In “Hills like White Elephants” Hemingway writes a dialogue between a man and a women who are obviously involved in a relationship that is facing some trying times. It is never made clear what the exact problem is or what the argument between the couple is about, but it can be inferred that the couple is discussing abortion and it is clear that the man, known as “the American”, is for abortion and that the woman in the story, Jig, is against it. Hemingway is talking about an issue much deeper than abortion itself h

Banks goes even further in telling the reader what the consequences of ignoring this “elephant” might be. In the story there is a scene where the man discusses leaving the woman there and we get the idea that he is angry and that she is scared. This is Banks way of telling America that by not accepting people who are different we are, in fact, just making them angry and in turn becoming fearful of them. Situations like this can be seen throughout American history especially in the civil rights movement which at times got very violent and caused the black people to be mad at the white and, in turn, the white to be frightened. It is interesting that Banks is able to drive his point home much deeper than Hemingway by discussing the consequences of ignoring the issue. This is most likely because unlike Hemingway, who was married too many times to count and cheated on his partners, Banks lived his argument. While a student at the University of North Carolina, Banks was an activate for civil rights and as he had progressed as a writer has continued to write about issues such as these in novels like Cloudsplitter, a book about the life of abolitionist John Brown. (Interview Banks, Baptista)

The use of white elephants as a way to describe the hills seems irrelevant to the couple’s argument but this is just another way Hemingway adds to his argument. In society white elephants can be seen in different ways. To some cultures white elephants are considered sacred and valuable and in others they can be seen as a nuisance, like the practice of giving gifts that no one wants, is referred to “white elephant gifts” or the phrase “elephant in the room” that represents an obstacle. (Bauer, 130) Hemingway is using a combination of all of these meanings. The white elephant represents the unborn child and is seen differently by both parents. Jig sees the child as both a nuisance to her life and relationship as she knows it but she always sees it as a precious and valuable life that could possibly bring the couple into a more meaningful relationship. However, “the American” sees the baby as simply a nuisance to the relationship and an elephant in the path of his life. Through this Hemingway want the reader to recognize that the exploitation of women is an Elephant to the progress of society and that this could change if we would simply embrace women as a valuable gift American society could be a better more accepting place for everyone.

e is in fact using this relationship to represent the men’s exploitation of women in American society. His point is made clear through the way he withholds extemporaneous information, his portrayal of the characters, and his use of symbols.

“Black Man and White Woman…” unlike “Hills like White Elephants” contains a lot of physical descriptions about the characters. Banks makes it clear from the beginning that the man is black and that the woman is white. In the dialogue he is careful to reveal the racist ideas held by the woman, even though they may not be her own. She refers to him

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