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 metaphor in Hills Like White Elephants?
White elephants are symbols of anything of great value that is not wanted. The hills may be “like” white elephants, but the white elephants are metaphors for the unwanted baby which the man is pressuring the girl to abort . It is obvious throughout the story that the girl wants the baby and the man doesn't.
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.
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 is the writing style of Hills Like White Elephants?
“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.
Why does jig smile at the end of Hills Like White Elephants?
She wants to please him and keep him, even at the cost of an abortion. Possibly this would not be enough. Her last words and her smile indicate that she submits to his will . They contain an apology for her outburst a few minutes ago, presented almost as a child's temper tantrum.
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 figure of speech is Hills Like White Elephants?
The Use Of Metaphor In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which an object or phrase is about something of a greater meaning.
Is white elephant a metaphor?
A white elephant is a possession which its owner cannot dispose of and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. In modern usage, it is a metaphor used to describe an object, construction project, scheme, business venture, facility , etc.
How is foreshadowing used in Hills Like White Elephants?
In “Hills Like White Elephants” how does Hemingway use foreshadowing when the girl gazes out at the fertile landscape of grain fields and the tree-lined banks of the Ebro River? ... As it darkens the view of the fertile field below, it predicts the death of the girl's fetus if she gives in to the American's wishes .
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 does absinthe symbolize?
Absinthe, an alcoholic drink introduced to France in the 1840s, developed a decadent though violent reputation. To some the drink symbolized creativity and liberation, and to others, madness and despair .
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 is the iceberg principle of writing?
The iceberg theory or theory of omission is a writing technique coined by American writer Ernest Hemingway. ... Hemingway believed the deeper meaning of a story should not be evident on the surface, but should shine through implicitly.
What is the iceberg principle in Hills Like White Elephants?
1. The iceberg-theory in “Hills Like White Elephants”: Hills Like White Elephants puts the reader directly into the story as it begins with a description of a landscape and a railway station without telling where exactly the described scenery takes place . ... This whole scenery is described from the girls perspective.
What is Ernest Hemingway's style?
Hemingway's writing style in The Old Man and the Sea and beyond, is concise, straightforward, and realistic , a departure from other writers of his time. Many have referred to this style as the iceberg theory, a simple style of writing that reveals minimal detail on the surface, with deeper meaning hiding below.
