How Does Hemingway Use Literary Techniques In Hills Like White Elephant

Hemingway has a stylistic craft that seems simple, but it has so much depth between the lines. The short story is about a couple that is at a train station bar that is anything but normal, something that could change their lives forever. In “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, he conveys a story that seems about something small, but it has so much effect in it. Hemingway uses repetition to emphasize certain words, the use of extended metaphors to avoid the big idea, and symbolism to craft a dialogue based story that is so much more than it seems. Hemingway utilizes constant repetition that emphasizes that locution and changes the meaning to another meaning. Hemingway also utilizes the use of the word “I” (Hemingway, 477) a plethora of times by using it in a way that makes him in control of the situation. He is saying how he feels, manipulating the situation in a way that makes him control her opinion on the topic of having an abortion. Then Hemingway changes from the word “I” to “We” (Hemingway, 477) to have the man continue his manipulation of her having the abortion. But this time, the male is explaining how they both can “have everything” once they have this abortion, but the woman isn’t too fond of the idea still. The male is repeating himself so much about how it’s her decision if she wants to have the abortion or not; the
repetition is to emphasize the persistence to change the woman’s thoughts and to have the abortion. This idea is supported by Alex Link from York University saying “The repetitions, as well as the addition of this phrase, emphasize the man's persistence and power to change the conditions of agreement, as well as Jig's reluctance or inability to want or feel as he directs” (Link, 68). The repetition of “please” (Hemingway, 478) near the end of the short story emphasizes both the urgency of the request and its powerlessness of the woman towards the American. Hemingway utilizes the use of extended metaphors within “Hills Like White Elephants” to hide deeper meaning from the reader. Even in the name itself, there is an extended metaphor. A white elephant gift is a rare and expensive possession that is financially a burden to maintain or an article or ornament of dubious value that is not wanted by its owner. In the short story, the woman says “It’s ours.” “No, it isn’t. And once they take it away, you can never get it back.” “But they haven’t taken it away.” “It”(Hemingway, 477) is referred as the baby. The baby can be referred as a white elephant gift, as the male clearly doesn’t want the baby, but the woman is a little hesitant to getting rid of her baby. “Heavy Baggage” is another instance of an extended metaphor in the short story. The baggage is the baby, the girl, their future together and the difference in skin color of each other. The baggage is heavy because it’s all their past experiences or long-held ideas regarded as burdens and impediments. Hemingway utilizes the use of symbolism to craft a short story that is much deeper than it seems at first. He utilizes the name “jig” for the woman in the last half of the short story to show the role of the woman in the piece and to show how much her opinion doesn’t matter to the man, and how he wants her to have the abortion. Timothy D. O'Brien of the United States Naval Academy even brings up a point that “it is nevertheless significant that the first appearance of "Jig" occurs immediately after the mechanical sounding "operation": "It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig". So much a technique in Hemingway's reproduction of a private conversation, this nickname also suggests a variety of public, culturally shared associations that give the story a strong archetypal significance” (O’Brien, 20). Also, the train station itself is an important part of the short story. Their suitcases have stickers from all the places they have been, and they are making an important decision that could potentially change their life, and the train station is a transition point in their life. That the train that they are about to get onto, is their future together. Something very important that most readers do not pick up on is that the narration is in third person. Also the narration of the characters is in past tense, meaning that the narrator is telling the story to another person or writing it down. Also the narrator doesn’t tell the reader much about the connection of the short story to the surrounding setting, he just tells us a bare minimum about where they are at and where they have been together. We also learn that both characters speak spanish because The American orders a beer in spanish, and the woman also the lack of intimacy between the two is reflected by the textual deficit of personal thoughts and desires. Hemingway has a stylistic craft that seems simple, but it has so much depth between the lines.
The style is short and to the point to make it an easy read, but it makes the reader thing deeply into the text. Also the story could be taken in so many different ways, but it’s all up to the reader. In “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, he conveys a story that seems about something small, but it has so much effect in it. Hemingway uses repetition to emphasize certain words, the use of extended metaphors to avoid the big idea, and symbolism to craft a dialogue based story that is so much more than it
seems.