“Hills Like White Elephants”, written by Ernest Hemingway, is part of the collection Men Without Women. This particular short story takes place at a bar while waiting for a train. The two main characters consist of an American man and a women named Jig. The two order a cold beer, as the man introduce the key focus of their ensuing discussion, a simple operation, which in this case alludes to an abortion. Throughout the story a lot is hidden through the dialogue and symbols, including the ending. The reader is led to think about what might have happened to the couple. Although there are a few possible outcomes, and perhaps the most logical, would be that the women keeps the baby, and leaves the man. Throughout the dialogue, the interplay between symbols and dialogue hint that the white elephant in the room is the baby, and the couple hide behind their beers to avoid talking. Among the many symbols hidden in the text, Ernest Hemingway uses dialogue to introduce the hidden idea of the operation which is an abortion.
This is the first time the man begins to talk about the …show more content…
As previously discussed the women, Jig, is avoiding communication with the man; the man, however, is not listening. He is attuned to his own agenda, that she have an abortion. The obscurity of their discussion and veiled reference to the operation indicate that both of them are avoiding the word, abortion, a tact that clearly does them no good. Not only are they really discussing the possibilities of their situation, but the two seem to have very different ideas of their future. The man seems to be set on abortion, while the woman, Jig, seems to want to keep the baby. Jig remains seemingly passive, seldom voicing her opinion in the beginning of the scene; instead, she just sits in
This is the first time the man begins to talk about the …show more content…
As previously discussed the women, Jig, is avoiding communication with the man; the man, however, is not listening. He is attuned to his own agenda, that she have an abortion. The obscurity of their discussion and veiled reference to the operation indicate that both of them are avoiding the word, abortion, a tact that clearly does them no good. Not only are they really discussing the possibilities of their situation, but the two seem to have very different ideas of their future. The man seems to be set on abortion, while the woman, Jig, seems to want to keep the baby. Jig remains seemingly passive, seldom voicing her opinion in the beginning of the scene; instead, she just sits in