Hills Like White Elephants (1385 words) Essay Example For Students

Hills Like White Elephants (1385 words) Essay Hills Like White ElephantsThe most striking feature of the short story Hills Like White Elephants isthe manner in which it is told. It is not typical in the classical sense with anintroduction, a development of the story and an end. Instead, we get some timein the life of two people, as if it were just a piece of a film where we have alot to deduce. This tale does not get everything done for the reader; we onlysee the surface of what is going on. It leaves an open end because readers canhave their own ending and take part in the action when reading. The story toldhere is that of a woman and a man on their trip to a place where she can have anabortion. Everything in the tale is related to the idea of fertility andbarrenness. This main topic can be seen from the title Hills Like WhiteElephants, where Hills refer to the shape of the belly of a pregnant woman. White Elephants is an idiom that refers to useless or unwanted things, meaningthe fetus they plan on disposing of. Hemingway produces an effect of sympathyfor the girl through the setting that symbolizes their decision process. Thetime passing symbolizes the pressure the two people are under, and through theirpoor communication indicates that this relationship does not and will not work. The first impression the reader gets when reading the text is that the story isset in the middle of a dry, barren place under the sun, with no shade or trees. This reinforces the idea of lack of life, but, in contrast, they are in the warmshadow of the building where life is. This emphasizes the contrast between thepregnancy of the woman, as being fertile and everything around them, includinghim, in this idea of fertility as he is also apart from the barrenness andsharing the shadow. The brown and dry setting sets the tone for theconversation between the couple (Hemingway 281). It allows the reader tounderstand the feelings of entrapment held by the couple and especially theyoung girl. The couple is also separated from the rest of the people that areinside the bar by a bamboo beaded curtain. This gives the idea of privacyreinforced by the idea of the warm shadow of the building that protects themfrom the world that exists inside the bar, they are outside, with nature. Thereis tension in the air at some moments, but they cannot express it openly. Perhaps they dont want to be heard in case somebody can understand them, ormaybe, it is just a problem of communication and of sharing feelings. It couldalso be a combination of both. No woman should be subjected to making this typeof important decision in such a harsh environment. Another thing the reader musttake into account is the fact that the train is stopping only for two minutes, avery brief time. This couple is being pressured into making a very importantdecision in only a short amount of time. According to the narrator, theexpress from Barcelona would come in forty minutes, leaving the couple withno time to really go into discussing the important details of their relationshipand the decision they are making (Hemingway 282). As the story comes to an end,the woman server informed the couple, The train comes in five minutes, anda sense of urgency is brought to the conversation (Hemingway 284). This becomesevident by the manner in which the couple is concluding their conversati on. Thegirl does not want to speak about the subject anymore, but the couple has notfinished talking things all the way through. In the end she just wants to getthis operation over and done with. Ernest Hemingway chose to use the couplesdialogue as the best way to express sympathy for the young girl to the reader. .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 , .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .postImageUrl , .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 , .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:hover , .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:visited , .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:active { border:0!important; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:active , .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Firestone Tire Recall EssayThis dialogue is presented as being very natural, but was carefully written,because through it, the reader can deduce the kind of relationship they have. The language here is a very simple one, even informal; this easy languageusually expresses feelings. The real theme of the conversation is not clearlystated, but is underlying; they are talking about love, feelings and herpregnancy. The problem that the two are having when communicating is that noneof them is hearing each other. In the beginning she wants to speak out about thesituation clearly and put the feelings on the table to be talked about openly. When she asks such a simple question as, What should we drink, he changesthe subject instead of answering the question, and answers, its prettyhot(Hemingway 282). This implies that he wants to change the subject and talkabout simpler things such as the weather. As the conversation goes on, the manopenly refers to the operation as if taking importance off it. He says it is notimportant but very easy, like opening a window Its just to let the airin(Hemingway 283). He wants her to have the abortion but she is sure aboutthe fact that their relationship is going to change after that (Hemingway 282). He wants to convince her that the decision has been hers by means of sayingthings like, if you dont want to you dont have to But I know itsperfectly simple, but he is the only one who has no doubts about it(Hemingway 283). She is having the normal doubts a woman can have in a situationlike that. He feels that the pregnancy is a nuisance in their lives. The babywould mean the necessity of settling down and starting a family and this wouldbe a change in their lives as they move a lot around. There is another allusionwhen almost at the end of the story he says, we can have the world and shereplies, No, we cant. It isnt ours anymore And once they have taken itaway, you never get it back(Hemingway 283). Here we can see that she wantsthe baby and she knows that once she has the operation she wont be able to getthe child back. At the very end, in the last sentence, he asks her if she feelsbetter, but what he is really asking is if she has made a decision and he wantsto know what she has d ecided. She replies: I feel fine Theres nothingwrong with me. I feel fine(Hemingway 284). Because they both want to make adecision quickly, they are not careful and end up hurting each other. Thecharacters are really mysterious to us, we know nothing about their lives butthey seem to have nothing to do in life apart from sex and drinking. They are inthe middle of a surface level relationship, and these types of relationshipsrarely work. They spend their time in the bar drinking alcohol, which isconsidered a depressant. They order anis because she wants to try newthings, she might be considering the possibility of having a new relationship ora new experience in life, but when she tastes it she says, it tastes likelicorice which is a very common and not exotic taste (Hemingway 282). Sheadds that, Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things youvewaited so long for implying that when you wait for something for a longtime, for instance a relationship, once you get it, it lo ses exotism and appeal(Hemingway 282). It is apparent that the girl may be settling for less with herAmerican partner. Later on there is a reference to the routine they seem to bein when she says, thats all we do, isnt it- look at things and try newdrinks(Hemingway 282). The girl is fed up with this relationship andfollowing the operation, she will most likely leave her companion. Inconclusion, Ernest Hemingway has given the reader the opportunity to feelsympathy for the girl through the use of the setting, time restrictions, andpoor communication exhibited by the couple. Hemingway has provided a unique lookinto the slice of this couples life by use of this out of the ordinary shortstory. Through this different style, it has become very easy to have compassionfor the girl and understand the tough decision she is making. On the other hand,it was very difficult to feel the same way about the man. He made repeatedselfish remarks and seemed as though he was only looking out for his best interests throughout the conversation. In a time when abortions were taboo,Hemingway was able to present his sympathy for the young girl through her toughdecision process.