Hills Like White Elephants Literary Analysis

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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 and those values are no longer in existence. Hemingway captures a moment during history in 1927 when things were changing to a less ordered and less ethical society. Hemingway uses his ability to broaden the readers’ imagination by creating a realistic…show more content…
“The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the coutntry was brown and dry.” () “The girl stood up and walked to the end of the station. Across, on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro. Far away, beyond the river, were mountains. The shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain and she saw the river through the trees.” (). Through the first quote the narrator describes one side of the hill being brown and dry which can be seen as death and in the second, a more lively scenery field with grains and trees which can be seen as more of a fresh new start in life. Both are basically two visual representations of the choice which the couple is…show more content…
They have not yet reached their final destination but have to stop between Barcelona and Madrid along the way.The tracks leading in and out of the station represent the emotional pathways each character must take. Just like any other stopping point during a road trip one must decide where to go next but in this case, the main characters must not only decide where their next stop will be but whether to go with each other and continue their relationship. While reading the story the readers get the idea that communication is difficult between the two characters. Jig’s ambigious communication with the American through description of their environment is actually an effective power play. She tries to avoid bringing up the harsh topic but in reality ends up doing so everytime she notices something in the beautiful nature of their surroundings. Especially with a topic so sensitive as abortion, Hemingway was able to touch on an ageless issue of communication conflict between
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