Dialogue and Symbolism: The Two Aspects of Style in Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants.”
In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants,” the style gives overall perspective toward the understanding of the characters and their situation. The American and the girl, the two main characters of the story, are trying to decide between keeping and unborn child or terminating a healthy pregnancy. Although they each have their own thoughts about keeping the child, neither of them are trying to push away the other. The setting and verbal exchanges between them show that there is some disagreement in the relationship. The style of the story has two major aspects: dialogue to develop the characters and symbolism to represent circumstances that happen in the story.
Throughout the story, the narrator uses conversations between characters to develop their traits. The dialogue starts with the girl’s asking, “‘What should we drink?’”(228). This question tells the readers that the American and the girl both consume alcoholic drinks in broad daylight. Their action implies their desire to have fun. As the story progresses, the narrator includes more conversations between the two …show more content…
One symbol is the brevity of train station: the brevity of their stay and luggage they brought to the station. The limited time they have at the train station mirrors limited time they have to figure out a solution to their problem. As it is implied in the story, the girl is pregnant; there is a very short time successfully terminate her pregnancy without major complications. The luggage they brought with them from the hotels represents the baggage they have in the relationship. “[The man] picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other tracks.”(232) The fact that they took all bags with them when the train came suggests that they have not resolved much during their short stay at the train
In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants,” the style gives overall perspective toward the understanding of the characters and their situation. The American and the girl, the two main characters of the story, are trying to decide between keeping and unborn child or terminating a healthy pregnancy. Although they each have their own thoughts about keeping the child, neither of them are trying to push away the other. The setting and verbal exchanges between them show that there is some disagreement in the relationship. The style of the story has two major aspects: dialogue to develop the characters and symbolism to represent circumstances that happen in the story.
Throughout the story, the narrator uses conversations between characters to develop their traits. The dialogue starts with the girl’s asking, “‘What should we drink?’”(228). This question tells the readers that the American and the girl both consume alcoholic drinks in broad daylight. Their action implies their desire to have fun. As the story progresses, the narrator includes more conversations between the two …show more content…
One symbol is the brevity of train station: the brevity of their stay and luggage they brought to the station. The limited time they have at the train station mirrors limited time they have to figure out a solution to their problem. As it is implied in the story, the girl is pregnant; there is a very short time successfully terminate her pregnancy without major complications. The luggage they brought with them from the hotels represents the baggage they have in the relationship. “[The man] picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other tracks.”(232) The fact that they took all bags with them when the train came suggests that they have not resolved much during their short stay at the train