Hills Like White Elephants Essay

The short story also features “the male’s rejection of emotional language and his goal-oriented vocabulary and the woman’s imprecise, emotional, relational language” (O'Brien). These assesments of the language and their relation to the gender of the character, although stereotypical, are in some aspects true and leading factors in why communication is so difficult between men and women. The bickering does not emerge progressively in the dialogue, instead the back and forth disagreement starts almost as soon as the conversation does. When analyzing the short, open ended dialogue between the two, the words “I think you should do it” (Hemingway) are spoken. This is one of many times in which “I” is used in this argument. It is not what is best for “us” or what “we” should do. Often occuring in the dialogue is the pronoun “I.” People in general, including Jig and the American, tend to think in the interest of themselves when presented with a difficult decision. It is not what is best for everyone involved, it simply comes down to the personal benefit gained. The topic of conversation is left to be determined by the reader, allowing an analysis of the actual dialogue instead of focusing on the problem that the couple is facing. The dialogue and words spoken are attached with a selfish and inconsiderate tone. They each seem to have no interest or tolerance for each others’ opinions. The male in the story seems narrow-minded and as