Symbolism in “Hills like White Elephants” Free Essay Sample

In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants,” an American man and a woman named Jig are conversing and drinking at a railway station between Madrid and Barcelona near the valley of Ebro. It is interpreted that Jig is pregnant and the choice of either Madrid or Barcelona is a deciding factor in their dilemma. The American man wants to abort their baby and live a stress-free life. He believes the baby will be a source of unhappiness and urges Jig to go through with the operation. He gently gives his choice and lets Jig ultimately make her decision. Jig on the other hand believes aborting the baby will leave a hole in their relationship as the baby is something they can’t get back. Ernest Hemingway does a great job in portraying their decision through symbolism based on the setting and diction in the story. Hemingway uses an extensive amount of symbolism to foreshadow the events leading to Jig and the American Man’s supposed decision. mm mm mm  mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mmm mm mm mm mm mm mm

In the title “Hills like White Elephants,” Hemingway uses a simile to portray the symbolism of the hills by saying they look like white elephants. Jig proclaims that the hills beyond the river look like “white elephants” (Hemingway 75). This could mean that Jig sees the hills as like a pregnant woman’s belly, thus suggesting she sees a reason to not abort their baby (Condrat 14). Not only does she see the hills as the belly of a pregnant woman but also, in a literal sense, refers to them as the albino elephants themselves. The term white elephant comes from Thailand, and in Thailand, white elephants were highly praised and sacred. The problem was that white elephants were practically useless and very expensive to take care of, so kings would give them away for other kings to take care of the expensive animals. White elephants are essentially an unwanted gift that cannot be easily disposed of (Gillette 52). Hemingway strategically titled his short story based on the idea of a white elephant to overall set the theme he is portraying. Comparing a symbolic symbol to an interpreted idea in the short story gives readers an open-ended conclusion in which they can choose what they think happens next. This represents Jig’s view of the baby and how she may see it as a burden to keep her baby. 

Also, the hills Jig see are on a side of fertility and nature, while on the other side of the railway station is a land of aridity and dryness. The two sides Hemingway describes are the emotions/life the couple will have when choosing their decision. If they decide to abort the baby, their life may be like the boring barren wasteland side. If they decide to not abort the baby then their life will be like the fertile side. Their wait at the station creates a sense of suspension because this decision changes their life. The station is a stopping point between Barcelona and Madrid, and they must decide where to go and, in this case, whether to go with each other and continue their relationship (Gillette 54). The dichotomy between the two sides of the station is shown by the white hills and the barren valley which could represent life and death (Abdoo 238). This represents Jig’s unsure decision about her baby (238).  Jig compliments the hills and beauty of the fertile land but she still walks over to the end of the station to look over the emptiness of the arid land. (Abdoo 239). 

The representation of the light of the sun opens a conversation of honesty between the American man and Jig. Jig and the man do not want to talk about the abortion, so they comfort themselves in the “warm shadow” of the building and bamboo curtain (Hemingway 75). They are avoiding conversing about their real problems and hide in the shadows (Abdoo 239). The light represents the honesty of the two people and hiding in the shadows unwilling to speak about their decaying relationship shows both of their points of view on their situation. The man wants the abortion, he wants to live his life like the way before the pregnancy, and Jig wants to keep the baby (239). The light could represent the elements of life, which symbolize salvation and prosperity. Jig may realize that the baby will give them an undying light of happiness and should not abort the baby (Condrat 32). They suggest the skin tone of an infant, but they also evoke that which is "bright" and "lovely", beautiful with the promise of life (Kozikowski 107). Hemingway’s use of light displays his ability to implement new interpretations just based on a few sentences. 

Even though Hemingway subtly displays the usage of light, he does not shy away from his usage of alcohol in the story. The very first few sentences of the story are the two suggesting and ordering a few drinks. Alcohol in this story is not necessarily a bad influence on the two characters but instead, the alcohol acts as a buffer to the real conversation they actively attempt to avoid. The first line of dialogue,” What should we drink?”, suggests that they were already planning on drinking before arriving at the station (Hemingway 75). Alcohol is portrayed as a positive force that provides temporary relief from the two’s problems (Condrat 31). They start drinking as soon as they get to the station, filling their free time by drinking instead of discussing (Weeks 75). The alcohol symbolically represents that it is the only functioning part of their relationship. It gives the two short-term relief from their real-life problems (Condrat 32). After Jig suggests they should get a drink she also asks what kind they should drink, and the American suggests “Anis del Toro”. Jig immediately says the drink tastes like “licorice”  and the man says “That’s the way with everything” which displays the American’s distaste for the pregnancy (Hemingway 76). The alcohol they both have, it conveys to the man, "a drink," but to Jig, a licorice taste grown as bitter as wormwood--the very taste evoking "all the things you've waited so long for, like absinthe" (Kozikowski 107).

Not only does alcohol act as relief, but also the bamboo bead curtain sets boundaries between the two. The bamboo bead curtain sets up separation, and thresholds - both issues the couple is facing (Gillette 56). The curtain symbolizes the wants of the two characters - Jig wants to keep her baby and be happy with a child, but the American does not want the baby and urges Jig to have the “procedure” and live his life the way it has always been (Gillette 56). The beads of the curtain could also represent an unborn child, and the separation of the two strings suggests the disconnection Jig and the American have (Weeks 77). The strings, on the other hand, are functionally supposed to keep flies out and protect people next to the curtain, but in context with the story the strings keep evil out. This may symbolize the evil the American portrays, and Jig fiddling with the strings suggests she tries to filter out his wrong-doing (Weeks 78). Hemingway uses this bead curtain as a serious boundary between the two, and at the end of the story, it seems as if the curtain transforms into a wall dividing the two completely. 

The ending of Ernest Hemingway’s short story, “Hills like White Elephants” has been dissected and interpreted for decades since its release in 1927. This story displays the messages of the difficulties some couples may face, especially the females. Teeming with symbolism, the story provides a ton of information in such a short amount of time. The main symbol is the white elephant and its multiple interpretations. The sun’s light, the recurring theme of alcohol, and the bamboo curtain are just a couple of symbols Hemingway uses. This story perfectly captures the struggles some couples may face, even if it is not as major as a potential abortion. Hemingway perfectly uses setting and imagery to allow his story to develop into a character-based open-ended short story. 

Works Cited

Abdoo, S. “Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants.” Explicator, vol. 49, no. 4, Summer 1991, p. 238. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.navarrocollege.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/00144940.1991.11484087.

Condrat, Viorica. "CONVERSATION ANALYSIS IN "HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS" BY ERNEST HEMINGWAY." Limbaj si Context, vol. 1, no. 2, 2009, pp. 109-114. ProQuest, http://catalog.navarrocollege.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/?=2376?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/conversation-analysis-hills-like-white-elephants/docview/1010416508/se-2.

Ernest Hemingway. “Hills like White Elephants.” Portable Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing, edited by Laurie G. Kirzner and Stephen R. Mandell, 9th ed., Wadsworth, 2016, pp. 75-79.

Gillette, Meg. “Making Modern Parents in Ernest Hemingway’s ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ and Viña Delmar’s ‘Bad Girl.’” Modern Fiction Studies, vol. 53, no. 1, Spring 2007, pp. 50–69. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.navarrocollege.idm.oclc.org/10.1353/mfs.2007.0023.

Kozikowski, Stanley. "Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants." The Explicator, vol. 52, no. 2, 1994, pp. 107. ProQuest, http://catalog.navarrocollege.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/?=2376?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/hemingways-hills-like-white-elephants/docview/216772056/se-2?accountid=2376.

Weeks Jr., Lewis E. “Hemingway Hills: Symbolism in ‘Hills Like White Elephants.’”Studies in Short Fiction, vol. 17, no. 1, Winter 1980, p. 75.EBSCOhost,search-EBSCOhost-com.navarrocollege.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=7134801&site=ehost-live.