An Analysis over “Hills Like White Elephants” “Hills Like White Elephants” is a very unique story, but it does not operate like most other traditional short stories. It is structured as if you, the reader, are in the same room as the couple, sitting next to them by the bar and you are able to tune in to the couple’s conversation to overhear a personal conflict between the two. Hemingway executes this perfectly by giving the reader as little detail of the characters and conflict, but respects the reader’s knowledge by giving clues that allow the reader to piece together the topic of conversation and the relationship between the couple. The earliest draft of this story had a biographical basis according to author, James Nagel, of “Literature
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In this version, Hemingway wrote about a tense, unstated conflict between the couple and focused on the negative aspect of the situation at hand. He retained the setting and the elephant simile of the earlier draft, but changed the central figures into an anonymous “American man” and a woman named “Jig” (Nagel, Literature Resource Center). In this story, “Hills Like White Elephants,” is mainly about two individuals who are in a troubled relationship. They have come to a “crossroad” in their relationship and the woman “Jig” seems to be the one who is realizing that they are at a “point of no return.” The location is a train station where the two are awaiting a train that will be taking them to Madrid (Spain), where “Jig” may be having an operation. While the two wait they are sitting in a bar having drinks and discussing whether or not “Jig” wants to go through with the operation. It is clear after reading the story that this “operation” is an abortion, but Hemingway never uses this term in the story. What makes this story interesting is the “tension between the two character’s dialogue, the implications of their comments, and the subtle suggestion of their personalities and the antagonistic conflict between them” (Nagel, Literature
In this version, Hemingway wrote about a tense, unstated conflict between the couple and focused on the negative aspect of the situation at hand. He retained the setting and the elephant simile of the earlier draft, but changed the central figures into an anonymous “American man” and a woman named “Jig” (Nagel, Literature Resource Center). In this story, “Hills Like White Elephants,” is mainly about two individuals who are in a troubled relationship. They have come to a “crossroad” in their relationship and the woman “Jig” seems to be the one who is realizing that they are at a “point of no return.” The location is a train station where the two are awaiting a train that will be taking them to Madrid (Spain), where “Jig” may be having an operation. While the two wait they are sitting in a bar having drinks and discussing whether or not “Jig” wants to go through with the operation. It is clear after reading the story that this “operation” is an abortion, but Hemingway never uses this term in the story. What makes this story interesting is the “tension between the two character’s dialogue, the implications of their comments, and the subtle suggestion of their personalities and the antagonistic conflict between them” (Nagel, Literature