Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” is a brief and simple story that says a lot in a minimal amount of words. It is brilliantly written and embraces the journalistic style of writing that Hemingway is best known for. The sparse writing style that is evident in this story captures the true essence of a Hemingway novel. Additionally, it captures the autobiographical elements that Hemingway is so well known for including into many of his stories. His lifelong difficulty in building meaningful relationships with the women he loved is woven into this piece of art. This short story is considered one of Hemingway’s masterpieces.
The plot of the story revolves around an American man and a woman, affectionately called Jig, struggling with the decision to get an abortion. The word abortion is never spoken in the story yet the dialogue between the couple alludes to it. The tension between the two characters is palpable. The man is adamant that he wants no one else in his life except the woman. Jig on the other hand must reconcile her mixed emotions and this causes the conflict that drives the wedge between the two lovers. This potent moral struggle is the beginning of the end for the couple.
Hemingway’s exquisite use of metaphors throughout the story adds another layer of intrigue to the life of the man and woman. The hidden messages allow the reader a glimpse into the more personal side of the couple’s relationship with each other. The unspoken truth weighs Jig down. The beautiful relationship is now a cancer that is eating away at the love the couple share. The reference made at the beginning of the story about the hills looking like white elephants is one of the most prominent metaphors in the story. The elephant represents the one thing the couple does not want to talk about or acknowledge, the unborn baby. The baby is the obvious white elephant in the room that no one is willing to mention aloud. It is almost as if the couple believes that if they do not mention the baby out loud it will not be real. Another metaphor is the curtain made of beads. When Jig takes hold of two of the strands of beads it appears she is praying with a rosary. Due to the limited dialogue present in the story each new gesture and reference takes on a meaning deeper than what it is on the surface. Hemingway did a brilliant job of incorporating hidden messages in the lines of this magnificent work of art.
The setting of this short story also adds to the dilemma the couple is trying to come to terms with. To begin with, the story takes place in Spain which is a predominantly Catholic country. The Catholic church absolutely does not tolerate abortion. The few brief sentences dedicated to describing the scenery make a huge impact in the development of the story. As Jig scans the horizon she sees the brown and dry land where there are no trees or shade. Everything is dead which reminds her of the impending death of the child she is carrying. Each detail of the couple’s surroundings is a small glimpse into the conflict they are struggling to overcome.
The subtle and dramatic dialogue that takes place between the American man and Jig is one that reveals how much of a gulf there is between the two of them. The man is selfish and wants his life to remain unchanged. Jig is torn between the possibilities of what a baby will do to her current life and romance with the man. The casual conversation between the man and woman reveals so much about them and the issue they are trying to resolve. Hemingway provided the reader with the bare essentials that would allow them to develop their own interpretation of how the situation between the characters and the story ends.
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