“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway is written in
a minimalistic style
. Except for a few very brief descriptive passages, the text is mostly in the form of dialogue, with very short sentences. It is as if the reader is overhearing a conversation between two people.
What was Hemingway’s writing style?
From almost the beginning of his writing career, Hemingway’s distinctive style occasioned a great deal of comment and controversy. Basically, his style is
simple, direct, and unadorned
, probably as a result of his early newspaper training.
What is the style of the story Hills Like White Elephants?
While the narration might seem cold and detached, emotion is present—it’s just below the surface. The more we explore this story, the more we feel what Jig and the man might be feeling, and the more our own emotions try to come to the surface.
What is the main point of Hills Like White Elephants?
Hemingway sets “Hills Like White Elephants” at a train station to highlight the fact that the relationship between the American man and the girl is at a crossroads. Planted in the middle of a desolate valley, the station isn’t a final destination but merely
a stopping point between Barcelona and Madrid
.
What are the symbols in Hills Like White Elephants?
- Barren/Fertile Land. As the story opens, we are introduced first and foremost to the setting’s barren landscape, which is described as “brown and dry,” with “no shade” and “no trees.” Yet while the story feels as though… …
- Light. …
- Alcohol. …
- The Train Station.
What is unique about Hemingway’s writing?
One iconic element of Ernest Hemingway’s writing style was the simple words he used in his writing.
He wrote lived instead of existed
, looked versus gazed, clear rather than translucent and white in place of ivory. Hemingway didn’t overcomplicate his craft.
What are the 5 types of writing?
Learn about the major writing styles:
narrative, descriptive, persuasive, expository, and creative
, and read examples of each.
The style in writing can be defined as the way a writer writes. It is
the technique that an individual author uses in his writing
. It varies from author to author, and depends upon one’s syntax, word choice, and tone. It can also be described as a “voice” that readers listen to when they read the work of a writer.
What is the symbolic meaning of white elephant?
A white elephant is an idiom
for a valuable possession of which its owner cannot dispose
and whose cost (particularly cost of upkeep) is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth. So, the white elephant is the unborn baby that the couple is discussing.
What is the point of hills?
Since theyre higher than everything around them, hills are good places to get a nice view. Hills are easier to climb than mountains. They are less steep and not as high. But, like a mountain, a hill will usually have an obvious
summit
, which is its highest point.
What does the railroad tracks symbolize in Hills Like White Elephants?
The entire story takes place at a train station—a physical and metaphorical crossroads of railroad tracks in the couple’s journey. Each track symbolizes
a possible life path
. They are waiting for a train that would take them to Madrid.
What does the alcohol symbolize in Hills Like White Elephants?
When reading Hills Like White Elephants, it is obvious that drinking alcohol is a large part of their relationship. … The symbolic part of the alcohol is that
it is the only functioning part of their relationship
. It gives the couple a short-term relief from their real life problems and realities.
What is the meaning of white elephant in Hills Like White Elephants?
A white elephant symbolizes
something no one wants
—in this story, the girl’s unborn child. Comparing the hills—and, metaphorically, the baby—to elephants also recalls the expression “the elephant in the room,” a euphemism for something painfully obvious that no one wants to discuss. …
What was Hemingway’s personality?
But Hemingway’s mercurial temperament, exacerbated by the
prodigious drinking and often-pugilistic personality
that would become his trademarks, led to conflicts with Richardson and his circle of friends, who struggled to cope when his mood turned towards jealousy, mistrust and extreme competitiveness.
What is the best writing style?
There are certain elements that every good writing style should have, like
simple words, short sentences
, and direct language that engages readers. While you want to preserve your unique tone, there are ways to improve your style by being more deliberate in how you arrange your words and craft your story.
What is the iceberg theory Hemingway?
Every fiction writer I know is familiar with Ernest Hemingway’s “Iceberg Theory,” explained most succinctly in Death in the Afternoon, his nonfiction book on bullfighting: “If a writer of
prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly
…
