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 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 is the thesis of Hills Like White Elephants?
Thesis: In “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway uses Jig's refusal to communicate as a way of highlighting the American's powerlessness . Thesis: In “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway suggests that Jig's ambiguous communication with the American is actually an effective power play.
What does Hills Like White Elephants symbolize?
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 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 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.
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 does jig mean in Hills Like White Elephants?
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 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 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 ...
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 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 spiritual significance of an elephant?
Elephants are revered as a symbol of good luck, prosperity, destroyer of evil , remover of obstacles, as well as strength, power, wisdom, memory, and vitality.
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.
What does it mean when jig says Hills no longer like white elephant?
So, after she says the hills no longer look like white elephants it means they got past this big problem in their relationship that was causing them so many issues and they can finally get back to how they were before .
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.
