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Hills Like White Elephants: An Analysis
Term Paper ID:31283
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Essay Subject:
An analysis of Hemingway s short story that focuses on the distance between the ...... More...
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4 Pages / 900 Words
5 sources, 8 Citations,
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Paper Abstract:
An analysis of Hemingway’s short story that focuses on the distance between the American and woman who discuss whether or not to have an abortion.
Paper Introduction:
Hills Like White ElephantsIntroduction In Hills Like White Elephants Hemingway p provides us with asimple story with two characters a nameless American man and a pregnantwoman discussing an awfully simple operation over beers and Anis del Toroat a train station somewhere between Barcelona and Madrid The Americanwants the woman to have an abortion but she does not wish to do so Hemingway\'s machismo and masculine tendency to see weakness as feminine isa significant part of the story Like the title the relationship
Text of the Paper:
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His characterization of the male is aninsensitive, boorish, and self-interested individual incapable ofunderstanding the more tender emotions the operation makes surface in thewoman. From the way the couple drinks, it might have been that the womanbecame pregnant after an evening of one too many. 72-83.Hemingway, Ernest. 1 7) argues, the story "...features an oafish,manipulative, and indifferent man oblivious to his frustrated, sometimesdesperate mates." We truly never know for certain what decision has been reached bythe woman. In this story, the woman is portrayedsympathetically by Hemingway. The operation has made them both awarethat their relationship is over, whether the abortion occurs or not. 172) provides us with asimple story with two characters, a nameless American man and a pregnantwoman discussing an "awfully simple operation" over beers and Anis del Toroat a train station somewhere between Barcelona and Madrid. 172). Wehave some evidence for this in the story in the way the man reacts to thewoman when she reminds him of one night drunk on Absinthe: "Yes, the girl said. Like a "white elephant," if the abortionoccurs, their relationship is useless. A woman has feelings for things like "love" but a manremains distanced emotionally. 66-74.Wyche, David. However, after a series of negotiations which take place intheir dialogue, we see at the train station that the relations is now dead,regardless of the decision to have the operation or not. As Wyche (p. The man urges the woman to have theabortion, assuring her she will still retain his affection. A few outcomes might result from the choice to have or not have anabortion. Indoing so, he provides us with a male character that is different than mostof his male characters. As Hashmi (p. 62) explains, "Herknowledge is the culmination of what Hannum calls a 'continuing evolution,'which has led to 'her realization that there is something wrong with hercompanion.'" Conclusion Hills Like White Elephants, then, is not a typical Hemingway storyin that it reflects the male as a mirror image of the author. The man seemsuneasy by the time the train approaches. In this manner, Hemingway isportraying the distance between them and the difference over the operationas male and female. "There Was A Woman Having A Kid: From Her Point Of View: An Unpublished Draft Of 'In Our Time's' Chapter II." Hemingway Review, 22(1), Fall 2 2, pp. She questionsif that is what will happen if she has the abortion, "But if I do it, thenit will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and you'lllike it?" (Hemingway, p. "Staking Everything On It: A Stylistic Analysis Of Linguistic Patterns In 'Hills Like White Elephants.'" Hemingway Review, 23(2), Spring 2 4, pp. Their relationship consists of drinkingalcohol and seeing things. As Link (p.68) maintains, the repetition and variation of the line "'I don't want youto do it if you don't really want to,'" shows the man's persistence andpower." He views the operation as simple and practical. Like the title, the relationship betweenthe man and the woman has become a "white elephant," for this is no waythis relationship can be successfully resolved if she has the abortion.Body The breakup of the relationship between the woman and her lover isshown literally and symbolically. As Milton Cohen (p. If the woman has the abortion, she is worried he will abandonher anyway. Harddrinking, macho, risk-taking, aggressive, and sexually thwarted more oftenthan not, the Hemingway code and hero are not incorporated into theAmerican. It's the only thing that's made us unhappy" (Hemingway, p. We see that Hemingway's code and personal lifestyle are illustratedin the distance between the man and woman in the story. 1 7-11 .Hashmi, Nilofer. "Letting The Air Into A Relationship: Metaphorical Abortion In 'Hills Like White Elephants.'" Hemingway Review, 22(1), pp. She views it as ameans to reestablish their love. Perhaps this was the author's way of saying thatneither gender is ever capable of completely seeing or experiencing theemotions and feelings of the other.ReferencesCohen, Milton. Assuch, we see in this story Hemingway is making some effort to appreciatethe female point-of-view and to discern their feelings and emotions. Especially allthe things you've waited so long for, like absinthe." "Cut it out." "You started it," the girl said, (Hemingway, p. At the end, the woman gives alittle smile as if she has some secret. It may be hisnotion to imply that individuals rarely have the courage to speak aboutdeep emotional issues directly and honestly without being intoxicated. 173-175.Link, Alex. 58-73. The secret may be her feeling ofvictory because she knows what she wants now and whatever she chooses aboutthe baby, she does not want the American. The man does not consider any maternalfeelings or feelings of love with respect to the operation. 72) writes, "This is not somuch a question of her having the courage to leave him, after the abortion,as it is a clear case of her being unable to tolerate him-of her havingleft him in her wake." As such, the decision to have the abortion is thedeath knell of their relations and love for one another. Arp, Eds. The Americanwants the woman to have an abortion, but she does not wish to do so.Hemingway's machismo and masculine tendency to see weakness as feminine isa significant part of the story. "'Hills Like White Elephants': The Jilting Of Jig." Hemingway Review, 23(1), pp. "Hills Like White Elephants." In Laurence Perrine and Thomas R. She is privy toinsights and emotions the man does not know. "Everything tastes of licorice. The typical Hemingway hero and code are not genuinely reflected inthis story, however, because the Hemingway code did not include asympathetic portrayal of women. 173). He stops off to have one moredrink before he has to face the woman. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1993, pp. 172). Nevertheless, the hard drinking, the European location, theunresolved and less than happy ending and other facets of the story bothmirror typical Hemingway story elements and the author's lifestyle. It'sa wall that makes them aware of this, "It's the only thing that bothers us. If she does not have the abortion, she may never be able torespect him or love him again. In the story we see thatHemingway, a notorious drinker, has his characters speak directly andhonestly to each other after a few rounds of liquid courage. Story and Structure, (8th Edit.). Hills Like White ElephantsIntroduction In Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway (p.
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