Hills like white elephants story text. Narrative Elements in the Short Story "Hills Like White Elephants" by Hemingway Free Essay Example 2022-10-28

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Hills Like White Elephants is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway, first published in 1927. It tells the story of a couple, referred to only as "the man" and "the girl," who are having a conversation while waiting for a train at a station in Spain. The story is notable for its use of dialogue and its sparse, minimalist style, as well as its themes of relationships, communication, and abortion.

The story opens with a description of the setting, a train station in a valley in Spain surrounded by hills that look like white elephants. The girl, who is pregnant, comments on the hills and the man replies with a casual remark about how they look like white elephants. This conversation sets the tone for the rest of the story, as the man and the girl continue to talk about the hills and other seemingly inconsequential topics, but underneath their words lies a deeper, more significant conversation about their relationship and the girl's pregnancy.

As the story progresses, it becomes clear that the man and the girl are discussing the possibility of getting an abortion. The man is in favor of the abortion, while the girl is hesitant and uncertain. The man tries to persuade the girl to have the abortion, using arguments such as the fact that it is a simple procedure and that it will allow them to continue with their carefree lifestyle. The girl, however, is more concerned with the potential consequences and the impact that the abortion will have on their relationship.

Throughout the story, the man and the girl's dialogue reveals their different perspectives and the underlying tension in their relationship. The man is more focused on the practicalities of the situation and is eager to move on, while the girl is more emotionally invested and concerned about the moral and emotional implications of the abortion.

In the end, it is left up to the reader to decide what the girl ultimately decides to do, as the story ends with the man ordering drinks and the girl saying that everything tastes like licorice. This ambiguous ending reflects the uncertainty and complexity of the couple's situation and their inability to come to a resolution.

Hills Like White Elephants is a powerful story that explores the complexities of relationships and communication, as well as the difficult decisions that people sometimes have to make. It is a poignant reminder of the importance of understanding and listening to each other, and the need to consider the consequences of our actions.

Narrative Elements in the Short Story "Hills Like White Elephants" by Hemingway Free Essay Example

hills like white elephants story text

The girl smiles at the waitress, as though everything is fine. There were labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights. In the short story Hemingway also uses the setting to help the reader understand what the man and woman are feeling and thinking as they await their train. Sheldon Grebstein argues that the conflict is dynamically unresolved at the end, still a smoldering issue that threatens to tear them apart. He could barely see her face, but from her tone he knew her eyes were narrowed, as if trying to focus on a distant object.

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Hills Like White Elephants

hills like white elephants story text

They appreciated that Hemingway did not indicate whether or not the two characters were married. The narrative's point of view, surroundings, and plot all contributed to the conclusion that the work is about abortion. In practice, this means that the true meaning of a story should never be stated directly. This understanding is best demonstrated when she looks across the river and sees fields of lush grain and the river — the land's fertility in contrast to the white-elephant sterility of the surrounding hills. The state of their relationship is not good, Jig think bringing a new life into the world is a long-time commitment and it is something she can treasure forever and can make them as a couple happy in future. It looked barely a year old.

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“Hills Like White Elephants” Essay

hills like white elephants story text

His comments reflect a desire for a carefree existence, adventure, a relationship free of obligations. This short story depicts a couple of an American man and young women at a train station somewhere in Spain. The girl attempts to seem courageous and casual, but she is terrified about committing to having the procedure. It was a habit of hers. The author seems to be a minimalist where he does not provide explanation about the very issue why the couple is unhappy and annoyed with each other. You can do little things—putting cream on the corners of your mouth, also the heels of your feet.

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đŸ˜± Hemingway hills like white elephants full text. Annotated Text of Hills like White Elephants. 2022

hills like white elephants story text

The love bond between the man and Jig is strong; however, the more powerful bond between Jig and her unborn child is sacred. Its big blue eyes were open and looking straight up at me as if I were the most delightful thing it had ever seen. I was at this point eight months in the place and about convinced that it would be the death of me. I myself encountered it at least four times by the time I got to grad school—where I proceeded to teach it to my own Introduction to Creative Writing class. She had taken off her hat and put it on the table.

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Analysis of Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants"

hills like white elephants story text

The main character Jig and The American are in disagreements on weather to keep their baby, or have an abortion. The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. Published in 1927 both independently and as part of Hemingway's anthology, Men Without Women, 'Hills Like White Elephants' opens on a traveling couple taking a stop at a railroad junction between Barcelona and Madrid. Although we are unclear about the issue of the debate abortion , the language conveys all of our conclusions about the people. Set in a train station in Spain, the story explores the couple's dynamic as they discuss a topic that is left ambiguous throughout the text: whether or not the girl should get an abortion. Although it is never actually said we learn that the couple is talking about whether to have an abortion.


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Compare And Contrast Hills Like White Elephant And The...

hills like white elephants story text

The tone of this story is therefore indicative of the plot. In the 1990s, readers were accustomed to reading between the lines of fictional narratives and disliked being told everything about the characters in minute detail. According to the story white elephants represents a belly of a pregnant women. While the terms that describe him suggest more maturity, his behavior-and his clear desire to continue traveling unencumbered by family -ironically suggest his own immaturity in this situation. With the many descriptions and symbolism throughout the story, the final decision seems as if Jig is keeping the baby. Having given me investment advice, he now watches the world outside the Honda a little too jubilantly.

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Annotated Text of Hills like White Elephants

hills like white elephants story text

On the other hand, we need to learn how to respond to Hemingway's characters. A fact about the world. Each side of the valley represents either life or death. The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. The story's significant protagonists are Jig, the pregnant lady, and her husband or partner. Behind the bar: the Guinness tap, the Smithwicks tap, the lager taps, the line of optics, the neatly stacked rows of glasses, and a high stool that sat by a wee slit of window that had a view across the water toward Mweelrea.

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Ernest Hemingway

hills like white elephants story text

A slip of smoke hovered between her lips. To the man the pregnancy is something they can leave behind them, like a piece of extra baggage in their many travels. Jig looks at the Spanish hills and comments that they look like white elephants, the first occurrence of the phrase in the story. We should probably begin at the beginning, he said. They were all waiting reasonably for the train. The theme of a short story is revealed through the other important elements including plot, point of view, tone, setting, characters, and symbolism. The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white.

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10 Short Stories with Great Dialogue That Aren’t “Hills Like White Elephants” â€č Literary Hub

hills like white elephants story text

Across, on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro. The statue was painted in bright colors, and its nose was chipped, showing the white, chalky plaster under the paint. New York: Cambridge University Press. The subtlety of the story has generated a good deal of critical attention. Its main characters are on a train trip. It was the child speaking. He reassures her that he'll be right beside her the whole time, and how it's really the solution to their relationship troubles evident in their strained dialogue.

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Hills Like White Elephants by Hemingway, Essay Example

hills like white elephants story text

Just in case you want to mix it up a little this year. It rained two hundred and eighty-seven days of the year, and the locals were given to magnificent mood swings. The conflict arises, after Jig states that the hills are like white elephants 591. The last time I saw my aunt she asked after four girls I went to elementary school with in Tucson. Jig clearly wants to settle down and is considering having the baby, while the American seems to like the nomadic way of life and would like it to continue in that way.

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