“The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry. ‘They look like white elephants,’ she said” (Hemingway 70). Completed in 1927, as recorded by Hal Holladay’s article Hills Like White Elephants, Ernest Hemingway published one of his most famous short stories called Hills Like White Elephants (1). In this piece and in his other works as well, Hemingway was notorious for using the “iceberg” technique to reveal the setting and situation of each of his writings. This technique only allows the reader to be given certain details of the situation pertaining to the otherwise mysterious characters, much like in a real life setting when you meet new people for the first time. These details
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Hemingway writes, “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,’ the man said. ‘It’s not really an operation at all” (71). It becomes clear that the woman is the one having an operation that the man is pushing for, shown by his statement, “That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy” (Hemingway 71). The setting that surrounds the couple also supports that “Jig” (the girl in the story) is pregnant. She was, “…looking off at the line of hills”, demonstrating that her mind is attracted to the hills that symbolize her pregnant body (Hemingway 70). She obviously does not want to talk about it with her lover, when she asks him to “…please please…stop talking” (Hemingway 72). The fact that they do not want to speak about the pregnancy makes it the “elephant in the room”, which is an uncomfortable secret that no one wants to discuss but is also impossible to ignore. Hemingway purposefully uses the imagery of elephants when describing the hills to represent the anxiety the pregnancy brings to the couple, and how their only option, if they want to continue their lifestyle the way it is, is to have an …show more content…
Throughout the short story, the man repeatedly refers to the operation as “simple”, at least to his conscious (Hemingway 71). He sees the abortion as the only path to keeping the lifestyle he wants, as it will keep them from being tied down to raising a child. The man says, “It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy” (Hemingway 71). His cold, cruel demeanor when speaking about the unborn child shows his true character, as stated by Hal Holladay in his article Hills Like White Elephants, “He is quite literal-minded, quite pragmatic, quite unemotional…” (Holladay 2). Furthermore, he makes the abortion seem harmless and lighthearted by spinning it as, “…really not anything. It’s just to let the air in” (Hemingway 71). Sadly, the woman does not have the emotional strength to fight off his wishes and concedes to his plans for both of them. She breaks down and states, “Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me” (Hemingway 71). She not only emotionally gives up, but also physically by drinking alcohol multiple times in the short story, which is considerably dangerous for her unborn child. She gives us a window into her unhappy relationship when she mentioned, “Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited for so long for…” (Hemingway 70). This describes how she has been waiting
Hemingway writes, “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,’ the man said. ‘It’s not really an operation at all” (71). It becomes clear that the woman is the one having an operation that the man is pushing for, shown by his statement, “That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy” (Hemingway 71). The setting that surrounds the couple also supports that “Jig” (the girl in the story) is pregnant. She was, “…looking off at the line of hills”, demonstrating that her mind is attracted to the hills that symbolize her pregnant body (Hemingway 70). She obviously does not want to talk about it with her lover, when she asks him to “…please please…stop talking” (Hemingway 72). The fact that they do not want to speak about the pregnancy makes it the “elephant in the room”, which is an uncomfortable secret that no one wants to discuss but is also impossible to ignore. Hemingway purposefully uses the imagery of elephants when describing the hills to represent the anxiety the pregnancy brings to the couple, and how their only option, if they want to continue their lifestyle the way it is, is to have an …show more content…
Throughout the short story, the man repeatedly refers to the operation as “simple”, at least to his conscious (Hemingway 71). He sees the abortion as the only path to keeping the lifestyle he wants, as it will keep them from being tied down to raising a child. The man says, “It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy” (Hemingway 71). His cold, cruel demeanor when speaking about the unborn child shows his true character, as stated by Hal Holladay in his article Hills Like White Elephants, “He is quite literal-minded, quite pragmatic, quite unemotional…” (Holladay 2). Furthermore, he makes the abortion seem harmless and lighthearted by spinning it as, “…really not anything. It’s just to let the air in” (Hemingway 71). Sadly, the woman does not have the emotional strength to fight off his wishes and concedes to his plans for both of them. She breaks down and states, “Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me” (Hemingway 71). She not only emotionally gives up, but also physically by drinking alcohol multiple times in the short story, which is considerably dangerous for her unborn child. She gives us a window into her unhappy relationship when she mentioned, “Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited for so long for…” (Hemingway 70). This describes how she has been waiting