Hills Like White Elephants Symbolism Essay

Hills like white elephants symbolism essay, give a description of the literary device of symbolism used by Ernest Hemingway in his short story “Hills like white elephants.” The short story was published in 1927 and it recounts a couple’s discussion of unwanted pregnancy and the option of having an abortion as their solution.

Ernest Hemingway gives the reader a first-hand account of a deeply personal direct exchange conversation between the two characters. Abortion was a highly controversial topic in the year that the short story was first published.

Ernest Hemingway’s hills like white elephants heavily use symbolism to describe the emotions and thoughts of the couple during their talk.

Ernest Hemingway Short Story Summary

The story begins with a description of the train station that is surrounded by trees, hills, and fields in a valley in Spain. Ernest introduces the two characters, the American man and the girl named Jig. The two are seated at a table outside the station, waiting for a train to Madrid.

Because the weather is hot, the American man orders two beers for himself and the girl. The girl remarks that the nearby hills look like white elephants and the man replies that he has never seen white elephants before.

The American man orders new drinks and proceeds to ask the girl to have an operation to get rid of their unborn child. He argues it will be an awfully simple operation and it will fix their problems. The girl tells him she will only agree with him if he promises to still love her and to live happily after the operation.

The American man assures the girl that he is passionately in love with her and cares for her, but on the other hand, the girl remarks that she does not care what happens to her. The girl stands from the table and walks over to the end of the station to look at the scenery. She wonders if she will really be happy after going through the procedure. They get into an argument with the American and she finally asks him to stop talking since she is tired of the argument.

The bartender brings another drink to the couple and tells them that the train arrives after five minutes. The couple finishes drinking beer, and the American carries their bags on the platform while waiting for the train. He asks the girl if she feels better after their conversation and she acknowledges that there is nothing wrong with her.

The Setting of the Short Story, “Hills like White Elephants”.

When writing an article on hills like white elephants symbolism essay, we must first start by looking at the setting of the entire story. The story takes place at a train station to highlight that the relationship between the girl and the American man is at crossroads. Ernest Hemingway uses the train station as a stopping point between Madrid and Barcelona.

The two main characters must decide where to go and whether they should continue with their relationship after this event. The girl is also seen to be torn between going through with the operation or not. She is seen walking to the end of the platform thinking of the best decision to make while pondering the beauty of the area surrounding the station.

Hills, like white elephants by Ernest, has a symbolic meaning in its setting both in the way the train station looks and the environment of the entire story. There are other symbolic meanings as we are going to elaborate more below to see how Hemingway has used them to give meaning to his story.

Symbolism in Hills like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway

A lot of professional writers have different ways of interpreting the important symbols used in this short story. Hemingway thought it clever to use symbolism in “Hills like White Elephants,” because abortion was such a controversial topic at the time the short story was being published. Here are the various examples of the many symbols used by Ernest Hemingway’s hills like white elephants;

White Elephants

The white elephant in the story is used to symbolize an issue that no one wants to deal with. In the short story, the issue that no one wants to speak about is the unborn baby. The girl’s true intent of the comments she makes at the beginning of the story was to serve as a ruse for her and the American to speak about the issue of the baby.

The girl uses the hills as a metaphor for referring to the unborn child and she tries to convince the American man it would be fine to keep the baby instead of having an abortion.

The Hills

The surrounding area of the railroad station had hills that were long and white. Hemingway uses the hills to show the roundness of a pregnant woman.

He also uses the barren countryside of the hills to symbolize the barrenness of a discarded pregnancy.

Light and Darkness

The American urges Jig”…..to come back in the warm shadow.” Hemingway uses the shade and the light to show that the American and Jig were divided in their decisions to keep the pregnancy. The man asks jig to come to the shade to discourage her from viewing the unplanned pregnancy as a positive thing.

He wants her to remain in the shadow of their current life with no changes to their relationship. It looks like the man is the one who does not want the pregnancy but not Jig. The light and darkness metaphor describes the differences of opinions between the couple.

The Luggage

The literal meaning of the Luggage in the story is to symbolize the weight of the couple’s decision to have an abortion. The man feels that the new life forming in the girl’s womb would come to change every aspect of their relationship.

Hemingway states in the story, “He did not say anything but looked at the bags against the way of the station.” The American man sees the baby as a piece of undesired baggage that is cumbersome.

The Train Station and the Tracks

The train station and the tracks are used to symbolize the crossroads that the couple has found themselves in. Jig wants to keep the baby, but the man does not want to become a father. He is not ready for fatherhood and the railroad station is used to show this.

The timing of the train is also used to symbolize the timing of the decision that they are about to make. The couple is trying to decide on the abortion before the time of termination expires.

Drinking Beer

The couple drinks beer as they wait for the train to arrive. As we all know, beer is bitter and this bitter taste is used to describe the bitterness of the couple brought about by the unplanned pregnancy. Jig goes ahead to compare the beer to the sweet taste of licorice, symbolizing the bittersweet dilemma that they are facing.

The bittersweet decision is also used to show that, although the termination of the pregnancy may preserve their freedom, the future of their relationship is uncertain.

Characters of Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

To write an article on hills like white elephants symbolism essay, we must also look at the various characters that Hemingway uses to tell his story. Below are the two main characters of the short story hills like white elephants;

The American Man

The American man is the male protagonist of the story. He is never named by either Hemingway or the girl, so we do not know his name. The man claims he is not ready for fatherhood and tries to convince the girl to have an abortion.

He remains disconnected from the girl’s wishes by not really understanding or listening to what the girl has to say.

The Girl (Jig)

The female protagonist of the story is called Jig. She goes into an argument with the man since she is unsure of whether she wants the abortion. She is not decided on whether she wants to have the conversation with the man or not.

Talking Verses Conversation Theme in Hills like white Elephants Short Story

This story is a conversation between the American man and his girlfriend. As much as they are conversing, they never really seem to be communicating with each other. This aspect highlights the rift in the relationship between the man and the girl. As they are both talking, they never seem to understand and listen to each other’s point of view.

The man tries to convince his girlfriend to have the abortion so that everything would go back to being normal. Meanwhile, the girl asks the man to shut up, meaning she is not ready to hear what he has to say regarding the unplanned pregnancy. They are both not ready to listen to what the other has to say.

Final Thoughts on Hills like White Elephants Symbolism essay

An article on the Hills like white elephants symbolism essay has a lot of objective points to look at. There is the general summary of the entire story, the symbolic literary device, the various characters of the short story, and the themes used throughout to give the story its meaning.

Hemingway tries to paint a picture of a couple with an uncertain future, with their various conflicts in the decision-making process. The girl, Jig, is unable to fully express her desire to be a mother while the American man is fighting for his freedom of not being a father. Hemingway takes the reader on a journey of this couple who are realizing their future will not be the same if the unplanned pregnancy goes through.

Need Help writing any other essays on Short stories?

For hills like white elephants symbolism essay or other essays you might be interested in, please order at Galaxygrades.com. We have a team of experienced writers ready to help you write your essay whenever you need help. Irrespective of your education level, visit our site and order your assignment, as we have writers from all levels of education on our team.

Our writers deliver quality and plagiarism-free work, as we know how important this assignment is to your education. We also offer free revisions if you need some adjustments to your work. Our services are affordable, meaning whether you need essays, dissertations, coursework, or proofreading and editing services, you can afford them.

Just click Order now for immediate help!