Hills Like White Elephants Rhetorical Analysis

Communication is key to having a healthy relationship. In the short stories, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, both relationships are in conflict. In “Hills Like White Elephants”, Jig is having second thoughts about going to Madrid to have an “awfully simple operation (Pg. 2)” and the American is trying to do everything in his power to continue with the operation. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator is diagnosed with temporary nervous depression and her ways of communication are taken away because of Weir Mitchell’s rest cure. The authors illustrate communication as a way to show the importance of expressing their thoughts and feelings to one another and the consequences …show more content…
Hemingway shows it when it comes to making a big decision. In “Hills Like White Elephants”, Jig struggles to come to a decision to continue with having the operation of an abortion and the American is trying to convince her to have the operation. The two have a conversation, but they do not seem to understand each other. The American claims that if Jig continues with the operation, that they “ will be fine afterwards, just like [they] were before (Pg. 2).”The American almost sounds desperate for her to have the abortion, he will not be fine afterwards, and they will not go back to their old lifestyle. He does not want to give up his old lifestyle of travelling and trying out different types of beers with Jig. The unborn baby is like an obstacle in their life and it is the cause for their unhappiness. Jig wants a change in their lifestyle and she does not believe that they will go back to the way their old lifestyle, whether she continues with the abortion or not. When the American claims he knows people who have had the operation before and implies that things have turned out great for them, Jig sarcastically replies, “so have I … and afterwards they were all so happy. (Pg. 2).” Furthermore, the American will say anything to try and convince her to continue with the operation. For instance, he shifts from assuring her “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig, … It’s not really an operation …show more content…
In “Hills Like White Elephants”, the American is pressuring Jig to have the abortion. He keeps mentioning how awfully simple the operation is, how they will be fine after, and how much he loves her. The American is not considering Jig’s feelings and wants; he is only worrying about maintaining his old lifestyle. She wants to consider a new lifestyle; saying their old life style is to “look at things and try new drinks (Pg.2).” This is pressuring Jig to have the abortion; it does not give Jig much of a chance to express her own thoughts and feelings about the abortion. Also, in “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator is not allowed to have any communication with others. The only way she can express her wants and feelings are through her journal. Unable to express her thoughts to John, he is not able to see how the narrator changes. The narrator does not tell John about the figure behind the wallpaper so he believes she truly is getting