“Hills like White Elephants” Literary Analysis Essay

Trying to decide on a course of action when faced with an unexpected pregnancy, an American and a female childfriend sit out facial expression a consider stop in the dusty break out of Spain and beverage on it. Indirectly approaching the naked subject of abortion, each member of the rivalhood sets out to probe the opposite in a verbal action of the leave alones, engaging in a staccato standardized dialogue that offers some insight into the two chief(prenominal) characters personas. Ernest Heming counselings Hills like clear Elephants churns out a hefty sum of typic representation in a very short base ultimately leaving the imagination free hold to interpret. While they wait for a check up on to bewilder them to Madrid, the dangers of persuing happiness unfolds (choices how bad do you want something how restrictions economic aid you to chthonianstand yourselfif you put yourself out of your element thats when you accept the most somewhat yourself) . The tim eline of the study is significant. Post WW1, luxury has landed in Amercia and 20s sway Roaring 20s, post WW1 Although setting is not talked about at length, what is written says many things about the underlying psyche of the two main characters, the American and a girl he calls trip the light fantastic. Immediately, Hemmingway establishes an obvious difference between the couples interests with the line on this side.This is further emphasized with two lines of rails, symbolize their inability to connect with each other. A form drapery is then introduced, to keep out the fly, in humanity, it is a grounder representing the girls shifting state of sagaciousness bit of all timeything seems to intensify and turn and dance about nigh her, the curtain not solid, scarcely as fluid as her finis making skills appears whenever she betrays an important decision. Here, the curtain is a means of c one timealing their current dilemma. The pair be likewise described as being i mmaterial the building, where they argon supposedly postponement for the gearing a justification for their underlying purpose of time lag on a decision to be made. The Mediterranean sun finds them somewhere between Barcelona and Madrid, two major cities in Spain, where there is no shade and no trees on their side of the valley. This represents the crossroad theyve reached in their consanguinity they are stuck in limbo, coming from beauty and waiver into it, but must first make their decision of whether they go together or not.Lastly, through with(predicate) with(predicate)out the flooring the girl relishs out at the valley and the hillsin the distance, which are unclouded in the sun, limit she and the American are stuck in a br admitness and dry country, hardly conducive to life at all. The fertile valley and the hills represent the unborn fluff the potential for life. She mentions these hills and looks over to them many times, whereas the man refuses to let in the m, ignoring her when she ab initio brings them up. This is highlighted later when the American refers to the operation, or the potential abortion, as being perfectly natural. The presence of the beaded curtain shows that she does not oppose with him. This fundamental disagreement of the concept of something as prefatory as nature foreshadows the couples threatening separation. Furtherto a greater extent, while she is perfectly aware she speaks of the snowy hills metaphorically, he takes her literally they do not operate under the same mode of thought.Throughout the story, the American be ingests agree to the traditional idea of masculinity rugged, knowledgeable, and always in control of himself and the given situation. evening when vexed or conf utilise, he maintains a relaxed exterior and feigns indifference such as when he tells the girl if you dont want to you dont have to. He distracts directly voicing his opinions, but when pressured collapses, oversimplifying the ope ration and unrelentingly pushing her to have it. Thinking himself to be the more reasonable of the two, counterbalance identifying more with the other passengers waiting reasonably at the station, he inherently fails to declare oneself the sympathy and understanding she needs during the crisis. Compared to the American, gigue is portray as being nave, helpless, and indecisive.Her nickname, dance, subtly indicates that the two characters besides dance around each other and the issue at hand without ever expression anything meaningful. In fact, the girl, unable to speak Spanish, cant even order drinks from the bart completeer on her own suggesting a strong dependence on him. Although her mind is constantly changing as it dupes new information, she tranquilize is being pressured to make a decision while under the influence of his persistent attempts to control her. Jig is very practically like the following gossiper made by Hemmingway on the 1920s, when the story was publ ish The age demanded that we danceAnd jammed us into exhort pants.And in the end the age was handedThe ramify of shit that it demanded. (Audre Hanneman, Ernest Hemingway AComprehensive Bibliography Princeton University Press, 1967) By the end of the story, Jig seems to understand that her family with the American has in effect ended, despite her earlier professed desire to make him happy. She knows that even if she has the operation, their relationship wont return to how it used to be. In many ways, the girls realization of this fact gives her power over the American, who never genuinely understands why they still cant have the whole world like they once did. resourcefulness and symbolism are common themes throughout this story. When Jig first tries the Anis Del Toro, she comments it tastes like liquorice everything tastes of liquorice. liquorice is a popular sweet, but in euphony it used to induce vomit.This sort of duality runs throughout the text. Here, Jig speaks about h ow everything possesses two natures a compulsory and a negative. One not able to subsist without the other. The curtain appears at the becomening of this scene, when the American orders the drinks. This dexterity mean that she is becoming aware of a verity the man isnt displumeing up on. At the end of the forty minutes, it is implied the train has come to pick them up. This too has a hidden meaning once a train comes, it goes. Symbolically, the train represents Jigs choice. Like the coming of the train, if she decides to abort the deflower, there is no turning cover charge. The train go out keep on going just as her life will keep going but will she ever be the same? The American tries his best to make his opinion known that he and Jigs life will be easier and go back the way it was if she just goes through with this simple operation. It is also interesting to see how the man reacts to the indecision of his girl when he picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around t he station to the other tracks. He looked up the tracks but could not see the train.Coming back, he walked through the barroom, where people waiting for the train were drinking He went out through the bead curtain. She was sitting at the table and smiled at him. As the man takes both(prenominal) of their bags over to the tracks, he is hoping that Jig will go through with the surgery. He is still uncertain as to whether she will in fact go through with the abortion, but lets his opinion be known by taking their luggage and setting it by the tracks to be loaded on the upcoming train. He looks up the tracks, waiting for the train that is supposed to come, but does not see it. Similarly, he anticipates that Jig will harken to his suggestion but is still uncertain whether she will gothrough with it. When the American comes back into the barroom, he hopes that Jig has made a decision, preferably in favour of the abortion, but when he reaches her she has still not made up her mind. The d rinks that the couple share are another instance of symbolism regarding Jigs decision about the abortion. Even though it may not have been known that alcohol expenditure negatively affects the fetus in the womb, Jigs consistent drinking gives way to the thinking that she may have thrown in the towel on the possibility of having the child.For instance, the Anis del Toro is a drink that is illegal in many countries because those who gorge themselves on the drink can, and in all likelihood will, die of alcohol poisoning. Knowing this, Jigs drinking the Anis del Toro symbolizes her thinking of the child as a separate entity, perhaps already dead. Jigs drinking several alcoholic beverages points toward her decision to abort the baby as her American boyfriend wants. in that respect is also the recurring theme of the number two. For instance, the train stopped for two minutes, the couple drinks dos cervezas, they receive two glasses of beer, two felt pads and the American carries thei r two heavy bags to the other side of the train tracks. This overemphasis of the number two could inspire two divers(prenominal) readings. The first could be that the relationship between the couple is the largest the relationship can span they cant include a third person into their gallus because threes a crowd. The other way to read this is that perhaps two refers to Jig and her baby. Jig is still weighing the possibility of becoming a mother because she has not yet made a decision as to whether she will abort the baby or not.The overuse of two is definitely symbolic within the story. Even Hemingways title is symbolic which alludes to a deeper meaning in the term washcloth elephants than just scratches the surface. A white elephant is a give tongue to meaning a gift not know by the receiver, whose value is outweighed by its cost. The girls comment in the beginning of the story that the surrounding hills look like white elephants initially seems to be a casual, offhand remark, which in reality represents her desire to speak about the issue at hand. Later, her comment the hills dont really look like white elephants is a subtle emergency at her defiance perhaps she wont have the operation at all. The term white elephants originally was used in Indian cultures where a white elephant is a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of.The termoriginally came about in an apocryphal taradiddle about the King of Siam who would award a nerve-racking courtier a white elephant, the upkeep of which would ruin the courtier (Dictionary). Even though these elephants were beautifully ornate and were given as great gifts, the upkeep is atrocious. Basically the cost and dole out for the white elephant would supersede the actual joy of receiving it. In sum, a white elephant is an unwanted gift much like Jigs pregnancy seems, specially to the American like an unwanted thing. Both the American and the girl drink alcohol throughout their conversation. They cause by drinking large beers the moment they obtain at the station.Then, as soon as they begin talking about the hills that look like white elephants, the girl asks to order more drinks. Although they drink mainly to avoid thinking about the issue at hand, readers sense that deeper problems exist in their relationship, of which the operation is merely one. The girl implies this herself when she remarks that she and the American man never do anything together except try new drinks, as if constantly looking for new ways to avoid each other. By the end of their conversation, both drink alone- the girl at the table and the man at the bar- suggesting that the two are winding down their relationship and will soon go their separate ways.