-Historical Intro- In 20th-century literature, Ernest Hemingway emerges as a very much iconic author, He is commemorated for his carefully worked narratives. This piece “Hills Like White Elephants” revolves around the psychological insights into human relationships. His written works mainly touch on disillusionment among post-First World War generation or The Lost generation and also bring out themes of love,loss and anguish. With this initial publication dating back to 1927, “Hills Like White Elephants” is shown to the reader as a testament to Hemingway’s writing capability while he allows for dialogue and symbolism to reveal extremely abstract elements of human emotion,and relationships during rough circumstances.
His piece discusses thoughts and silence, moreover the conversation between the characters revolves around abortion; it was something of earth shattering in the roaring twenties and was seen as an outrage at that point in time. Choice, freedom, and ramifications of free will are examined by “Hills Like White Elephants” (Hemingway). The “iceberg theory,” which represents Hemingway’s overall narrative style and technique, pays tribute to silent truths beneath verbal exchange that reflect changing norms of communication efforts, gender dynamics and societal practices.
Primary Intro- Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants” subtly depicts the non-verbal interaction between a couple who faces a life-changing decision. Through his dialogue, symbolism, and communication breakdown, Hemingway is both showing off his writing skills and bringing us to a moment of deep intimacy. This line “Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?” ( Page 5) seems excessive without being so, but it’s important to note that “Hills like white elephants” ( Hemingway ) takes place in a train station in the Ebro River valley in Spain where this one line gives the perfect metaphorical background for a conversation filled with subtext and unspoken anxiety. The couple dances around the issue metaphorically in their talk about what seems like an impending pregnancy; Hemingway uses the landscape, especially the symbolic white elephants to reflect upon their situation of unwanted pregnancy which is heavy and intricate. On the surface this tale may appear exceedingly simple yet it uncovers Hemingway’s observation on inter-human relationships as well as how people always have ulterior motives.
Ts 1- Hemingway selects specific dialogue when he conveys overall underlying tension and miscommunication between the couple in this story.
Ernest Hemingway expertly used dialogue in “Hills Like White Elephants” to bring out the deep tension and total miscommunication between Jig and the American. Hemingway purposefully keeps his dialogue minimalistic and superficial, which however acts as a tool for making emotional distance among these characters. For example, their talk on Jig’s possibility of having an operation might sound trivial yet it is laden with unwritten arguments as well conflicting interests underneath. This is evident where he chooses minimalist and oblique dialogues that resemble the incapacity of his characters to openly deal with their emotions or to fully acknowledge the gravity of their own situation. In this respect, the indirectness in communication helps in elucidating subjects like disconnection from others, anxiety over isolation, and efforts at finding common ground within relationships marked by unbridgeable disparities. The simple but loaded lines contribute to understanding the internal conflicts that these people undergo when silent separateness lies between them thereby giving rise to this tension felt by anyone reading this story. By doing so, Hemingway not only exposes these characters’ inability in communication but also prompts readers to analyze beyond explicit meanings of their statements hence engaging into literary archeology, which reveals intricate layers in human relations.
Ts 2- Hemingway uses specific symbolism to enhance the narrative.
Hemingway enriches the narrative of “Hills Like White Elephants” through the use of potent symbolism, thus contributing to the thematic complexity and emotional resonance of the story. Among the most obvious symbolisms, which in turn becomes the metaphor for the divergent paths of the two characters, stands the landscape itself—in this case, part of the divide of both sides of the train station. On the parched and desolate side of the valley, it can be seen as a metaphor for the stark and empty future that might lie ahead of Jig should she choose to do what the American desires her to do rather than what she’s intending to do. On the other side of the station, fertile and lush, there is the symbolism of a world that could have lived and grown with the possibility of different kinds of future should the couple choose to accept the pregnancy. Additionally, white hills are said by Jig to resemble elephants, but this is an elephant in the room and hence hints at the unwanted pregnancy. These are not just for decorative purposes but are part of the narrative. Hemingway’s use of symbolism thus adds not only to the visual imagery of the story but also serves as a silent commentary on the themes of choice, consequence, and the human condition, prompting readers to look beyond the surface to the deeper implications that lie below.
Ts 3- Throughout Hills like white elephants, Hemingway Goes through the theme of communication breakdown and its consequences and its rewards. ( in bold is the overall themes I want to delve into)
Ts 3 BP- The theme of communication breakdown is strung throughout the dialogue between the American and girl (Jig) in Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants”. This suggests that Hemingway managed to delve into ‘deep chasms’ between his characters’ throughout their dialogues.
The communication breakdown does not only lead to tension, but also forces the characters’ to reveal their true selves, For example the American puts it plainly when he states “Well,” the man said, “if you don’t want to you don’t have to.
I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to.
But I know it’s perfectly simple.” ( Page 3). When people do not communicate well, they risk getting both expected outcomes and unexpected
results out of it.
They are so heavily ambiguous throughout and because of this it can be seen as a metaphor for the fragility of their relationship, this conversation demonstrates how Jig’s partner’s refusal to acknowledge her pregnancy directly leads him to separate from her.
In this respect, Johnston quotes; “the story’s power lies in what is unspoken; the void between the characters is filled with their unarticulated fears and desires.”(Johnston 42) This comment highlights a paradox within this break in communication: even though it noticeably drives a wedge between them, on the other hand, it makes them think deeply about who they are as individuals.
Her repeated looking at far away white hills and changing perceptions thereof are symbolic of her internal struggles with an evolving attitude toward her life ahead.
Johnston, Kenneth. “Ernest Hemingway and the Iceberg Theory.” Journal of American Literature Studies, vol. 15, no. 2, 1999, pp. 42-56.
This is my rough draft/I need in text documentation and citations and references from
