Hills Like White Elephants
Hills Like White Elephants
“Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story filled with what seems to be meaningless dialogue, but beneath the surface of the text there are ample illustrations of Hemingway’s creative symbols. Ernest Hemingway is an important American fiction writer who started his career around 1920 and won a Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. Before serving in World War I he wrote articles for a newspaper in Kansas City. Hemingway published his first book after briefly returning to America from Italy where he was severely injured in the war. In his life he had four wives and three children that influenced his work. Hemingway also held residence in many different places like Paris, Spain, Cuba, England, and Key West. Subsequently, Hemingway moved back to Idaho after covering many aspects of the Cuban Revolution with his writing, and in 1961 he took his own life in the town of Ketchum. The miniature plot occurs on a hot summer day in the early 1900’s at a train station in Spain. An American who is not named and his girlfriend Jig are having a conversation, accompanied by a cool beer while they are uneasily waiting for their train to arrive. The chat appears to be light-hearted, however it takes a noticeable turn before the train comes and the dark subject of the dialogue becomes apparent to the reader. Jig is pregnant with the American’s baby and the whole conversation revolves around whether or not to have an abortion Hemingway’s vague discussion between Jig and the American leaves much of this short story open for interpretation. By utilizing symbolism and character development, Hemingway conveys the central theme of indecisiveness in “Hills Like White Elephants.” Symbolism plays a crucial part with understanding “Hills Like White Elephants” in its entirety. Hemingway exploits the setting and uses many of its details as a basis of symbolism for his character’s dialogue. Stanley Renner says that Hemingway represents the conflict of the story
“Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story filled with what seems to be meaningless dialogue, but beneath the surface of the text there are ample illustrations of Hemingway’s creative symbols. Ernest Hemingway is an important American fiction writer who started his career around 1920 and won a Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. Before serving in World War I he wrote articles for a newspaper in Kansas City. Hemingway published his first book after briefly returning to America from Italy where he was severely injured in the war. In his life he had four wives and three children that influenced his work. Hemingway also held residence in many different places like Paris, Spain, Cuba, England, and Key West. Subsequently, Hemingway moved back to Idaho after covering many aspects of the Cuban Revolution with his writing, and in 1961 he took his own life in the town of Ketchum. The miniature plot occurs on a hot summer day in the early 1900’s at a train station in Spain. An American who is not named and his girlfriend Jig are having a conversation, accompanied by a cool beer while they are uneasily waiting for their train to arrive. The chat appears to be light-hearted, however it takes a noticeable turn before the train comes and the dark subject of the dialogue becomes apparent to the reader. Jig is pregnant with the American’s baby and the whole conversation revolves around whether or not to have an abortion Hemingway’s vague discussion between Jig and the American leaves much of this short story open for interpretation. By utilizing symbolism and character development, Hemingway conveys the central theme of indecisiveness in “Hills Like White Elephants.” Symbolism plays a crucial part with understanding “Hills Like White Elephants” in its entirety. Hemingway exploits the setting and uses many of its details as a basis of symbolism for his character’s dialogue. Stanley Renner says that Hemingway represents the conflict of the story