What Is Ernest Hemingway's Hill Hills Like White Elephants?
Abstract
This article is about Ernest Hemingway’s Hills like White Elephants. It is regarding its feministic aspect mostly about the power and assertion of Jig the female character.
Since Hemingway’s texts often are ambiguous and open for interpretation i have found many different sources and likewise opinions of the text. However many of the latter texts that i found point to the assertion of Jig and that she is enigmatic. This is what interested me because in the texts of Hemingway that i have read the women are often flat characters without dept. Hence to have a girl without origin outsmart The American seemed really interesting and i did find a lot of support for my claim that is: that Jig outsmarts the American and wins not only the discourse but also in the relationship.
Robin Lee
Professor Johan Wijkmark
English 3
8 November 2013 …show more content…
Hills Like White Elephants hereby referenced to as HLWE is one of Ernest Hemingway’s most enigmatic short stories.
In spite of that many scholars have dissected it the only consensus they have reached regarding the outcome of the short story is that there is none. HLWE is about an American and a woman named Jig having drinks by a train station in Spain by the river Ebro. While discussing whether to try the local spirits they also discuss if Jig should do an abortion or not. However the word abortion or pregnant is never used instead the reader has to read between the lines which is the fundamental of Hemingway’s famous iceberg theory. For example “Hills Like White Elephants” is an euphemism for the elephant in the room namely the fetus. Hence everyone that has read HLWE have their own theory about what actually happens however more recently many scholars have drifted to Jigs favor meaning that she outwits the American. Saying that she does keep the baby and leaves the
American. The american is initially presented as the dominate force in the text he is supporting Jig and he is also the only one that speaks the local language. These factors early support that Jig is in a submissive position where she simply has to do what the American says. In the beginning it is also clear that it is the American who dominates the discussion. When Jig brings up “the hills” the American interrupts her saying “it’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,... It’s not really an operation at all (Hemingway. 2). Here however the American’s excessive choice of modifiers shows us that he is well aware of his inferior position although it might be subconscious. The use of “awfully simple” and saying that it is not really an operation at all shows that it is a hard sale for him (Rankin. 235). Therefore the story becomes ambiguous since the American at prima facie is the dominate one however he is in incapable of settling this matter. This further shows us that the American is either insecure or intellectual inferior to Jig. Jig slowly evolves from an passive women to a heroine in the short story. In the beginning Jig is a passive female following her male for a direction in life but as the story flows on it is like she becomes aware of her own power and intelligence (Renner. 28). This is obvious since it is the American who pays and speaks the language also the text makes clear that the couple have been following the Americans will. However as the story progresses Jig becomes more and more assertive. In the beginning Jig is used to follow the American and can therefore not contest the American’s will. However throughout the short story Jig starts to express her will not by directly confronting the American but with sarcasm and silence. The American describes the abortion like “it’s just to let air in” (Hemingway 2) to this Jig simply answers with silence not dignifying the American with an response and later saying that she has known a lot of people who have done abortions “And afterwards they were all so happy” (Hemingway 3). This sarcasm whether it is silent or not empowers Jig and ridicules the American as a power shift starts. Finally she tells the
American “Then i’ll do it. Because i don’t care about me” (Hemingway 3). For many readers this is the end of it and the American has won, Jig will do the abortion to keep the American happy and save their relationship. However she is simply telling the American that he does not care about her and that her true feelings are that she is scared of the operation. Jig then uses sarcasm and irony to move the issue from the fetus to herself by saying that the American does not care for her safety and wellbeing (Renner 31).
Finally at the ending of HLWE Jig is quite pleased with herself empowered from her resistance not only in means towards the American but also that she has become an stronger individual she says “there is nothing wrong with me” (Hemingway. 4) showing that it is the American who is at fault and that she will ultimately have her child and leave the American (Renner. 40). Hence In the beginning of HLWE Jig is weak without a real self identity but throughout the story she grows and becomes stronger by outsmarting the American trough sarcasm and irony. This shows us how facetted Jig is as a character even her name “Jig” shows us this. Jig as in jigsaw puzzle shows us that Hemingway wants to tell us that there are a lot of small pieces who have to come together in order for the reader to see the whole picture. Finally HLWE is a short story that has as many endings as readers however more lately many think that Jig is actually a lot stronger than the American. This would lead to that she keeps her baby and leaves the American becoming an independent strong women a true feministic hero. It is however impossible to come to any definite consensus regarding HLWE since it has so much unsaid and open to interpretation. All of this is because of Hemingway’s famous iceberg theory. However one thing that one can be almost certain of it that the Americans way of dealing with his will has effectively destroyed the relationship. If Jig has the abortion she will despise the American forever and if she keeps the baby the American will most likely dessert her. Thus the unborn child becomes a metaphor for the relationship itself. It is doomed before it has had any real chance of transpire into a real complex life. This shows us that Hemingway saw children as a predicament to life rather than a blessing. Even though he never had any children himself.
Works cited
Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants
http://www.asdk12.org. October 20, 2013 Online Available:
Rankin, Paul. Explicator (Expl) 2005 Summer; 63 (4): 234-37.
MLA International Bibliography. Web. October 2013
Renner, Stanley. The Hemingway Review (HN) 1995 Fall; 15 (1): 27-41.
MLA International Bibliography. Web. October 2013
This article is about Ernest Hemingway’s Hills like White Elephants. It is regarding its feministic aspect mostly about the power and assertion of Jig the female character.
Since Hemingway’s texts often are ambiguous and open for interpretation i have found many different sources and likewise opinions of the text. However many of the latter texts that i found point to the assertion of Jig and that she is enigmatic. This is what interested me because in the texts of Hemingway that i have read the women are often flat characters without dept. Hence to have a girl without origin outsmart The American seemed really interesting and i did find a lot of support for my claim that is: that Jig outsmarts the American and wins not only the discourse but also in the relationship.
Robin Lee
Professor Johan Wijkmark
English 3
8 November 2013 …show more content…
Hills Like White Elephants hereby referenced to as HLWE is one of Ernest Hemingway’s most enigmatic short stories.
In spite of that many scholars have dissected it the only consensus they have reached regarding the outcome of the short story is that there is none. HLWE is about an American and a woman named Jig having drinks by a train station in Spain by the river Ebro. While discussing whether to try the local spirits they also discuss if Jig should do an abortion or not. However the word abortion or pregnant is never used instead the reader has to read between the lines which is the fundamental of Hemingway’s famous iceberg theory. For example “Hills Like White Elephants” is an euphemism for the elephant in the room namely the fetus. Hence everyone that has read HLWE have their own theory about what actually happens however more recently many scholars have drifted to Jigs favor meaning that she outwits the American. Saying that she does keep the baby and leaves the
American. The american is initially presented as the dominate force in the text he is supporting Jig and he is also the only one that speaks the local language. These factors early support that Jig is in a submissive position where she simply has to do what the American says. In the beginning it is also clear that it is the American who dominates the discussion. When Jig brings up “the hills” the American interrupts her saying “it’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,... It’s not really an operation at all (Hemingway. 2). Here however the American’s excessive choice of modifiers shows us that he is well aware of his inferior position although it might be subconscious. The use of “awfully simple” and saying that it is not really an operation at all shows that it is a hard sale for him (Rankin. 235). Therefore the story becomes ambiguous since the American at prima facie is the dominate one however he is in incapable of settling this matter. This further shows us that the American is either insecure or intellectual inferior to Jig. Jig slowly evolves from an passive women to a heroine in the short story. In the beginning Jig is a passive female following her male for a direction in life but as the story flows on it is like she becomes aware of her own power and intelligence (Renner. 28). This is obvious since it is the American who pays and speaks the language also the text makes clear that the couple have been following the Americans will. However as the story progresses Jig becomes more and more assertive. In the beginning Jig is used to follow the American and can therefore not contest the American’s will. However throughout the short story Jig starts to express her will not by directly confronting the American but with sarcasm and silence. The American describes the abortion like “it’s just to let air in” (Hemingway 2) to this Jig simply answers with silence not dignifying the American with an response and later saying that she has known a lot of people who have done abortions “And afterwards they were all so happy” (Hemingway 3). This sarcasm whether it is silent or not empowers Jig and ridicules the American as a power shift starts. Finally she tells the
American “Then i’ll do it. Because i don’t care about me” (Hemingway 3). For many readers this is the end of it and the American has won, Jig will do the abortion to keep the American happy and save their relationship. However she is simply telling the American that he does not care about her and that her true feelings are that she is scared of the operation. Jig then uses sarcasm and irony to move the issue from the fetus to herself by saying that the American does not care for her safety and wellbeing (Renner 31).
Finally at the ending of HLWE Jig is quite pleased with herself empowered from her resistance not only in means towards the American but also that she has become an stronger individual she says “there is nothing wrong with me” (Hemingway. 4) showing that it is the American who is at fault and that she will ultimately have her child and leave the American (Renner. 40). Hence In the beginning of HLWE Jig is weak without a real self identity but throughout the story she grows and becomes stronger by outsmarting the American trough sarcasm and irony. This shows us how facetted Jig is as a character even her name “Jig” shows us this. Jig as in jigsaw puzzle shows us that Hemingway wants to tell us that there are a lot of small pieces who have to come together in order for the reader to see the whole picture. Finally HLWE is a short story that has as many endings as readers however more lately many think that Jig is actually a lot stronger than the American. This would lead to that she keeps her baby and leaves the American becoming an independent strong women a true feministic hero. It is however impossible to come to any definite consensus regarding HLWE since it has so much unsaid and open to interpretation. All of this is because of Hemingway’s famous iceberg theory. However one thing that one can be almost certain of it that the Americans way of dealing with his will has effectively destroyed the relationship. If Jig has the abortion she will despise the American forever and if she keeps the baby the American will most likely dessert her. Thus the unborn child becomes a metaphor for the relationship itself. It is doomed before it has had any real chance of transpire into a real complex life. This shows us that Hemingway saw children as a predicament to life rather than a blessing. Even though he never had any children himself.
Works cited
Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants
http://www.asdk12.org. October 20, 2013 Online Available:
Rankin, Paul. Explicator (Expl) 2005 Summer; 63 (4): 234-37.
MLA International Bibliography. Web. October 2013
Renner, Stanley. The Hemingway Review (HN) 1995 Fall; 15 (1): 27-41.
MLA International Bibliography. Web. October 2013