Yr 13 2014 Revision Assignment
Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway
You will be responsible for contributing to the 13ENG page on mrsmacadam.wikispaces.com by
providing revision material for the wiki on the short story HLWE. Each person will be assigned a
minimum of one section of the assignment. You must present the following information by the end
of today’s lesson.
1. Symbols, Themes, Meaning, Important Details
2. Characterization (Development of Characters)
3. Plot Summary (Include Important Events/Details and quotes)
4. Connections to Modernism (Writing Style, Themes, etc.)
Use your notes to create your revision notes. Each section should be thoroughly developed.
Produce high-quality, accurate material – the sort of notes you would like to study from. After
completing your section, sign your name to that section. Then e-mail me the page:
[email protected]
1. Symbols, Themes, Meaning, Important Details
(Lydia)
The opening sentence of the short story ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ by Ernest Hemingway,
begins by describing hills across a valley as “long and white”. This long, white image
immediately causes the reader to picture to a wedding veil or dress, although the next
sentence claiming that there was ‘no shade and no trees and the station was between two
lines of rails in the sun’ tells us that there is no wedding involved in this story. The scenery
change is almost instant, and as a result the lush landscape contrasts greatly with the hot
and dry plateau, suggesting to the readers that with the ‘two lines of rails’, there will also
come two opposing opinions. The couple are introduced as foreigners and fail to introduce
‘the American’ male by name throughout the story, although his presumed partner, ‘Jig’, is
named. An important detail is that their train is mentioned as coming in forty minutes,
although it will only be stopping for two. This contrast in duration also hints at the contrast
in the characters, and also symbolises the short time they have to make a decision (as found
out later in the story), in comparison to the length of time they have been together. It also
signifies how the decision would be made, with life going on shortly thereafter, as the
author writes about how it is only at the junction ‘for two minutes and then went on to
Madrid.’ By giving Jig a name, and leaving the male anonymous, we are as readers realise
that she is a priority in this story.
1. Themes in Hills like White Elephants
Available themes in the story (Cristelle and Madeleine)
1.
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Choice
The torn between choices
The choice between going through the operation or not
Fear of choices
Ambiguity of choices
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2.
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The impact of her choices. There is no going back to whatever choice she makes.
Change
If Jig goes through the operation everything will changed between the couple
Changing views of society in how women are viewed and women having a more freedom of
choice
 Virginia Woolf, “Human nature underwent a fundamental change on or about December
1910”
 Jig’s change of mind, “There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.”
3. Communication
 Story focuses on the mundane which helps to communicate the conflict
 Jig doesn’t speak the language
 They can’t understand each other in the whole story, for example they talk but they do not
communicate or listen, leading to their conflict
 Things that were left unsaid
o What the real problem was
o What were their choices
o What did they not say to each other
o What actually happened in the whole 40 minutes at the station
4. Collapse in relationships
 Jig and the American not knowing what they want
 Jig realising what she wanted is ‘kind of’ what made the relationship collapse
5. Conflict
 Conflict between the child and the lover
 Conflict about what she wants
1. Symbolism (Mrs Mac – Daniel’s will replace this soon!)
1. The Rail road tracks/ station/ junction.
The train tracks represent two choices, to stay the same (pregnant) and not do anything or go
ahead and have the abortion. It could be the start or the end of their journey, or in this case
the continuation or end of their relationship. At a station, people can change not only their
direction, but also their mind about undertaking the travel.
2. Opposing Landscapes.
The opposing Landscapes that only Jig seems to notice, represent her decision making
process.
The hills that are barren, dry, brown, and seem dead form the sun, represent the choice of not
having the baby and therefore death.
While the fields that are described as green and where the trees are growing, represents
having the baby, being fertile, and thus they stand for life.
3. The White Elephants
A white elephant can be something that has the appearance of value, but is actually more
trouble than it is worth, i.e. an awkward, useless possession.
The Baby in this story is a white elephant. The shape of the hills suggest the girl’s pregnant
body.
4. Beaded Curtain.
The Beaded Curtain is a divider, it separates the two sides. The two sides in this short story
are the way they are living, (a life of wandering, drinking and no responsibilities) or one where
they settle down and have a family.
Since the beaded curtain is see through, it represents that Jig can see both sides of the
situation and really hasn't decided what to do.
The beads can also be compared to rosary beads, which brings the religious issues about
abortions into the story.
5. luggage
The luggage represents both their carefree life style as well as the burden of her decision.
The theme of this short story is the issue of the choices that have to be made about a
pregnancy and abortion, but it is related to modernism because it shows the nature of
relationships at the time, it also shows the inner struggle that the female in such a delicate
conundrum faces. It shows women in an empowering, positive light - no longer as a
possession of a man, but an intelligent equal.
2. Characterization (Development of Characters)
2a Character analysis: American Man
(Janella)
Throughout the story, we see how the American man is portrayed according to
Hemingway’s stiff idea of masculinity. Hemingway portrays the American as a ‘know-itall’ and always in control kind of person. We see how even when he is angry or
confused, he remains relaxed, and pretends nothing bothers him. An example of this is
when he tells Jig it’s her decision if she want to continue to go ahead with the operation.
He initially avoids bringing up and talking about their problems, but he later confronts
them by persuading Jig the operation is perfectly simple and normal. The American man
is portrayed as a man who could not care less at the prospect of a woman aborting her
baby. We see how Jig sees the hills as white which symbolizes innocence and purity,
possibly her virginity as well. However seeing the hills as white elephants is the part
what the American man can’t follow. The American would have thought the white
elephant to be something undesired. The elephants represent the obstacles they have to
go through and the decision they have to make. When women are pregnant, they feel so
big that they see themselves as elephants and think their partner finds them as slow and
bulky as an elephant.
2b Characterization of Jig:
We can see that Jig appreciates and admires her surroundings; she understands and values these
things that normally people would just brush off as nothing but life. This show that she is a character
that loves the little things in life (like a little baby maybe?) She is a very sympathetic character
because even though she seems to really want to keep the baby, she considers everything else
outside just herself; the impact it could have on her relationship, whether or not losing the baby will
hurt her too much, the economic means that they have been living on (will it be able to support a
baby should she choose to keep it).
In the beginning, Jig is shown to be somewhat submissive to everything that the American Man tells
her – like the way she always asks his opinion or what he thinks is best – and foolishly believes that
once she has an abortion, they can be happy in her relationship. This portrays her at first as naïve
and somewhat insecure. As the story progresses though, so does Jig’s decision making. Although she
speaks and ask questions before thinking them through – showing she can be somewhat reckless in
her thinking and what she does – Jig begins to question things more in a way where she knows what
answers she is going to get. She becomes more moody as the story progresses and we can now see
that she is becoming a character that can start to make up her own mind without the help of a male
authority figure. She becomes more secure in the questions she asks and knows what she wants and
becomes steadier in her decisions.
(Jubeida )
3
Plot Summary (Include Important Events/Details and quotes): (Cheyenne & last two
paras = Mrs Mac)
The story opens with a description of the location the couple are in, which is the train station
– a building surrounded by hills. The story is set in a station in a valley in Spain and the
couple are not shaded by anything and are in the hot sun. As it is very hot waiting for the
train, the “man” suggests the couple have a beer to which the “girl” agrees. The woman
looks out the window and says “they look like white elephants” to which the man replies
“I’ve never seen one”. They then order another drink named “Anis del Toro” after tasting the
drink the “girl” says “it tastes like liquorice” which causes the couple to argue as the “man”
insists she “cut it out”, the couple argue and agree they should stop and attempt to have a
“fine time”. This conversation then leads to the couple discussing an operation which is also
when we find out a name for the woman (or nickname) the American man says “It’s an
awfully simple operation, Jig” “it’s not really an operation at all”, the girl just stares at the
floor the American the proceeds to say “I know you wouldn’t mind it, Jig. It’s not really
anything. It’s just to let the air in”. The girl continues to stay silent and not say a word the
American man continues to reassure her that it’s okay and he’ll be there with her, she asks
what it will be like afterwards and he say “We’ll be fine afterward. Just like we were before”.
The girl goes on questioning whether or not they’ll be happy after the operation, the man
tells her she doesn’t have to and it’s her choice. She says “I’ll do it. Because I don’t care
about me”
The man keeps telling her that the operation is awfully simple, and she will be happy right
afterwards. Jig is still unsure, but because of his insensitive comments, she gets annoyed.
She’s sarcastic so that he won’t keep bothering her anymore. While they talk, she notices
the” fields of grain” and trees which symbolize life. The description of the green fields
supports the idea that she doesn’t want the “operation”, and wants to keep her baby. The
symbol of the beads in the bead curtain, which Jig fiddles with, represents the beads in a
rosary which brings in a reference to the religious view of abortion.
Towards the end of the short story, Jig asks the man to stop talking because he keeps
repeating that the operation is simple, and never tries to understand her point of view. Their
conflict grows and the girl again tells him to shut up. Then the man carries the luggage to the
other side of the train station. The luggage with different labels from different cities portrays
the carefree lifestyle they used to have. The last line, is when she tells him that she is “fine”,
and there is nothing wrong. In my interpretation, she is not being sincere, and she just wants
him to stop talking because she feels frustrated with him. Although the ending is typical of
the Modernist movement where there is no clear resolution, I think the references to the
symbols of life indicate that Jig wants to live a different lifestyle to their former hedonistic
one, and become a mother.
4.. Connections to Modernism (Writing Style, Themes, etc.)
Connections to Modernism in ’Hills Like White Elephants’
Modernism became an increasingly popular style in the years that followed The Great War, with
many incredible talents, such as Pablo Picasso and Virginia Woolf, rising to fame in their respective
fields. Artists wanted to capture the feelings of isolation and confusion that much of society felt after
the war, and the new movement known as Modernism, allowed them to do just that.
Ernest Hemmingway was among the collective who saw the potential in Modernism, and soon
became one of the leading writers of the genre. ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ captures the idea of
Modernism through its unique way of expressing ideas and emotions felt in the post-war society of
the 1920s. The simplistic layout of the story gives way to an underlying message that is both dark
and intriguing, creating a world of questions and confusion in the minds of readers, thus reflecting
the feelings of both the characters in the story and of those alive at the time that the story was
written.
The overall idea of abortions, which struggles to surface in the story, is an idea that resembles the
way that society was changing when Hemmingway was writing HLWE. Abortions were just one of
many ideas that were causing controversy in the 20th century (and even today); with society rapidly
changing due to major leaps in technology and human psychology, many activities and ideologies,
that were common practice prior to the turn of the century, were now receiving criticism from
influential groups and individuals.
‘Hills Like White Elephants’ has been an incredibly successful story over the past century, and part of
the reason for this is due to the fact that it still maintains its relevance today, thanks to the way that
it approaches issues and reflects society in such a broad and yet accurate sense, where the world is
full of problems and confusion that we would all rather just brush under the carpet.
(Ciaran)