Critical analysis
Ernest Hemingway is probably one of the most outstanding and influential authors in the history of the American literature. He is famous for such novels as “Moveable Feast” , “Farewell to Arms”, “The Old Man and the Sea”, however, he has also proved to be a talented author of short stories. “Men without Women” is his second collection of short stories, which include fourteen narratives. This volume is a good example of Hemingway’s talent and genius as it represents traits of his unique writing style such as conciseness, attention to details, symbolism and somewhat implicit dialogues. ‘’Hills like white Elephants” is considered to be the most deep and powerful stories in the collection, which contains all of the above mentioned characteristics. The main theme of the story lies within a moral and ethical problem of abortion. Supposedly, that was the same problem that bothered the author; at that time he was in a relationship with his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, who was pregnant.
“Hills like white elephants” takes place at a train station in the Ebro River valley of Spain where a man called “The American” and the woman named “Jig” are waiting for the train to Madrid. The story starts with the short description of the valley and the surrounding hills. The conversation between characters starts with a short observation by the Jig that the hills in the valley “look like white elephants” to which the man responds “I’ve never seen one”. After having a couple of drinks, the topic of their conversation moves on to an upcoming “operation” that Jig must take. The American tries to persuade Jig that there is absolutely no danger in that operation and that it would not cause her any pain or trouble
The dialogue continues as the man tries to persuade Jig that this is the only right step they should make – he sees future child as the burden, hindrance that will stand between them and will make them miserable. Jig does not openly oppose man`s position, however it is obvious from her sarcastic remarks that is she is reluctant to perform the operation:
“‘And you think then we’ll be all right and be happy.’
‘I know we will. Yon don’t have to be afraid. I’ve known lots of people that have done it.’
‘So have I,’ said the girl. ‘And afterwards they were all so happy.” [Hemingway]
The conversation continues until finally Jig gets frustrated over man`s perseverance and his inability to look at the predicament from her point of view, so she simply asks him to stop talking. At the end of the story, the man asks Jig if she feels better to which she responds that there is nothing wrong with her and that she feels fine.
Most of the narrative is comprised of dialogues between the characters leaving little room for the author`s remarks. Such structure of the story has a certain purpose. Hemingway stresses the importance of intimate communication between characters by the means of sincere dialogue to reveal those conflicts and problems that the couple has. However, the true meaning of that dialogue might seem a bit strange and even enigmatic to the reader who is unfamiliar with the background story. The phrases of characters are full of connotations and sometimes are open to wide interpretation. For instance, the American uses the word “operation” instead of more straightforward “abortion”.
The title of the story bears a symbolic meaning. Hills, which look like white elephants, represent the main motive of the story – the problem of abortion. To Jig, that problem seems to be so significant and obvious that she uses the image of “white elephant” to imply that it is so big and clear that it is rather difficult to ignore and not to look at . However, as we see from the conversation, the man chooses to evade the problem rather than directly face it. For him the only possible outcome of this situation is, as he calls it, “an operation”. The word “operation” does not sound so sharp as “abortion”, which again proves his unwillingness or even inability of adequate and mature understanding of the problem. Another important symbol that plays a crucial role in the story is the train that the man and a woman are waiting for. It signifies the inevitability of time itself and of the decision that the characters must make.
On the surface, we can see a conflict between Jig and the American regarding the abortion. However, the real conflict lies much deeper: it is the opposition of personal freedom and carefree lifestyle versus parenthood and responsibility. The author does not clearly indicate what the final choice is, leaving it to the reader.
Works Cited
1.Hemingway, Ernest. The short stories. New York: Scribner Classics, 1997.
