Hills like White Elephants – Ernest Hemmingway
Hills like White Elephants – Ernest Hemmingway
Ernest Hemingway is an American novelist and a short story writer. He was born in Oak Park Illinois. He started his career as a newspaper writer at the age of seventeen. Hemingway used his experiences as a reporter during the civil war in Spain as the background for his most ambitious novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940). Among his later works, the most outstanding is the short novel, The Old Man and the Sea (1952), the story of an old fisherman's journey, his long and lonely struggle with a fish and the sea, and his victory in defeat. His short story Hills like White Elephants focuses on the problem of abortion. Hemmingway published this story in 1927 and as it was the time where the subject of abortion became more argumentative he avoids the use of word ‘abortion’ in the story.
The short story Hills like White Elephants takes place at a railway station in Zaragoza, a major city in North Eastern Spain on Ebro River. As we all know a station is a crossroad a junction where the passengers have to decide where to go. It is the place that the passengers decide their destination. Then we are informed a man and a woman sitting at a pub at the station. They are on their way to Madrid. The woman’s name is revealed as Jig and the man is identified as an American throughout their conversation. The story goes on with their conversation. The writer uses the technique of using dialogues to portray the serious conversation in between the American and Jig. As the readers we have to play the role of eavesdropper to understand their conversation. From the beginning we see Jig and the American take drinks/ alcohol throughout their conversation. Most probably it can be to avoid each other and their problems with their relationship. While having drinks they start talking about Jig’s pregnancy which is not revealed directly. The intention of both is revealed through symbols. As it says she wants the child and needs to settle down with the American. It is shown through the white hills. Furthermore the white hills and barren valley highlights the dichotomy between life and death, fertility and sterility. It reflects on girl’s intention to have the child. In contrast the man ignores the surrounding and it reflects on his intention which is to abort the child and get rid from the burden. Throughout the story they go back and forth the question. Moreover the river Ebro too supports the idea of life. Jig is looking to the nature as a guide in her time of crisis while American ignores her. At the same time we see that man encourages Jig to undergo an operation. And it makes Jig feels helpless, confused, indecisive and hesitant. Her reluctance can be seen through the action of looking at the ground, the table legs. Though the man becomes more persuasive and credible about the operation the girl becomes more doubtful. She wonders how they can be happy after the operation and she is doubtful about the future of their relationship. Jig is invested more on the relationship at the same time the American is more about sex. . That can be seen through his action of looking at the bags with labels which symbolizes his vivacious lively spirit and he would continue his youthful desires. The conversation reaches into a climax when Jig demands the American to leave her alone. The story ends with an open ending. It is up to the reader to decide and interpret the end. The girl might choose the baby over the abortion or they might put off the conversation to another day. Yet it seems that both evades from responsibilities. The American wants to evade the fatherhood responsibilities and continue his care free fashion. Jig on the other hand to have the child and settle down with the man, yet she is unable to take a decision. Furthermore throughout the story we are informed the difference between man and woman. Helplessness of the woman makes her unable to react at the problem directly. And at the same time man tries to manipulate the woman in order to perpetuate his selfish lifestyle. Furthermore her inability to speak in Spanish too shows her dependence on the American as it makes her unable to express to the others. As it says a short story is a slice of life the story Hills like white elephants reflects on different aspects of human life.