Leona Ghostine
Miss Anna Kibaris
603-101-04 06
Friday, November 24, 2008
Hills Like White Elephants
Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants”, written in 1927, exposes the way men and women have different beliefs concerning life altering subjects, fundamental issues of life. The author shows us, readers, the lack of relationship, the inability to communicate between a couple, which may be injurious to their relationship. Of major note in this contrast are the story’s symbolism and the dialogue between the two characters.
Throughout the story, Hemingway uses metaphors to express the characters’ opinions and feelings. The story is ambiguous and remains nonsensical until the end, where we discover that the couple was discussing the subject of abortion. Drinking beer and traveling are the couple’s usual routine. Jig, the girl, wants to change her lifestyle and wants to build a family. On the contrary, the boy does not desire a change in his life and is totally in favor of abortion. We can feel the fright and the edginess of the couple concerning that subject. This has been reflected by the poor conversation they have been having throughout the entire story. When the girl says, “Everything tastes of licorice, especially all the things you’ve waited so long for”, indicate us that she needs a change in her life and is tired of constantly doing the same things. Jig seems self-conscious and does not speak what is on her mind. “That’s all we do, isn’t it-look at things and try new drinks?” indicate her sarcasm, although Hemingway does not specify the tone in which this remark has been made. We can feel how the American, the guy, wants to get rid off the baby. He is trying to convince her that it is “an awfully simple operation, it’s really not an operation at all. They just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural”, even though, in the 1920’s, people could have died from abortion and at that time, abortion was considered extremely bad...