In “Hills Like White Elephants,” the woman's tone of communication is chatty and whimsical , whereas the man's is brief and sharp, until later in the story, when he turns to the power of persuasion in the hope of convincing Jig to terminate her pregnancy.
What is the main theme of Hills Like White Elephants?
Men, Women, and Relationships. At the heart of “Hills Like White Elephants” is Hemingway's examination of the man and girl's deeply flawed relationship, a relationship that champions “freedom” at the cost of honesty, respect, and commitment .
What do Hills Like White Elephants mean?
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. ...
Why is Hills Like White Elephants important?
The setting is important in “Hills Like White Elephants” because it tells us so much about the relationship between Jig and the American . The immediate setting of the train station in Spain means that the couple don't “belong” to this place, just as they don't “belong” together.
What do hills symbolize?
Hills carry their own significance least of which is the concept of higher and lower levels of land – the latter can contain swamps, people, darkness, fields, heat, unpleasantness, life whilst the former can suggest isolation, life, death, thin air, purity, clear views to name a few.
What is the symbolic meaning of white elephant?
The white elephant—which was more often than not stricken with albinism, and thus more a ruddy-pink color—was, and remains to this day, a symbol of success . To possess a white elephant connoted political power, wealth and prosperity, great wisdom, and the love of one's people.
What is the time period of Hills Like White Elephants?
In the early 1920s , an American man and a girl, probably nineteen or twenty years old, are waiting at a Spanish railway station for the express train that will take them to Madrid.
What literary devices are used in Hills Like White Elephants?
In “Hills Like White Elephants”, Ernest Hemingway is using personification and metaphors to paint us a picture of a troubled relationship between a couple who are trying to find a solution to a problem that can't seem to agree on a solution.
Is the title Hills Like White Elephants symbolism or a simile?
The expression itself, “hills like white elephants,” is actually a simile, not a metaphor, since it uses “like.” White elephants are used to refer to something unwanted or undesired . In this context, they are also symbolic in the story of her undesired pregnancy.
What does a white elephant mean spiritually?
White elephants are believed to be a symbol of purity, divinity and a calm mind , while grey elephants symbolize an untrained and agitated mind, which tends to wander off from the path toward enlightenment.
What is the meaning of white elephant in dream?
Seeing a white elephant is also thought to be very lucky. ... Psychologically speaking, seeing an elephant in your dream means that you have patience, long memory, strength and fidelity . In the more esoteric sense it signifies radiant and glowing wisdom. It is also the symbol of the earthly aspect of the self.
Are White Elephants good luck?
They represent strength, protection, wisdom and good luck. Elephant symbols invite positive energies into your home and life. ... White elephants are considered very auspicious . It is said that the Buddha's mother dreamt of a white elephant, before she gave birth to him.
What are the white elephants in hills?
A white elephant symbolizes something no one wants —in this story, the girl's unborn child.
What is happening between the two main characters in Hills Like White Elephants?
The relationship between the two characters in “Hills Like White Elephants” is a romantic and sexual one . An unnamed American man and a woman he calls Jig are involved, and she has become pregnant. The point of contention between them is that the man wants Jig to have an abortion, and Jig seems hesitant.
What is the irony in Hills Like White Elephants?
The irony of the title, then, is that the man “buys” a white elephant believing that the action under consideration can return him and his girlfriend to their former relationship, but the girl, like the reader, knows they will never be the same , for she turns from the vision of life, fields of grain and trees, and ...
