Essay On Symbolism In Hills Like White Elephants

Choosing which paths to take when confronted with a cross-road is a complicated but necessary process in life. This process becomes even more complicated when having to base decision-making with another person’s interest in mind. Often couples are faced with a forking path, sometimes putting their relationship on the line depending on which way to turn. In the short story “Hills like White Elephants,” Hemingway exemplifies this fact of life and relays this message to his readers by telling the vague yet compelling story about an American couple and the compromise that puts a strain on their relationship. Jig and the man stopped at a junction on their way to madrid, where they are forced to deal with the constant elephant in the room- Jig’s
pregnancy- and reflect on their choices. Jig can either settle with the man’s suggestion of aborting their child, or continue with the pregnancy which would ultimately end their relationship. The description of the scenery and the subliminal messages in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants,” helps express Jig’s true feelings about her pregnancy. Throughout the short story Hemingway uses symbolism and imagery directly correlating with the environment/setting of the story to present subtle hints while relaying the message that one’s idea of “true love” can often play a big role in making important life decisions. The concept of the white elephant in this story can be perceived in multiple ways.
Foremost, the first sign of symbolism is presented when Jig was looking at the line of white hills, she observes that “they look like white elephants”(Hemingway). This use of symbolism with the hills looking like white elephants delivers the idea of the “elephant in the room,” being the topic of Jig’s decision on the abortion. This reference to the hills looking like white elephants sparks the conversation of Jig’s “operation,” which constantly only ends in the couple resenting each other, which is why the topic is normally avoided completely while they spend most of their time drinking and traveling. Jig constantly makes subtle hints that she’d like to keep the child, while her boyfriend makes subtle hints that having that child would lead to the end of their relationship, regardless of the condescending reassurance that if she “doesn't want to, she doesn't have to.” Jig is left with the decision of choosing to follow the man’s hidden suggestions about aborting their child or she can follow her own instincts and keep the child that she seems to see as more of a gift than a problem. This use of symbolism shows how love can influence your decision making when one is given the ultimatum of staying with one’s lover, or following their own personal
judgement. The hills themselves aren't the only part of the setting that indicates much more than what is being said directly in this story; the description of the location of the junction allows a reader to see further into the relationship of this couple. Not only do the hills appear to look like white elephants, but they are also described to be in direct sunlight with “no shade and no trees”(Hemingway), while the station itself was said to be “…between two rails in the sun”(Hemingway). This description of a the hills being bright, and in the sunlight can be used to further understand Jig’s perspective on the pregnancy; a positive view. On the other hand, the specific location of the station being between to rails of sun is used to represent the couple’s two options ahead-to abort, or to not abort. These examples of symbolism and imagery show the couple’s opposing stances on the subject of the abortion and show how their love complicates this decision that needs to be made. Lastly, towards the end of the story, Jig stands at the end of the station and sees that “…on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro”(Hemingway), indicating the pregnancy is actually something beautiful. She then exclaims that they could “have all of this”(Hemingway), further implying that having the abortion isn't the right thing to do and that this pregnancy could lead them in a positive direction.