Literary+Analysis




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We like the layout of the short story. Hemingway focused on a dialogue driven story with the //Hills Like White Elephants//. Unlike more descriptive stories, Hemingway's story is told almost exclusively through dialogue. It shows a very important interaction between the American Man and the Girl. Reading through the short story, the dialogue creates the basic plot structure of a beginning, a middle and an end. The conflict lies on an important decision the American Man is supporting the Girl in doing. It is not mentioned in the dialogue what exactly they are going to do when they get to Madrid, but they do refer to it as some kind of procedure and that it is not as serious as an operation. When we read, it was necessary to give life to the characters' dialogue. Their subtext and line delivery seems to be more important than the actual words that are being said. The words seems to have vague connotations but the reader is responsible to figure out the conflict based on the context clues.

On an initial read, I (RM) was not sure what kind of procedure they were referring to. I thought at first that it might be something relating to the way the Girl was talking and the things she was saying that clearly her companion was finding annoying. Her comments, such as the one in the image above, suggested to me that she was reluctantly acquiescing to having something done that would make her more attractive to the American Man. Not really processing who the author was at first, my initial thoughts went along the lines of some kind of alteration to her personality and/or thought processes, but I couldn't reconcile that with a procedure of any kind (outside of science fiction, anyway). I was stymied by the line about just "letting air in" and it being perfectly natural. I couldn't figure out what it was that she was supposed to have done in Madrid. The only thing I was sure about was that it was something she seemed to be doing to please him, not because she really wanted to do it for herself. So then my thoughts went toward the possibility of something more superficial, like a breast enhancement. I didn't give it much more thought until I met with ER to discuss this project. It was then that I was able to see the idea that what they might be referring to is an abortion, which made a bit more sense, though the subtext could easily lend itself to any number of meanings and physical alterations. If you take it as the story itself and do not take into consideration the time period or author, this text could be read to mean a number of things. It's a very interestingly written story leaving a lot to the readers' interpretations and inferences.

Characters: The American Man and Girl. Hemingway mentions these two characters in the story. It is interesting how they are described. The male is not described as man but "American Man" meaning that he is portraying a certain persona. He is portrayed as an older than his companion and not part of the setting around him. His companion is described as "Girl" and not "woman". Based on this character name, she is portrayed as a younger companion to the man. Naming her "Girl" shows a sense of naivety or lack of world experience. We initially thought she would be younger in than the man becuase of the name discription. She is also referred to by the man as Jig, which sounds like it might be a nickname. She never refers to the man by name or nickname furthering the assumptions that he is clearly older and holds more control in the relationship. There is a third character who is simply portrayed as the woman. She is the keeper of the alcohol, serving them several alcoholic drinks throughout the scene. In the girl's condition, I (ER) wonder if she holds a deeper significance. Looking at the story from a present day perspective, women who are pregnant are not supposed to drink. Within the story, the Girl drinks about three alcoholic beverages within the scene. For a present day reader's perspective, I believe the bar maid has added significance to the story. I (ER) wonder if she is added to give the reader an uneasy feeling once the reader discovers the Girl's physical condition.