What is the ending of hills like white elephants?
The ending of Hemingway’s short story “ Hills Like White Elephants ” is a bit ambiguous. While it is implied that the couple’s conflict was resolved, it is open for interpretation and thus one could rewrite it from several perspectives. The couple in the story is having a restrained, yet...
What is the mood in hills like white elephants?
The story “Hills Like White Elephants”, by Ernest Hemingway, expresses feelings of hatred and love. An article titled, “Analysis of ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ by Ernest Hemingway”, by Catherine Sustana goes more into detail about these emotions while the characters face the conflict of abortion.
What is the plot of hills like white elephants?
The short story "Hills Like White Elephants," is about a couple that is really young and the is having a issue about abortion. The author uses a lot of rhetorical devices to convey his message but mostly use imagery and symbolism. The way that the story is told by the author the reader can see the story told in their head.
What is the conclusion in hills like white elephants?
Hemingway ends Hills Like White Elephants with an open ending. It is never certain as to whether Jig will agree to have an abortion, though there is the sense that she is no longer reliant on the American. She realises that the relationship may have come to an end and that it is time to move on and live her life without the American.
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Why did the girl say that the hills look like white elephants?
The girl says the hills look like white elephants for a couple reasons. First, it breaks the ice on an awkward conversation - it's just a simple ob...
What happens at the end of Hills Like White Elephants?
At the end of Hills Like White Elephants, the man comes back from checking on the train and having a drink. The girl says that she's fine and there...
Is Hills Like White Elephants about abortion?
Yes! While it's not stated explicitly, it's pretty clear from context clues in the conversation between the man and the girl that the "procedure" i...
What is the author's purpose in Hills Like White Elephants?
The author of Hills Like White Elephants is Ernest Hemingway. His purpose in the story was to tell a story about a conversation, a turning point in...
What is the meaning behind Hills Like White Elephants?
The meaning behind Hills Like White Elephants is that the man in the story is trying to convince the girl to have an abortion. The "white elephants...
What is important about what is not being said in the story Hills Like White Elephants?
What's not being said in Hills Like White Elephants is the whole point of the story. The characters never directly say that they're talking about p...
What does the white elephant mean?
The two possible meanings of white elephants—female fertility and cast-off items —come together here because, as a man, he will never become pregnant himself and can cast off the responsibility of her pregnancy.
What Else?
"Hills Like White Elephants" is a rich story that yields more every time you read it. Consider the contrast between the hot, dry side of the valley and the more fertile "fields of grain." You might consider the symbolism of the train tracks or the absinthe. You might ask yourself whether the woman will go through with the abortion, whether they'll stay together, and, finally, whether either of them knows the answers to these questions yet.
What is the iceberg theory?
Hemingway's Iceberg Theory. Also known as the "theory of omission," Hemingway's Iceberg Theory contends that the words on the page should be merely a small part of the whole story—they are the proverbial "tip of the iceberg," and a writer should use as few words as possible in order to indicate the larger, unwritten story ...
Why is not having an abortion considered a "to go through with"?
In the case of pregnancy, not having the abortion is something "to go through with" because it results in the birth of a child. Finally, the man asserts that "I don't want anybody but you. I don't want anyone else," which makes it clear that there will be "somebody else" unless the woman has the operation.
What is the story of the man and woman drinking beer and anise liqueur while they wait at a?
Ernest Hemingway 's "Hills Like White Elephants" tells the story of a man and woman drinking beer and anise liqueur while they wait at a train station in Spain. The man is attempting to convince the woman to get an abortion, but the woman is ambivalent about it. The story's tension comes from their terse, barbed dialogue .
Where did the phrase "white elephant" come from?
The origin of the phrase is commonly traced to a practice in Siam (now Thailand) in which a king would bestow the gift of a white elephant on a member of his court who displeased him. The white elephant was considered sacred, so on the surface, this gift was an honor.
What is Hemingway's style of writing?
Genre: In the larger sense, this story belongs to the 20th century short story modernist fiction genre. Hemingway was famous for his “Iceberg Theory” of fiction writing, which holds that powerful writing relies most on what it omits, what is concealed out of the reader’s sight. The theory’s name stems from its analogy with icebergs; just as one can only see the small sliver of an iceberg exposed above the water, so should the minimalist style of fiction allude to but not reveal its implied and “deeper” meaning. Beginning his writing career as a journalist, Hemingway favored clipped, impersonal statements over subtle, emotional, or poetic styles of writing. His fiction style followed this model of objective reporting, hinting obliquely at characters’ feelings and motives.
What is the literary period of Hemingway?
Literary Period: Early modernism. Genre: In the larger sense, this story belongs to the 20th century short story modernist fiction genre. Hemingway was famous for his “Iceberg Theory” of fiction writing, which holds that powerful writing relies most on what it omits, what is concealed out of the reader’s sight.
Where did Ernest Hemingway live?
Ernest Hemingway was born in Illinois just before the turn of the century. He grew up outside a Chicago suburb, spending summers with his family in rural Michigan. After high school, he got a job writing for The Kansas City Star, but left after only six months to join the Red Cross Ambulance Corps during World War I, where he was injured and awarded the Silver Medal of Military Valor. Afterward, he lived in Ontario and Chicago, where he met his first wife Hadley Richardson. In 1921 they moved to Paris, where he began a long friendship with F. Scott Fitzgerald and other expatriate American writers of the "lost generation." After the 1926 publication of his first novel, The Sun Also Rises, he divorced Hadley and married Arkansas native Pauline Pfeiffer. The couple moved to Florida where Hemingway wrote A Farewell to Arms (1929), which became a bestseller. Hemingway then moved to Spain to serve as a war correspondent in the Spanish Civil War, a job which inspired his famous 1939 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. After its publication, he met his third wife, Martha Gellhorn. Hemingway married his fourth and final wife, Mary Hemingway, in 1946, and the couple spent the next fourteen years in Cuba. After a final move to Ketchum, Idaho, Hemingway took his own life in 1961, just as his father had in 1928. Hemingway left behind his wife and three sons. In the literary world, his name has become synonymous with minimalist, stripped down prose.
Who created the lit charts for Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants?
Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.
What river is Hemingway talking about in the story?
In the story, Hemingway refers to the Ebro River and to the bare, sterile-looking mountains on one side of the train station and to the fertile plains on the other side of the train station. The hills of Spain, to the girl, are like white elephants in their bareness and round, protruding shape. Also notable is that "white elephant" is ...
How does Hemingway explore the loneliness of the elderly?
Hemingway explores older men's loneliness by using the older waiter as a sounding board for the elderly man's defense.
What did the American man drink in the 1920s?
They drink beer as well as two licorice-tasting anis drinks, and finally more beer, sitting in the hot shade and discussing what the American man says will be "a simple ...
Why does the man use logic?
The man is using his logic in order to be as persuasive as possible. Without a baby anchoring them down, they can continue to travel; they can "have everything.". However, the girl contradicts him and, at that moment, seems suddenly strong and more in control of the situation.
What is a white elephant?
white elephant something of little or no value.
Did Hemingway say if the characters are married?
They liked the fact that Hemingway doesn't even say whether or not the two characters are married.
Does Hemingway remove himself from the story?
When it was written, authors were expected to guide readers through a story. In "Hills Like White Elephants," though, Hemingway completely removes himself from the story. Readers are never aware of an author's voice behind the story.
How does Hemingway quote time?
He not only challenges this couple with life changing decisions, but he also makes these decisions more substantial and pressing, by referencing time in the very first paragraph of his short story. He states “It was very hot and the express from Barcelona would come in forty minutes. ” (Hemingway 276). Time now becomes a clear reality, revealing itself like a clock, which now begins to click its way on down. Hemingway continues to imply the issue of time, by using what seems to be a hurried and fast paced dialogue throughout his short story.
How long is the pregnancy in Jig's belly?
Pregnancy generally lasts a total of 266 to 270 days, between ovulation and childbirth. (Britannica. com) Time plays a crucial role in the development of the fetus. The innocent fetus in Jig’s belly is running on borrowed time, and Jig has to make the decision that will dictate its life or death.
Why is time unreasonable for Jig and the American?
For Jig and the American, time has now become “unreasonable”, due to the inconvenience and timing of the pregnancy. Time has also become “unreasonable” for the unborn child, because its fate still has to be decided upon. This story is told using Hemingway’s time, he gave this couple the struggle of making a life important decision, and he used a forty minute time frame.
When should an abortion be performed?
An abortion should be performed before the twentieth week of gestation , at this point it is believed a human fetus is not viable. (Britannica. com). Jig has little time to make a decision. Hemingway chooses to exemplify the essence of time and the life of the fetus, not only by placing pressure on the impending decision at hand, but by the impending arrival of the train. The train seems to become symbolic of time, tying Jig’s pregnancy, to its fast impending arrival. Decker – 4 Hemingway portrays time as being essential, through his words and dialogue in this short story.
When is Time in Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants essay coming out?
StudyBoss. Time In Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants Essay [Internet]. April 2021. [Accessed 08 August 2021]; Available from: https://studyboss.com/essays/time-in-ernest-hemingways-hills-like-white-elephants-essay.html.
Will their relationship be better than what it is at this present time?
Will their relationship be better than what it is at this present time? The American makes a reference to time when he replies with “We’ll be fine afterward. Just like we were before. ” (Hemingway 277). The American is telling her that their relationship will become like it once was, in a previous time. Hemingway also uses a few other lines of dialogue in his story, which seem to reference the subject of time, in regards to their feelings of love. Jig says “And if I do it you’ll be happy and things will be like they were and you’ll love me? ” (Hemingway 277).
How does the woman respond to the man's pressure?
The woman responds to the man's pressure by making a martyr of herself, emphasizing the sacrifice she's willing to make for him : "Then I'll do it. Because I don't care about me." Obviously, the man can't say, "Good. I'm glad that's settled," even though he'd like it to be. He reaffirms that he doesn't want her to do anything she doesn't want to do.
How many times does the man tell her he doesn't want her to do it if she doesn't?
Four times the man tells her he doesn't want her to do it if she doesn't want to. The first time he says it, he immediately undercuts it by adding, "But I know it's perfectly simple." Clearly, he does want her to do it.
What does the woman mean when she says the hills don't have skin?
When the woman explains that the hills don't really look like white elephants, she apparently slips up: "I just meant the colouring of their skin through the trees." The hills, of course, don't have skin. She could be thinking of her unborn child.
What is the train station?
The train station is a place where people can go in different directions. Similarly, the woman is deciding which direction her life will take.
What does it mean when a woman says everything she can on this subject without getting anywhere?
This tells us how hesitant they are to talk, not only about the main point of contention, but about anything. It implies they've already said everything they can on this subject without getting anywhere. It also shows that it has affected their relationship badly. Whatever the woman's final decision is, things won't be the same between them again.
What is the best case for a man to have an operation?
The best case for the man is for her to have the operation and then for him to get out of the relationship. He can continue his pleasure seeking with someone who doesn't have reason to resent him yet.
What is the best case scenario for a woman who wants to keep her baby?
The best case scenario for the woman—because she wants to keep the baby—is for the man to accept it, support her and settle into his new life with limited resentment. Not an enviable life, but the alternatives are worse.
Author Biography
Plot Summary
Characters
- The American
The American is one of two characters in Hemingway’s story. He sits at a table with a girl at a train station in Spain. Through his conversation, it becomes clear that the girl with him is his lover. Throughout the story, the American tries to convince the girl that she should have an abortion. H… - The girl
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Themes
- Choices and Consequences
“Hills Like White Elephants” presents a couple in the midst of a crisis. Although unmarried, the girl is pregnant and the man who has made her pregnant wants her to have an abortion. His belief is that the choice for abortion will free them to return to the lives they had lived before the pregnan… - Doubt and Ambiguity
The story of Jig and the American is a story of doubt and ambiguity for the American, for Jig, and for the reader. While the American speaks in the language of certainty, he may or may not mean what he says. In addition, he can have little knowledge of what it would mean to the girl to have t…
Style
- Setting
In “Hills Like White Elephants” the setting serves both to locate the story in space and time and to function as an important symbol. The story is set in Spain, in the valley of the Ebro River. More immediately, the setting is a railway station “between two lines of rails in the sun.” The America… - Topics for Further Study
1. Read The Sun Also Rises and the other stories in Men Without Women. How do you characterize the human relationships portrayed by Hemingway in the books? What different kinds of relationships does Hemingway explore? 2. Investigate the American expatriate community in …
Historical Context
- Europe Between the Wars
Hemingway wrote “Hills Like White Elephants” in 1926 while living in Paris. Europe between the First and Second World Wars provided the historical and cultural context for the story. Hemingway was twenty-two, newly married and ready to begin a career as a serious writer when he arrived i… - The Lost Generation
In the United States, however, the economy boomed. The stock market reached dizzying heights and the dollar enjoyed an extremely favorable rate of exchange with most European currencies. In addition, many young Americans had been in Europe during the War, allowing them to feel more …
Critical Overview
- Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” first appeared in the magazine transition in August, 1927, and within a few months appeared again in the collection Men Without Women. The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway’s 1926 novel of life in Paris and Pamplona, had already secured the author’s reputation as the spokesperson for his generation. Men Without Women further solidifi…
Criticism
- Diane Andrews Henningfeld
Henningfeld is an Associate Professor of English at Adrian College, in Adrian, Michigan. She writes widely on literature and history for a variety of academic and educational publishers. In the following essay, she discusses the tragic and comic elements of “Hills Like White Elephants,” pla… - What Do I Read Next?
1. The Sun Also Rises(1926) is a semi-autobiographical account of Hemingway’s post-World War I experience as an expatriate. The well-received novel earned Hemingway the title of spokesperson for his generation. 2. Where I’m Calling From: New and Selected Stories, (1988) is a collection b…
Sources
- Connolly, Cyril. A review of Men Without Women. New Statesman,November 26, 1927, p. 208. Hannum, Howard L. “‘Jig Jig to dirty ears’: White Elephants to Let.” The Hemingway Review,Vol. 11, No. 1, Fall, 1991, pp. 46-54. Hollander, John. “Hemingway’s Extraordinary Reality.” Ernest Hemingway, edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom, New York: Chelsea House Publish…
Further Reading
- Meyers, Jeffrey, editor. Hemingway: The Critical Heritage,London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1982. Reynolds, Michael. The Young Hemingway,Oxford: Blackwell, 1986. Rovit, Earl, and Gerry Brenner. Ernest Hemingway,Boston: Twayne, 1986. Smith, Paul, editor. New Essays on Hemingway’s Short Fiction, Cambridge UniversityPress, 1998. Wagner, Linda W., editor. Ernest H…