“A Clean Well Lighted Place” and “Hills Like White Elephants”
Two of Ernest Hemingway’s most famously short, short stories are “A Clean Well Lighted Place” and “Hills Like White Elephants.” These stories readily lend themselves to joint treatment because of their symbolism, dialogue, and setting. Though these two stories were written years apart, there are many similarities in the actions and reactions of the characters. Many of the actions and reactions of the situations in the stories are ones that would be made by people today. There are always two typical types of characters in a Hemingway story; the wise, compassionate, knowledgeable character and the ignorant, self-absorbed, careless character, and these two stories are no exception.
Primarily, Hemingway is a master of implication in fiction. In much of his work, Hemingway does not provide the reader with enough information to make necessary moral judgments. He might omit an element of the plot or simply imply something without verbally stating it. Such omissions “create confusion calling for concentration and solution.” “He also uses the setting of his stories to reinforce the ongoing situation, characterization, and theme.” ( B

Hemingway says much with few words. Through his use of symbolism, dialogue, and setting, he is able to not only make the reader contemplate what they think is going on in the story, but he also allows them to get inside his characters. He creates rounded and believable characters, dealing with actual human decisions in a world that seems palpable and real. Because of this, Hemingway’s reader relates in a powerful way to what is happening in his stories and that is what makes him such a wonderful writer.

In “A Clean Well Lighted Place” and “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway emphasizes the use dialogue to convey the feelings of the characters involved in the story. In “Clean Well Lighted Place,” there are four characters in the story, but no exchange involves more than two at any one moment. The main part of the story is a conversation between a young waiter and an older waiter, discussing the old man’s life and their views on the way he has chosen to live his older years. Through the waiters’ dialogue, it is clear that the younger waiter has a very different perspective on life, from his senior partner. The narrator of this story seldom identifies the speaker of specific lines, but marks him by using some key lines that fit into the characters own perspective. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” the characters are a man and a woman talking about whether or not to keep their unborn child. Though Hemingway never specifically states the word “abortion” in the story, he implies the word by the reactions of the characters in the conversation. Often, Hemingway implies the topic in nonverbal mannerism; such as having his characters look away from each other when they speak, demonstrating physically disagreement with the other’s point of view. The man expresses that he does not want to keep the child and tries to convince the woman to have an abortion. Even though the woman understands her partner’s position, she continues to express her feelings about keeping the baby. Through the dialogue the reader senses how each character truly views the fragile situation. Their emotions are portrayed through their actions, their short abrupt answers, and the apparent distance between them.

These stories also portray, that even the people who have nothing need something and those that are in possession of everything still need a place to go