Critical Essay #1
The Hills Like White Elephants This allegory tale of the nineteenth century, was written in the third person (objective)by Ernest Hemingway in 1927. It is a story about a subject that most stayed away from and was taboo during this era; as well shows the things that unwed women struggled with when confronted with the rights of their bodies, specially when an unwanted pregnancy transpired. We find ourselves in a train station in Barcelona waiting for a train to Madrid surrounded by fields, trees, and mountains in the heat of summer. He does not leave much to the imagination other than” The Hills across the valley of the Ebro; which is a river in northeastern Spain, were long white. On this side, there was no trees and …show more content…
(Hemmingway pg414) He keeps stating his love for her and that he will be there for her through all of this, but instead of just doing it; its “if she wants. (Hemmingway pg.414) He even has second thoughts during their conversation and tries to reason with her. “You’ve got to realize, that I don’t want you to do it if you don’t want to. I’m perfectly willing to go through with it if it means anything to you.” (Hemingway pg.415) It is obvious all his promises to her in the end were false because he ended up not going with her but took her bags to the tracks and walked back through the …show more content…
But after she recants it in their discussion you realize what it is when she refers to it as the way to refer to “that”. So, it is the symbol of the abortion which Hemingway has disguised in poetic fashion for the day in which this is written. “I know, so if I do it. Then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and you’ll like it?” (Hemingway pg.414) one one would say that the theme is talking versus conversation. The two characters do a lot of talking to fill their spare time waiting for the train about the “white elephants” yet it is truly just a conversation; because the decision has already been made before they even entered the train station. Neither one is truly listening to what the other one is saying either; which ends in the girl’s frustration with the American and asking him to, “please, please, please, please, please, please, stop talking.” (Hemingway pg.415) after she understands that the conversation is getting nowhere. Altogether Hemingway did a good job of writing about a subject that was difficult to write about even today. The questions that both parties must struggle with as they are faced with the decision to end an unwanted pregnancy and the effects it has on their future
The Hills Like White Elephants This allegory tale of the nineteenth century, was written in the third person (objective)by Ernest Hemingway in 1927. It is a story about a subject that most stayed away from and was taboo during this era; as well shows the things that unwed women struggled with when confronted with the rights of their bodies, specially when an unwanted pregnancy transpired. We find ourselves in a train station in Barcelona waiting for a train to Madrid surrounded by fields, trees, and mountains in the heat of summer. He does not leave much to the imagination other than” The Hills across the valley of the Ebro; which is a river in northeastern Spain, were long white. On this side, there was no trees and …show more content…
(Hemmingway pg414) He keeps stating his love for her and that he will be there for her through all of this, but instead of just doing it; its “if she wants. (Hemmingway pg.414) He even has second thoughts during their conversation and tries to reason with her. “You’ve got to realize, that I don’t want you to do it if you don’t want to. I’m perfectly willing to go through with it if it means anything to you.” (Hemingway pg.415) It is obvious all his promises to her in the end were false because he ended up not going with her but took her bags to the tracks and walked back through the …show more content…
But after she recants it in their discussion you realize what it is when she refers to it as the way to refer to “that”. So, it is the symbol of the abortion which Hemingway has disguised in poetic fashion for the day in which this is written. “I know, so if I do it. Then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and you’ll like it?” (Hemingway pg.414) one one would say that the theme is talking versus conversation. The two characters do a lot of talking to fill their spare time waiting for the train about the “white elephants” yet it is truly just a conversation; because the decision has already been made before they even entered the train station. Neither one is truly listening to what the other one is saying either; which ends in the girl’s frustration with the American and asking him to, “please, please, please, please, please, please, stop talking.” (Hemingway pg.415) after she understands that the conversation is getting nowhere. Altogether Hemingway did a good job of writing about a subject that was difficult to write about even today. The questions that both parties must struggle with as they are faced with the decision to end an unwanted pregnancy and the effects it has on their future