Everything in the story indicates that
the man definitely wants the girl to have an abortion
. Even when the man maintains that he wants the girl to have an abortion only if she wants to have one, we question his sincerity and his honesty. When he says, “If you don't want to you don't have to.
What is the conflict in Hills Like White Elephants?
Throughout “Hills Like White Elephants,” the dominant conflict that remains is
man vs. self
. The decision to have this be the conflict provides insight on the girl as a character and the relationship that she has with the man, as well as aiding in the resolution of the short story.
What is the story Hills Like White Elephants about?
Ernest Hemingway's “Hills Like White Elephants” tells the
story of a man and woman drinking beer and anise liqueur while they wait at a train station in Spain
. The man is attempting to convince the woman to get an abortion, but the woman is ambivalent about it.
What is the relationship between the man and the girl 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 message in Hills Like White Elephants?
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 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 jig a nickname for?
Expert Answers
The jig is
a dance in Ireland
. Giving the girl the nickname of Jig may suggest that she is from Ireland and that she is, or has been, a lively, spirited girl, since the jig is an extremely lively dance.
What do the white elephants symbolize 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. …
Where does the conflict start in Hills Like White Elephants?
The story begins with
a man known as the “American” and his girlfriend sitting at a table outside of a train station
. The station is surrounded by hills, trees, and fields in Spain. The couple is waiting for the next train to Madrid.
What literary devices are used in Hills Like White Elephants?
Hemingway's work Hills Like White Elephants communicates several political viewpoints―such as abortion and nationalistic inferiority―and conveys conflict through the use of
imagery, symbolism, point-of-view, and setting
. In the beginning of the short passage, Hemingway presents multiple images to set the mood.
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 is the ending of Hills Like White Elephants?
Abstract. The ending of Hemingway's 1927 story, “Hills Like White Elephants” was interpreted for decades in one way:
the female protagonist surrenders to her partner's wishes that she undergo abortion.
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 …
How does the girl feel in Hills Like White Elephants?
Throughout the story, the girl appears helpless, confused, and indecisive. …
She changes her mind about the attractiveness of the surrounding hills
, for example; claims to selflessly care only for the American; and seems uncertain about whether she wants to have the operation.
Who is the American in Hills Like White Elephants?
Throughout the story, the American behaves according to Hemingway's rigid conception of masculinity.
Hemingway
portrays the American as a rugged man's man—knowledgeable, worldly, and always in control of himself and the situation at hand.
Who is the main character in Hills Like White Elephants?
Jig
. Since Jig has a (nick)name and comes up with the title simile, we'll call her the main character.
