... 's "Hills Like White Elephants" "Hills Like White Elephants", by Ernest Hemingway, is a short story published in 1927, which is set at a train station in Spain. In this story the reader eavesdrops on a conversation held by "the American and the girl with him". Most of the story is predominately dialogue ... a decision on whether to have an abortion or not is indeed a difficult decision to make. The setting of the train station symbolizes the decision that the couple must make. On one side of the station, there is vegetation and "fields of grain"; the other side is dry and barren. The fact...

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... a latter day Sherlock Homes or Dr. Watson, one feels the need to investigate. Ernest Hemingway's story of a young couple's conversation outside a train station in "Hills Like White Elephants" skillfully provides the reader with a similar sense of mystery and intrigue. One can picture one's self sitting at a table in ... that same train station, overhearing their conversation and wondering what's going on with the couple. One wants to solve the riddle. Although one may feel more like ... show the importance of good communication. A little critical analysis will render his intent element...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Henry goes off and finds his wife to be. The material objects that Hemingway uses to convey the theme are beer, the good and bad hillsides, and a railroad station between two tracks. The beer represents the couple's, "the American- and "the girl's-, usual routine activity they do together. This bothers the girl because "that's all ... to stop being a girl and become a woman. Hemingway then presents the reader with two contrasting hills. One hill on one side of the station is dull, desolate, and barren; "it had no shade and no trees-, very desert like. However, the other hill on the other ...

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... to a realization about what they are discussing. In focusing on this issue, Hemingway expressed a powerful feminist theme. The story takes place at a train station in Ebro River Valley in Spain "a symbol of the word embryo." At the beginning, the reader is introduced to the barren landscape around the train ... station across the valley, where the couple is sitting at a table. They are waiting for the train to Madrid to come. It is very hot, ... White Elephants"). This is, in my opinion, a turning point in the story. The girl finally starts to think with her head. She walks to the end o...

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• Grade Level: High School

... the positive possibilities and works to persuade her to go through with the abortion. Hemingway uses symbolism through alcohol, the hills, the white elephants, and the train station to develop the theme of the story. Hemingway's writing style in this story is well crafted. His simple style and taut dialogue pull readers into the story, ... is a bit of a hill itself. Being pregnant ties a mother down, making her less mobile and more stationary, just like the hills. The element of the railroad station is symbolic of being at the crossroads of life during a time of crisis. The American ma...

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• Grade Level: High School

... strong symbolic characters, aid the reader in understanding the underlying theme. The material objects that Hemingway uses to convey the theme are beer, the good and bad hillsides, and a railroad station between two tracks. The beer represents the couple's, "the American" and "the girl's", usual routine activity they do together. This bothers the girl because "that's all we do, isn't it ... fooling around all the time. She wants to stop being a girl and become a woman. Hemingway then presents the reader with two contrasting hills. One hill on one side of the station is dull, desolate, a...

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... life and the present situation she is in. She wanted to reach out for a normal life where she would not be forced to make such a life altering decision. The train station was located between two separate railways, leading to different points. The couple was going to take the train to Madrid, where the operation, abortion, would most likely take place. They ... were exactly in the middle of their trip to Madrid, which expresses their doubt about which way to go. Therefore, the train station is symbolic. If they were to get on the train this meant she would have the operation. They had ve...

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... Like White Elephants", a couple is depicted, primarily through dialogue, in a conflict over an issue which is really never mentioned, but is obviously an abortion. The story takes place at a railroad station in the Ebro Valley of Spain. The issues discussed in the story are amazingly similar to events which haunted Ernest's life. The characteristics of the man portrayed in the story ... are depictive of Ernest. One prevalent theme within the story "Hills Like White Elephants" is alcohol. The story takes place in a bar at a railway station and begins with a man and a woman sampling vario...

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... and it is being told in a third person omniscient point of view. Throughout the story, the narrator only speaks when a scenario is being described. The story takes place at a train station near the valley of Ebro. The hills across the valley are described as being "long and white" (334). This description is important because it introduces the image of the color ... her pregnancy. Jig does not even think twice about drinking, she is the one that even said, "let's drink beer" (334). Furthermore, Jig drinks a lot of alcohol at the train station. She is already thinking of the child as dead...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... girl."" The woman cannot speak Spanish like the others on the train which made her feel left out. The beaded curtains, similarly, show the separation of rooms in the train station. Whenever someone does not want to be bothered, he or she could close the curtain and feel secluded. The last example in Hills Like White Elephants deals with the setting ... of the story. The contrast of the sun/shade and the hills/level train station indicate the sadness felt by the couple. " there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun."" The couple was trapped i...

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... sides of the Ebro River to emphasize the choice which the couple must make. The railroad symbolizes the halfway point between an important decision that needs to be made. "The station was between two lines of rails"(Hemingway 170). A man and a woman are located in the middle of the tracks, just as they are in the middle about the decision on ... the river is full of life and it so beautiful it is breath-taking. Hemingway uses fields of grain to symbolize life on the on the other side of the station. Grain in history is a symbol of fertility. The exquisite and lively side represents the ...

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... produces the story of a young couple in his short story, "Hills Like White Elephants." Waiting to catch a train the young couple stops for a short rest in the shade of the station building. Everything seems normal, they order drinks a have normal conversation until the man brings up the topic of the girls operation; things quickly become uneasy. It is quite obvious that ... in, leaving them hanging on every word. A spectacular setting is created by Hemingway in his short story, "Hills Like White Elephants." Rich with symbolism it is set in a small train station stuck between Barcelona a...

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... of her oppression and conclusion to her husbands death would not have transpired the way it did. "Hills like White Elephants," by Ernest Hemmingway, is set in a train station in Spain. This short story also has the double setting feature; on their side of the tracks there is arid dry land, and barren. On the opposite side of the ... of the story Jig, is pregnant. She and the male protagonist, the American are in a dispute of whether she should get an abortion or not. They are sitting at a train station bar in Ebro, Northern Spain. The train tracks divide two settings; the side the coupl...

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... to anything in their life. Traveling around is their way to avoid life's problems. The setting of the story is in a train station which symbolizes their need to be away from home and distant from their problems. While in the station they are waiting having cocktails. The girl says "I wanted to try this new drink: thats all we do, isn't it - look ... ...

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"Hills Like White Elephants" is a short third person perspective limited story by Ernest Hemingway. An American man and a woman are sitting at a train station in the northern part of Spain. They are on their way to an operation for the women. The two seem to be a couple but unknown of what their status is ... sarcastic but also trying to make him forget about the operation he is trying to force her to have but she doesn't want to. They are sitting outside of a train station drinking beers and other alcoholic beverages while waiting for the train. She mentions the hills that are in front of t...

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... write. Ernest got a job at the Kansas City Star after high school. Ernest's job on the star was to cover the "short-stop run" this entailed the Fifteenth Street Police Station, Union Station, and General Hospital. He was trained by a manual that declared good writing. He learned that good writer didn't ramble on about things. Before long he grew bored with news ... ...

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... on a man even if the man is manipulative. Throughout the story, Hemingway uses symbolism to help the perceptive reader to see the deeper meaning. The story starts out in a train station in Italy near the Ebro, where there are choices to be made. The girl sees a life of happiness when she looks at the other side of the Ebro and sees ... an abortion and not risk losing him. Hemingway's use of setting in this story was used to set up the theme of this story. A man and a girl sitting in a train station that ...

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... enjoying their moderate lifestyle, but when faced with a crisis, the character of the man and girl change. At the beginning of the story, the girl and man are sitting in a station trying out new drinks, waiting on the train. The girl looks out the doorway and happens to see a line of hills that appear to be white, because of the sun ... girl says, "they look like white elephants"(170). The man could not picture it, and thought it was funny. The girl stood up and walked to the end of the station. Across, on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro. Far a...

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... , symbolized old ways (beer) and something new (Anes del Toro) in the two peoples relationship. This story also gives you images of the happenings going on in the story. "The station between two lines of rails" gave you the image of a choice of which track or option in life they were going to take. Were they going to go the one ... baby and go home. Hemingway also uses images to tell you the choice they make. When it says "he picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other tracks" it is telling you that they changed their minds, chose the different path, and...

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... readers may interpret another way of seeing the truth, but the symbols are there. The story is about an American and his girlfriend; they are waiting for the train at a station between Barcelona and Madrid. They are sitting on a café drinking beer and liquorice. When reading the story you figure out that she probably is pregnant and that her American ... is a river (the banks of Ebro) and fields of grain. In these past sentences there are various symbols that the author present to the reader. The dry side of the station symbolizes that there is no life, nothing can grow there. The othe...

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... readers may interpret another way of seeing the truth, but the symbols are there. The story is about an American and his girlfriend; they are waiting for the train at a station between Barcelona and Madrid. They are sitting on a café drinking beer and liquorice. When reading the story you figure out that she probably is pregnant and that her American ... is a river (the banks of Ebro) and fields of grain. In these past sentences there are various symbols that the author present to the reader. The dry side of the station symbolizes that there is no life, nothing can grow there. The othe...

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... dialogue. Moreover, I want to refer to descriptions of nature, which appear throughout the text. At the beginning of they the girl, named Jig, and the American are waiting at a little station "between two lines of rails" (l.3) for the train going to Madrid. They are sitting outside a bar in the shade and order two "cervezas" (l.16). The landscape is infertile, brown and ... "I don't care about me . And I"ll do it and then everything will be fine", she listens to the man's answer, then stands up and walks to "the end of the station" (l.109). There, the land is fertile and the woman sees ...

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... the short story "Hills Like White Elephants" the author Ernest Hemingway sets the setting in about the 1930's of an "American" and a "girl" sitting at a table together in a small train station bar somewhere between Barcelona and Madrid. The two are having a conversation on a subject that seems to have an effect on both of their lives, the topic in which they are ... sun. Life seems to be more enjoyable over there on the other side of the tracks, the side Jig wants to be on but can't because of complications. The railway station with the two lines of rails going in both directions foreve...

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... Elephants By Ernest Hemingway Hills Like White Elephants Hills Like White Elephants, is a short story, written by author Ernest Hemingway. It is a story about a man and a woman waiting at a train station talking about an issue that they never name. I believe this issue is abortion. In this paper I will prove that the girl in the story, who's name is Jig, finally decides ... advice and is going to make her own decision. We see that she does this at the end: He picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other racks. He looked up the tracks but could not see th...

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... have an abortion. Unfortunately for the American, Jig is not so completely convinced. Hemingway uses imagery to illustrate Jig's feelings on having a child. Hemingway describes the view from the train station overlooking the Ebro River and the surrounding "fields of grain." These fields are symbolic of Jig's fertility. Jig expresses her wish to have the child when she says "we could ... ...

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• Grade Level: High School