Decoding Symbolism: Exploring Abortion in Hemingway's 'Hills Like White Elephants' - Essay Sample

Introduction

Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” is based on youthful partners and the virulent issue on abortion. The word ‘abortion’ is not written anywhere in the narration. Through the author, this is however easily understood due to the perfect use of two literary elements, which include setting and symbolism.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The “Hills Like White Elephants” story primarily about a conversation between an American man and a girl. The American man is trying to persuade his lover to have a termination. Even though the girl clearly yearns for a real future with her partner, she changes her mind because she realizes that she cannot do the abortion. The story ends in a thriller, where the lovers decide to wait for their train so as to reveal their story. Hemingway ensures that he does not write this story in a straightforward way, making most parts of it a commentary, especially its conclusion. The girl refers to the process of describing herself as a white elephant, leading to their situation through strong symbolism such as the effect of the hills that play an essential role in the whole story with the title included. The “white elephant-like hills” mainly defined the narrative; they suggest that they dream of a real future together, she tries to persuade him about how they can have a family of their own. She then comes to a decision to come back from the hope of confronting his real life.

The strong symbolism used by Hemingway’s story foretells the later life of the two partners, as well as the problem that they both try to solve. When the girl first pointed out that the hills were like white elephants, the man said, "I have not seen them," and he said, "No, you do not have them" (Hemingway 635). Although the hills are a metaphor for the coming life of the family, the rejection of the man based on her contrast results her to a sort of negative reaction. The girl tries to convince him that she really loves him and wants to live with him, but as the story progresses, she realizes that he is not paying as much attention to her as he wants. The male partner is not able to understand that the beautifulness of the hills is a symbol of the girl’s rejection. This shows that no matter what happens, the man has no commitments to the girl, so there is no guarantee that she will stick with him whether the operation takes place or not. When the abortion is over, the man tries to reassure her that everything will be decided "we will get better later". We are the same as before (636). He said he was tired and that he loved her and that they would be happy if they had an abortion. Looking at the girl, looking at the beauty of the hills and walking away from the train station, he said, "We can have everything, we can do more every day more impossible" (637). He stands by her no matter what her future holds. She is very upset and she tells the man that she stopped talking and then wants to see the hills.

When a worker told her the train was coming in five minutes, the girl looked at the man behind her with a heartbeat and smiled. When asked if she was in good health, she said, "I'm fine." I am good '' (638). Many people make the mistake of laughing after realizing that there is no solution that leads to a happy ending. Without realizing her true feelings, she realized her hope for the future with the man she left behind. Action or not, man has proven careless for the real future. Being a Catholic country back in the 1920s, the girl had numbered options. According to the steps she took at the end of the story, many believe that the girl had aborted the man. Hemingway's lack of care or love for the man follows the girl, indicating that at some point, the man will eventually leave her.

The hills that are associated with white elephants are not only an the girl’s observation, but also their repetition and significance show how important they are in the story. They represent the kind of future that pleases the girl, but when the male rejects the idea, he must give up the dream. Symbolism also plays an important role in the themes presented along with the narrative of the story. The girl's inability to make her dream come true is sometimes in love, and life is not always what everyone wants, but it allows Hemingway to express the idea that one day "white elephant-like hills" will become an actuality.

Reflection

Through this story, I ;learned many useful things about analyzing the literature based on this article, because "Hills Like the White Elephant" needs to be understood a lot through symbolism. I learned to write better by knowing how to express my words more directly. There is a very important message in this short story and life does not happen like we expect.