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 year was Hills Like White Elephants written?
Hills like White Elephants, short story by Ernest Hemingway, published in
1927
in the periodical transition and later that year in the collection Men Without Women.
What is the temporal setting 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.
Where did Hills Like White Elephants take place?
“Hills Like White Elephants” opens with a long description of the story's setting in a train station surrounded by hills, fields, and
trees in a valley in Spain
.
Does she get an abortion in Hills Like White Elephants?
This essay examines different scholarly interpretations of the ending of Hemingway's short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” and suggests a different outcome from those so far considered–the girl will indeed have the abortion, expecting in this way to stay on with the man, but
after the operation has been performed,
…
What is the main point of 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 moral of Hills Like White Elephants?
Honesty
is a key moral all try to abide by, but lying to someone is one of the easiest morals to break because one is only telling someone what they want to hear. Which is why the man is using dishonesty in the form of lying as a tactic to convince Jig to do what he wants her to with her unborn child.
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 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 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 white elephant 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. …
What is the ending of Hills Like White Elephants?
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
. Around 1980, new readings of the story's ending story began to appear.
What does the hills symbolize in Hills Like White Elephants?
Hills which are like white elephants represent
a belly of a pregnant woman
. It describes the state of the couple's relationship if their unplanned pregnancy results in death. Things can't go back to the way they were, their lives will always be impacted by the decision to carry out the abortion.
Why is the title Hills Like White Elephants?
White elephants are a rare kind of elephant, which are not Albinos, that are held sacred in some countries, like India, and in some religions, like Hinduism and Buddhism. Thus the “hills like white elephants”
represent a natural monument (hills) that is sacred and powerfully good.
Who wins the argument in Hills Like White Elephants?
In “Hills Like White Elephants,”
no one wins the argument
. In part, this is because the two characters are no in strict opposition to each…
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.
