Zoe Byszynski
Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway is the story of "the American" and "the girl" on their way to get an abortion. As they drink and wait for the train, the Girl remarks the hills look like White Elephants, which the man can't understand. Hemingway emphasizes the differences in each character's headspace to assert a power dynamic between the two.
The American is a play on the hyper masculine patriarch. He is in control of the conversation, not entertaining the girl's similes of White Elephants or absinthe. He's the first one to bring up the operation, insisting he wouldn't have her go through with the procedure if she doesn't want to, which unfairly puts the responsibility on her shoulders. Yet, he continually tries to convince her that the procedure is simple and safe. Taking place during the early 1920s, abortions were highly taboo, unregulated, dangerous, and in many places illegal/ off the book. The American clearly has no idea what the procedure consists of physically, he uses language like "let the air" in to talk about a complicated relationship, and doesn't even consider how it could be affecting her mentally.
On the other hand, the girl tries to remain nonchalant, yet it's clear she's helpless and confused. The Girl is less assertive in the conversation, trying to distract herself with her surroundings. She repeatedly tells the man that she will do whatever he wants (even if it's detrimental to her physical health) as long as it stops their problems and makes them happy.
Throughout the conversation their discussion is deflective/redirective rather than talking about the thing that really matters: the abortion. Short sentences are all they can manage to say to each other, almost as if they fear saying more will lead to the tension bubbling to the surface. For instance, they're looking at the shape of the hills, which look similar to a pregnant woman lying on her back, but instead saying they look like white elephants. Additionally, though the conversation is about the decision to get an abortion the train that they're already waiting for is five minutes away and the woman is drinking (which is extremely dangerous to a fetus), it seems they've already made up their minds.
That disconnect in their communication is clearly indicative of an underlying problem (besides deciding to get an abortion) in their relationship, they can't communicate or be vulnerable. Though they say getting the operation will put things back to normal, the reader can assume there was already tension before she got pregnant. Their relationship is never explicitly defined, which during the early 1920s was very untraditional. Their bags have different labels from hotels showing how casual and carefree their relationship is. A child would certainly make that lifestyle impossible and force them to settle down.
Their love story is untraditional, or perhaps not a love story at all. Post WWI there's a looming instability in the world that's reflected in their relationship. Emphasized when the girl says, "We can have the whole world" and the man asserts, "No, we can't. It isn't ours any more." The characters appear to be fighting for the nostalgia of a world that's changed, and a relationship that's changed as a result of the woman's pregnancy. They want this to be a "it's the end of the world, but we still have each other story," but the world has already ended and they've already drifted apart.
In conclusion, Hemmingway uses tense dialogue to reveal the opposition and incompatibility of the main characters. By having the characters speak through subtext an uncertainty with the operation and each other is established, which gives richness to the history of their relationship.
The American is a play on the hyper masculine patriarch. He is in control of the conversation, not entertaining the girl's similes of White Elephants or absinthe. He's the first one to bring up the operation, insisting he wouldn't have her go through with the procedure if she doesn't want to, which unfairly puts the responsibility on her shoulders. Yet, he continually tries to convince her that the procedure is simple and safe. Taking place during the early 1920s, abortions were highly taboo, unregulated, dangerous, and in many places illegal/ off the book. The American clearly has no idea what the procedure consists of physically, he uses language like "let the air" in to talk about a complicated relationship, and doesn't even consider how it could be affecting her mentally.
On the other hand, the girl tries to remain nonchalant, yet it's clear she's helpless and confused. The Girl is less assertive in the conversation, trying to distract herself with her surroundings. She repeatedly tells the man that she will do whatever he wants (even if it's detrimental to her physical health) as long as it stops their problems and makes them happy.
Throughout the conversation their discussion is deflective/redirective rather than talking about the thing that really matters: the abortion. Short sentences are all they can manage to say to each other, almost as if they fear saying more will lead to the tension bubbling to the surface. For instance, they're looking at the shape of the hills, which look similar to a pregnant woman lying on her back, but instead saying they look like white elephants. Additionally, though the conversation is about the decision to get an abortion the train that they're already waiting for is five minutes away and the woman is drinking (which is extremely dangerous to a fetus), it seems they've already made up their minds.
That disconnect in their communication is clearly indicative of an underlying problem (besides deciding to get an abortion) in their relationship, they can't communicate or be vulnerable. Though they say getting the operation will put things back to normal, the reader can assume there was already tension before she got pregnant. Their relationship is never explicitly defined, which during the early 1920s was very untraditional. Their bags have different labels from hotels showing how casual and carefree their relationship is. A child would certainly make that lifestyle impossible and force them to settle down.
Their love story is untraditional, or perhaps not a love story at all. Post WWI there's a looming instability in the world that's reflected in their relationship. Emphasized when the girl says, "We can have the whole world" and the man asserts, "No, we can't. It isn't ours any more." The characters appear to be fighting for the nostalgia of a world that's changed, and a relationship that's changed as a result of the woman's pregnancy. They want this to be a "it's the end of the world, but we still have each other story," but the world has already ended and they've already drifted apart.
In conclusion, Hemmingway uses tense dialogue to reveal the opposition and incompatibility of the main characters. By having the characters speak through subtext an uncertainty with the operation and each other is established, which gives richness to the history of their relationship.
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