Critical Analysis Of Hills Like White Elephants - 1437 Words

Hemingway keeps the inner and outer details of both the girl and the American to a seemingly bare minimum, but he is still able to communicate the underlying tension between the two through the short and snarky (and emotionally-driven) remarks that are made. For instance, when it is first mentioned that the girl stares off into the hills, she states that the hills look like white elephants, to which the man replies, almost indifferently, â€Å"I’ve never seen one,† to which the girl replies, â€Å"No, you wouldn’t have.† (804) The man then replies that what she says about him never (seeing a hill that looks like white elephants) doesn’t prove anything. This exchange is only three relatively short lines; through this, however, one can detect the†¦show more content†¦There are many lines like this in the story and some are purposefully ambiguous. However, Hemingway does provide some indication on the status and state of mind between the girl and the American. After the brief fuss about the drink, the girls says, â€Å"I wanted to try this new drink. That’s all we do, isn’t it -- look at things and try new drinks?† (804) In this, one can detect a hint of frustration in the girl’s voice, which can possibly show that both the girl and American are going no longer; they may live freely, but they have little to look forward to, and they have virtually nothing to aim for. It is also implied later in the story that the two travel rather extensively, which means that they have been to many different places and have likely meet many different people, but it is still only the two of them, and the possibility of there being a third member--a child--has utterly changed the dynamic between the girl and the American. This is shown when the latter says, â€Å"It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy.† (805) Though ‘it’ is never explicitly stated, Hemingway uses subtle euphemisms to communicate exactly what the girl and the American are arguing about. The word ‘Abortion,’ or getting an abortion, is never directly stated by either character in the story, but how one is able to detect that this is about a girl getting an abortion is through the subtle word: â€Å"Operation.† Roughly in theShow MoreRelatedCritical Analysis of Hills Like White Elephants923 Words   |  4 PagesMikhail Shimonov Professor Kaufman March 28, 2011 Critical Analysis of Hills like White Elephants At first glance, Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway, may allude to many interpretations, however, the short story has a clear purpose. Set in the Ebro River valley in Spain, the story looms around the issue brought forth by Jig and the American, who is nameless throughout the whole story. The issue here being the ‘simple operation’ that Jig is about to undergo which happens to be anRead MoreHills Like White Elephants : A Critical Analysis1708 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†: A Critical Analysis Introduction: One of the many themes in his stories for which Ernest Heming way is known, includes feminism. At Hemingway’s time feminism was known as a famous movement and it affected many important writers like Octavia Butler and Virginia Woolf. Hemingway was a literary icon of his time and he was influenced by the political, social and human rights movements of his time. He was also touched by the hopelessness of women and how their thinkingRead MoreCritical Analysis on Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants Essay575 Words   |  3 Pages The thing that makes, Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway such a powerful story is the subtlety with which it is told. 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Hemingway’s short and economical style is perhaps best displayed in his earlier work, most notably in his short stories, and one of his earliest, and most famous, short stories is â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants.† The story is about two people who are simply referred to as ‘the American’ and ‘the girl,’ at a train station, waiting to catch the next express to Barcelona; they have drinks as they wait and they talk about the seemingly mundane, butRead MoreCritical Analysis of the Short Story ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ by Ernest Hemingway.1497 Words   |  6 Pages------------------------------------------------- Critical Reading of Literature in English Critical Analysis of the short story ‘Hills like White Elephants’ by Ernest Hemingway. 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The stories â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson and â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† by Ernest Hemingway implement this concept. â€Å"The Lottery† is about a small town that holds an annual lottery in which the winner will be killed. â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† is the story of a couple’s discussion over the decision they must make of whether orRead More Analysis of Hills Like White Elephants Essay1049 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of Hills Like White Elephants â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†, by Ernest Hemingway, is a short story published in 1927 that takes place in a train station in Spain with a man and a woman discussing an operation. Most of the story is simply dialogue between the two characters, the American and Jig. This couple is at a critical point in their lives when they must decide whether or not to have an abortion. Certain themes arise from this story such as choices and consequences, doubtRead MoreEssay about Modernism: Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway1578 Words   |  7 Pagesthe restricted human spirit. It had no trust in the moral conventions and codes of the past. One of the examples of modernism, that breaks the conventions and traditions of literature prior to Modernism, is Ernest Hemingway’s short story â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†. The short story uses plot, symbolism, setting, dialogue, and a new style of writing to allow human spirit to experiment with meaning a nd interpretation. Some of the characteristics of Modernism are: a desire to break conventions and establishedRead MoreHills Like White Elephants, a Theme Analysis Essay1243 Words   |  5 PagesHemmingway uses time, place, and symbolism in Hills like White Elephants to intensify the central dilemma in a story about a man and a woman deciding on whether to go through with an abortion. Although a literal reading of the title may not seem to have any relation to the story, the title is rich in implications. Critics suggest that Hills refers to the shape of a womans stomach when pregnant, and Websters 21st Century Dictionary defines white elephant as: [An] awkward, useless possession. Read MoreThe Tell Tale Heart Analysis1295 Words   |  6 PagesIt can also be said that the style utilizes realistic techniques using narratives with surreal or dreamlike elements. An example of Magic realism in Sherman Alexie’s short story is how Thomas Builds-the-fire jumped off the roof and flapped his arms lik e an eagle. They describes him as â€Å"flying†. The story also likens his broken arm to that of a broken â€Å"wing†. Sherman Alexie uses this technique as he is an Indigenous American with ancestry for many different Native American tribes. What are the characteristics