Critical Analysis of Hills Like White Elephants free essay sample

Mikhail 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 an abortion.Set in the early 1920s, the idea of abortion is as irrational and controversial as today’s ongoing debate over gay marriage. Although the term abortion is never used in the story, the imagery Hemingway uses along with the language and behavior of the characters gives way for one explanation – Jig is getting an abortion. Of the many symbols Hemingway uses, the theme of abortion is evident in the white elephant hills that have the â€Å"coloring of †¦ skin through the trees† (Hemingway, 1). The white hills, as described in the setting, parallels a pregnant woman lying on her back with the hills being relative to the womb. In addition, the white color of the hills would represent the purity of the unborn child the woman bears. Furthermore, the fields of grain and trees along the river would represent the fertility that the woman embodies throughout the story. Her body being the fertile land on which the white hills were. The trees along the hills being the distorting factor of her mindset on going through with the abortion as the American persist throughout the story.The longer they talk about it, the more it becomes apparent to the reader that the girl is becoming increasingly agitated with the conversation and how easy the American is making the operation to be. During the conversation of the American and the woman, the man is constantly pressing Jig to acknowledge that the operation is simple and is only â€Å"to let the air in† (2). These remarks play on the theme giving the implication of abortion and its primitive beginnings in the early 1900s.As the story progresses, the woman’s understanding and eventual opinion is swayed back and forth with her thoughts on whether she should focus on keeping the American happy or maintain a self-interest as the American continues pressing for the operation. During the story, however, the American states to the woman â€Å"if you don’t want to you don’t have to. I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to†, nevertheless, he eventually concludes with â€Å"But I know it’s perfectly simple† (2).The conclusion to his statement gives the reader a sense that the American, although nice and caring, he is simply taking into account how his li fe would come to an immediate halt after the baby is born. It is clear from â€Å"the bags against the wall of the station †¦ [with] labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights† that they both liked to travel, drink, and enjoy themselves – the life of a young couple (3). However, it is makes clear sense as to why the American would want to push for the abortion now even more so knowing that he enjoys his current lifestyle.This is essentially his goal and his motive for persuading her go through with the abortion, and her being naive and simplistic, she would be swayed easy by his words, so long as â€Å"he is happy† as she states countlessly throughout their conversation (2). As stated in the beginning of the story, he has already sacrificed much for her: the constant anxiety with having the child, and his goal to enjoy a drink of absinthe, which supposedly tastes like licorice (1-3). Towards the end of the story, her options begin to narrow to only two: either have the abortion or live with the child.This is foreshadowed perfectly in the beginning of the short story with the station being â€Å"between two lines of rails in the sun† – one directing towards childbirth, while the other track guiding to abort (1). Confronted with two conclusions with a man pushing for you to take one over the other allows for a climactic ending – one that is not revealed. Consequently, one can also say that she was leaning in the Americans cause for she was drinking alcohol – a known derivative of an unhealthy child – a child resembling the â€Å"shadow of a cloud moving across the field of grain† (2). Ultimately, Hills like White Elephants has very clear descriptions referring to whether the story is about abortion or not. From the various implications as to the seriousness of their problem to how the symbols provided in the story all relate to purity and fertility. Based on Jig’s hard decision to choose, one can see how the character of Jig can be very pregnant and truly affected by the operation that is claimed to be simple by the American.The American, pushing her because he has an incentive – his old life, does not want to change the mood of his life. The drinking, the travelling, the sightseeing – all gone if she chooses to stay with the child. Although the term abortion is never stated, Hemingway could have chosen to omit the word to create a stronger story, increasing hostility amongst readers. Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants. Scribd. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. http://www. scribd. com/doc/94569/Hills-Like-White-Elephants.