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Central Stereotypes in Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants The short story Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway was first published in 1927. Despite the fact that is was written in the first half of the last century it touches the problems that remain relevant nowadays. Hemingway in his work touches the global problems of humanity and moral principles, the value of human life. The problem of choice is one of the recurrent themes in Hemingway's works. The short story Hills Like White Elephants represents the wide scope of traditional for Hemingway themes and stylistic devices used for conveying those themes. The task of this work is the analysis of the three central stereotypes of the story, Ebro valley, the American and Jig, their interaction, how it helps to convey the authors message.
Hills are the essential part of the scenery in the story. They represent the reason of argument between the American and Jig. The simile Hills Like White Elephants, standing for the title of the story carries ambiguity of meaning. This simile represents the big white and round belly of the pregnant woman. In Hinduism mythology, white elephants symbolize something very rare and precious. In America white elephant symbolizes some rubbish, unwanted thing.
Jigs fascination with the hills and the Americans obvious irritation reveal their attitude towards Jigs pregnancy. Jig grasps to the idea, she is willing to have the baby, while the American is disgusted. The scenery is the key element of the short story. Hemingway masterfully applies imagery for adding deeper insight to the relations between the American and Jig.
Hemingway discloses their confrontation with their inner selves and with each other. The author describes two contrasting sides of the valley of the Ebro, crossed by two parallel lines of rails, going in opposite direction. One side of the valley no shade and no trees, brown and dry (Hemingway, p. 724) Across, on the other side fields of grain and trees, can be seen the river through the trees (Hemingway, p. 727) The contrast of the two opposite landscapes represents the opposite opinions of the American and Jig. The landscape imagery is highly symbolic. The dead and picturesque scenarios symbolize the opposition of infertility to fertility.
The author introduces two directions, two choices and characters are in between, trying to choose between full and empty lives. From the talk of the characters, the reader understands that the operation discussed is abortion. The story was written in 1927, when abortions were not legal, and until today, the Christian Church prohibits the abortions. This fact adds new, deeper meaning to the scenery. The two sides of the valley symbolize biblical paradise and inferno, while the station symbolizes the purgatory.
The Hemingway's suicide suggests that the author did not hold much regard of the religious dogmatism, and this symbol should be viewed purely as metaphoric, and related to the emotional and moral state of the characters, which depends on decisions they make. We can have the whole world, once they take it away, you never get it back, (Hemingway, p. 727) says Jig. Despite the fact, that both characters have opposite views of the situation, and the American insists on the operation, while Jig is against it, the abortion can become a personal hell to both of them. The American several times describes the operation, which Jig has to undergo as perfectly natural and perfectly simple (Hemingway, p. 726), but such operation can be never easily forgotten. Both Jig and the American are likely to remember this for the rest of their lives, and the close end of their relationships is obvious.
The ironic remark And afterwards they were all so happy (Hemingway, p. 727) and irritated request Would you please please please please please please please stop talking? (Hemingway, p. 728) signify, that after the operation these people will not be together. The emptiness on the one side of the valley symbolizes the end of the relationships under the influence of wrong decisions, while the opposite side of the valley full of life symbolizes the possible continuation of the relationships if the operation does not occur. Hemingway plays with the setting and the scenery, disclosing the relationship between the characters and their thoughts. The first introduction of the characters The American and the girl with him (Hemingway, p. 724) suggests, that the girl is younger that her companion, because she was introduced like and addition to him, not like equal character. The American and Jig form semantically inconsistent chain, which draws attention to their inequality.
The American and Jig are sitting in the shade. When Jig stands up to go across the station and look on the hills, there occurs the most disputable dialogue, the climax of Jigs resistance, she tries to protects something valuable to her. The American reacts in following: Come on back in the shade, he said. You mustn't feel that way. (Hemingway, p. 728) The shade symbolizes the Americans influence on Jig, his domination. Her outbreak worried him and he ordered her to return in his metaphoric shade. The American acts like a strong character.
He never blames Jig of their situation, quite the opposite, he tries to sooth her and he does not require any rude pressure for leading her. It is important to notice that such self-confidence does not show the Americans strong will, only his domination over Jig. Both of the characters in this short story are weak. Hemingway allows the reader to pity Jig, to criticize the American, but he does not allow being sympathetic to them.
The author does not like these two characters. The American is not responsible person and Jig is passive. They both are not capable for the Deed, and for Hemingway this is the worst mistake. Hills Like White Elephants is the rare story, where Hemingway doe not introduce his favorite character, capable for rebel and conscious action. This is the story, in which little people, led by their little fears, make grand mistakes and ruin their lives. The author shows that it is difficult to be a hero, but this is more difficult to be a decent person in the very day life.
But people should not passively take what may follow, but fight for their rights. In his works, Hemingway calls for understanding of the priorities and choosing the right path. Bibliography Baker, Carlos. Hemingway, A Life Story.
Scribner's, 1969 Burgess, Anthony, Hemingway and his world. Norwich: Thames and Hudson, 1978 R. V. Cassill comp. and ed. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway.
New York: Scribner's, 1998
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