant is symbolic of a possession that is useless and typically expensive to maintain. Hemingway strategically puts this in the title because it exhibits the man’s feelings about the abortion. An additional major symbol in the piece is the “two bags” the man carries away at the end. The narrator announces, “He picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other tracks. He looked up at the tracks but could not see the train” (555). The two heavy bags are symbolic of Jig and her child. Furthermore, by taking them to the “other side”, the man is acknowledging that he will not be a part of either of their lives (Shi 109). The powerful, yet ambiguous symbols in the piece ultimately leave the story open for interpretation. The final major literary device evident in “Hills like White Elephants” is repetition. As discussed earlier, the title is symbolic, and the phrase “like white elephants” is reiterated five times, thus emphasizing its importance. An additional notable repetition is the frequent “what if” questioning by Jig which stresses her hesitancy to succumb to the man’s desires. By using such ambiguous language, the story’s significance is foundationally deepened (Shi 108). In conclusion, the repetition evident throughout “Hills like White Elephants” provokes the piece to have a much more complicated
A white elephant is symbolic of a possession that is useless and typically expensive to maintain. Hemingway strategically puts this in the title because it exhibits the man’s feelings about the abortion. An additional major symbol in the piece is the “two bags” the man carries away at the end. The narrator announces, “He picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other tracks. He looked up at the tracks but could not see the train” (555). The two heavy bags are symbolic of Jig and her child. Furthermore, by taking them to the “other side”, the man is acknowledging that he will not be a part of either of their lives (Shi 109). The powerful, yet ambiguous symbols in the piece ultimately leave the story open for interpretation. The final major literary device evident in “Hills like White Elephants” is repetition. As discussed earlier, the title is symbolic, and the phrase “like white elephants” is reiterated five times, thus emphasizing its importance. An additional notable repetition is the frequent “what if” questioning by Jig which stresses her hesitancy to succumb to the man’s desires. By using such ambiguous language, the story’s significance is foundationally deepened (Shi 108). In conclusion, the repetition evident throughout “Hills like White Elephants” provokes the piece to have a much more complicated