Although most of the features of "Hills Like White Elephants" have been well discussed and understood, so that Paul Smith, in his 1989 survey of opinion on the story, can wonder if there is anything left to say about it (209), what has not been satisfactorily resolved is the question of the ending. In view of the fact that Hemingway leaves virtually everything, even what is at issue between the girl and the American, for the reader to "figure" out, meanwhile unobtrusively supplying what is needed to understand the story's structure and conflict, it seems logical to assume that he also expected the reader to be able to answer the question left by the story's ending: What are the couple going to do about the girl's pregnancy? Yet the ending…
Logan Gough Bagdanov AP Lit Period 1 16 February 2017 Short Story Prompt 2 In Ernest Hemingway's “Hills Like White Elephants” and David [Foster] Wallace’s “Good People”, both authors make the character’s speak and act ambiguously and use symbols and motifs in the story to influence the character's decision about having an abortion or not. For example, the American in “Hills Like White Elephants” repeatedly says to the girl “if you don’t want to you don’t have to” implying that he doesn’t want her to and he’s being manipulative.…
“A good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O'Conner depicts a southern family, who is at odds about where they should go for a family vacation. They will eventually agree to head for Florida, once in the car the family will go through a series of events that will shapen each indivudal character. One of the main characters in the story, “The Grandmother”, who is known for her critical , savvy ways gives the audience her definition of what exactly it means to be a lady. The Grandmother and her family will be put to death by an escaped criminal by the name of the Misfit, who the grandmother warns the family of before there voyage to Florida. In the story one will see that although the Grandmother had not been a known convicted felon, like the Misfit, her way for thinking and immoral behavior was no different than that of the Misfit and that they were alike in many different ways. Although the Grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard to find”, tries to portray herself has a good role model and a Christian lady one will later see as story evolve that she was a woman contrary of her word and was indeed the ultimate “misfit”.…
n Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants, set in Barcelona, Spain, a conversation takes place between two lovers sitting outside of a bar. Hemingway’s writing style is very minimalist, and so it is up to the reader to decipher what message, tone, or imagery is being conveyed. In this short story it is a hot day, there are train tracks nearby. The hot weather could have symbolized the tension between the woman, called Jig, and the American man- the train tracks their differing viewpoints. The story begins with the woman asking the man what he would like to drink, to which he replies, “It’s pretty hot.”…
A lot of the readers can relate to this because everyone goes through that stage of not feeling wanted. For Jig she was referring to her baby that was not wanted. Personally, Jig wanted the baby. Notice when she said “They’re lovely hills, (Hemingway, 1927)”, meaning that Jig was trying to get off the subject. The America man was trying to persuade her to abort it. Noticing that, when he said, “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig, (Hemingway, 1927).” Then, he continued, “It’s not really an operation at all, (Hemingway, 1927)” Anyone could clearly see that he was talking about aborting the baby because he kept repeating sentences like “I know you wouldn’t mind it, Jig. It’s nothing. It’s not as painful, as you think, (Hemingway, 1927)”. In the end, Jig doesn’t want to abort the baby, but does anyway because it seemed like she just wanted the situation to end and also the manipulation by her man who keeps saying that if you get rid of the baby everything will go back as it…
In this short story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, focuses on a couples struggle to communicate and finding common ground which leads to a crisis point in their relationship. This story sets place in Spain where a woman named Jig and the American man are seated outside of a bar near a railroad junction. The couple starts out by having a few beers and discussing a problem they are facing in their relationship, as the conversation continues between the two, you can see that the couple is starting to get slightly angry and aggravated with each other whether or not they should proceed to Barcelona in order to have an abortion. Jig disagrees with the American’s choice, although she refuses to say her thoughts openly. The…
Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” portrays the turmoil a couple endures when faced with an unplanned pregnancy, the choice to hold onto their current life or to begin a new life. Readers are allowed to intrude on a conversation between an American man and a girl, further conflict is presented through Hemingway’s use of symbolism. The man wants to go through with an abortion while the girl is unsure about which track she should take. Throughout the story, Hemmingway’s use of abundant details about the setting, rather than providing much detail about the characters, reveal a conflict between the man’s desire for the girl to have a “perfectly natural” (Hemingway 116) procedure and the decision to forgo an “awfully simple operation”…
Becoming a parent is something most people see in their future, however it often comes at the wrong time for some people. In Ernest Hemingway’s, “Hills Like White Elephants”, we see a couple’s conversation as it leads up to the decision they are making on whether or not to have an abortion. With the white elephants representing a metaphor for the unborn child, we are able to see the struggle of a couple trying to make a decision on whether to keep the child or not, through which it is apparent that the two of them as a couple don’t communicate properly and the girl does not normally know how to make her own decisions.…
The both ladies stares at the sceneries. Mrs. Mallard stares through her window and the girl stares at the mountains. Both stories has an essence of freedom. For Mrs. Mallard, the death of her husband means she can finally have the freedom to live for herself. But the freedom she got was all of a sudden and she couldn’t take it even though she feels like she is free from everything. To the girl, freedom is her choice. She wants to have a baby and it is her freedom of choice but the American doesn’t want her to have a baby. The two stories shows us the ladies depended on their partners and the men commands. Throughout the story “Hills like White Elephants” the American tells the girl what to do. He even won’t give her the chance to decide whether to have an abortion or not, instead he says to go for it. But the girl doesn’t want it to…
Ernest Hemingway’s "Hills Like White Elephants," tells the story of an American man and a girl who is named Jig. They are both sitting outside of a train station in Spain looking across a valley while drinking beer. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway discusses the landscape before them, the valley of the Ebro River, that has long white hills. As the American and the girl begin to have a conversation, the girl remarks on the Ebro River of the way it looks. After a while the American asked her if she wanted to do the operation (an abortion which was learned in the author's comment at the end) and explained to her that she would be fine. However, she began to think if she participates in the operation would the American lover still be with her. Nevertheless, the American knows that if the operation is not done he would not be able to do certain things; therefore, he is trying to eliminate the reasons to settle down with Jig. Towards the end of the story, Jig and the American would argue about the operation; even though the American does not want a child.…
My literary analysis will focus on the comparison between the short story “Good People” by David Foster Wallace and the contemporary film “For Keeps” written by Denise DeClue and Tim Kazurinksy. “Good People” and “For Keeps” feature two young unwed couples who are forced to face the reality of unprotected sex. With the unexpected conception of a child, both couples struggle to make the disheartening decision of abortion.…
Throughout his work “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism and condensed metaphors to sensationalize the power, yet subtleness of the main theme: happiness. While the title does not blatantly represent the characters pursuit of happiness, the simile used in the title does epitomize Hemingway’s writing style as well as the diverse use of symbolism throughout the narrative. Hemingway uses this symbolism to convey the unspoken thoughts and emotions of the characters and the ultimate decision made to begin her journey on the pursuit of happiness.…
In his short story "Hills Like White Elephants," Ernest Hemingway uses the controversial topic of abortion to convey how men have a significant impact on a woman's decision on what to do to her body. “Hills Like White Elephants” begins with two characters waiting for the train. It is widely believed that the female character is pregnant. The story’s characters the American lover is trying to convince “Jig” to go to Barcelona to get an abortion. Jig agrees, however, secretly opposes the plan. Jig believes that having the baby will bring the couple happiness. However, the American believes that the abortion is the right thing to do, and gives her the illusion of a choice in her decision of abortion. Men do not have the right to choose what decision…
In Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants”, the narrator presents a brief description about the scene including the location, specific details and one of the character that is called the girl. This short story is about a girl that is trying to make a decision about an abortion and how she is manipulated by another character called the American to get this done. In this story the narrator let us know throw symbols which are the feelings of the girl when she think about this decision, and how innocent is the girl.…
The short story "Hills like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway has a lot to do with making decision in a relationship. The story shows problems within a relationship and a lack of communication between a couple. Throughout the story, the couple is trying to argue about having an abortion. The couple has different mindset than each other, because of which they don’t agree with each other. The hills symbolize two different situations that the pregnant girl is faced with. Both hills are completely opposite of each other, and each "hill" or decision to the situation has a consequence that is just as different as the appearance of the hills. The hills symbolize big obstacles that we must climb, but they are not enormous mountains. This represents the fact that the girl's baby is a major obstacle in her life, but it is not the end of her life and she will make it through. Hills also are viewpoints to look out from, but also block the view for those who dwell in the valley. This represents how in the story Jig looks at the hills and sees opportunity, yet at the same time the man looks at the hills and sees nothing, his vision of a happy future is blocked by the obstacle of the child. American and Jig have a decision to make and there is no easy way out. I learned an important lesson from the story about relationships. Relationships grow as communication grows. American had less communication with his wife and always had different point of views than his wife, which made their relationship worse and therefore they couldn’t agree upon a decision. Being a girl, I can relate to this story as much as any other girl can. However, the story leaves us unclear with the result of Jig’s decision.…