Ernest Hemingway possessed a very unique writing style that is often compared to an iceberg. The Iceberg theory refers to how Hemingway only included the most crucial pieces of information in his writing, the rest was hidden away below the surface. Two of Hemingway’s pieces that display his writing style include “A Canary for One” and “Hills Like White Elephants”. “A Canary for One”, a short story written by Hemingway, tells the story of a woman who took her daughter away from her love because she
Thom (Cara) Jones Kerschner ENGL 1022 A Study of Being Reasonable in Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants.” Reasonable behavior and unreasonable women. That is what first comes to mind when I read “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway. I, as fan of Old Hollywood, am reminded of the way women have been portrayed in film and also their roles in reality. Written in 1927 during a time of great social change, women had more liberties than before. They had the right to vote, there
Ernest Hemingway creates a symbolic setting to develop his characters in “Hills Like White Elephants”. Instead of discussing his characters' dilemma directly, Hemingway uses symbolic words like “white”, “two”, “beaded curtain”, “dry side” to create a setting that suggests the struggle that the characters are engaged in while making a life-changing decision. The word white, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is defined as “free from color, free from spot or blemish”2. I feel Hemingway uses
Structuralism and Deconstructive Perspective; Hills Like White Elephants Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway written in 1927 contains tense conflicts between individual characters within the story; when viewed through the theoretical lens of structuralism and deconstructionism various meanings are derived. Structuralism takes a scientific approach of semiotics; instead of being concerned with what a certain text means, it focuses on how a text structuralizes itself to give meaning. Deconstruction
In his short story, “Hills Like White Elephants”, Ernest Hemingway manipulates the details of the setting in order to exemplify the characters’ struggle in deciding whether to have an abortion. Ernest Hemingway carefully chooses the way in which he expresses the setting by only giving limited details through the character dialogue. The reader understands that the characters are in the hills between “fields of grain and trees…[and] mountains” (477). The hills represent the pregnancy, while the fields
In “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, the author tells of a girl and a man contemplating abortion. However, Hemingway never states this literally, and he refers to the abortion as the “operation.” The two characters argue over this issue for the entire story without ever mentioning the topic of conversation. Though the story is only a few pages long, Hemingway concisely conveys the story of a rocky relationship. Through this minimalistic style and ambiguity, Hemingway forces
The White Elephant of Sexism The white elephant gift is the gift that nobody wants. It’s the joke that is more suited for giving away than actually owning. It is never explicitly stated what the actual white elephant is that Ernest Hemingway refers to in his short story “Hills Like White Elephants.” Under the surface, however, it becomes more and more apparent. The story details the relationship between a man and a woman who are traveling together. Their discussions mostly concerns mindless
In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” setting details allow the reader to understand background as to the characters’ principles and struggles with identity. Hills Like White Elephants - Theme: The two characters, the girl and the American, struggle with the possibility of accepting new identities: that of being parents. To add to the complication, it is clear that there is a divergence in their opinions on keeping the child with the girl
In “Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway uses the theme of Communication to potray an issue that has plagued society for decades. Understanding of human condition is represented by the beautiful setting in the short story. The main characters are the American man and a female named Jig who share a strong bond of love; however, the more powerful yet sacred bond is between Jig and her unborn child. A long time ago, our society was filled with moral and ethical values but times have changed
Making women feel somewhat out of place and vulnerable. In both the short stories, “Hills Like White Elephants” and “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Hemingway and Gilman convey the female characters as subordinate towards the demanding male characters, which caused tension and restrain in their relationships. The powerlessness of female characters is an important comparison between these two stories. In “Hills Like White Elephants” the girl, called Jig, and the American man are contemplating an abortion. In the