Though the subject, setting, point of view, dialog, and overall brevity of Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” all combine to create a desperately fantastic story, the symbolism present in only the title contributes and reveals more to the reader than any other singular aspect of the work as the story progresses. The symbolism that is ever-present is vital to enhancing the seemingly shallow story, as well as truly understanding the circumstances and characters of the brief work.
While the title provides multiple forms of symbolism throughout Hemingway’s story, one of the most important outlets it takes is describing the couple’s relationship through the use of the landscape around them. It is easily determined that the title is …show more content…
The relation of the symbol of a white hill to a woman’s stomach while pregnant is not subtle, but finding a meaning for the white elephant explicitly stated in the title is buried slightly deeper. In reality, an actual white elephant is a symbol of something pure and sacred, as well as something that is to be protected, which is exactly what the mother feels about her unborn child. This is emphasized by the fact that the mother in the story mentions and sees these “white elephants,” yet the father never utters the words. This is because he embodies and symbolizes the opposing side of the paradoxical nature that the story’s white elephant child really is. In one regard, a white elephant is something precious, held in such high opinion that it becomes attributed with purity and spirituality. In another regard, and in a much more figurative sense, the term is, as stated by Lewis E. Weeks, Jr., “…a gift or possession that is worthless, a burden, even harmful, or overwhelmingly troublesome that is said to derive from the fact that a white elephant has an enormous appetite and, being sacred, can neither be disposed of nor used as a beast of burden but must be cared for and treated with care, respect, and concern until it dies.” (Weeks, Jr., n.p) From the father’s perspective, this is exactly
While the title provides multiple forms of symbolism throughout Hemingway’s story, one of the most important outlets it takes is describing the couple’s relationship through the use of the landscape around them. It is easily determined that the title is …show more content…
The relation of the symbol of a white hill to a woman’s stomach while pregnant is not subtle, but finding a meaning for the white elephant explicitly stated in the title is buried slightly deeper. In reality, an actual white elephant is a symbol of something pure and sacred, as well as something that is to be protected, which is exactly what the mother feels about her unborn child. This is emphasized by the fact that the mother in the story mentions and sees these “white elephants,” yet the father never utters the words. This is because he embodies and symbolizes the opposing side of the paradoxical nature that the story’s white elephant child really is. In one regard, a white elephant is something precious, held in such high opinion that it becomes attributed with purity and spirituality. In another regard, and in a much more figurative sense, the term is, as stated by Lewis E. Weeks, Jr., “…a gift or possession that is worthless, a burden, even harmful, or overwhelmingly troublesome that is said to derive from the fact that a white elephant has an enormous appetite and, being sacred, can neither be disposed of nor used as a beast of burden but must be cared for and treated with care, respect, and concern until it dies.” (Weeks, Jr., n.p) From the father’s perspective, this is exactly