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A summary of Symbols in Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants.
- Full Plot Summary
“Hills Like White Elephants” opens with a long description...
- Themes
Although “Hills Like White Elephants” is primarily a...
- Setting
Hemingway sets “Hills Like White Elephants” at a train...
- Full Plot Summary
‘Hills Like White Elephants’ contains many of the most representative elements of Hemingway’s fiction: the spare style, the plain and direct dialogue, and the Spanish landscape which he often wrote about.
Mar 15, 2024 · In the story, ‘Hills Like White Elephants,’ Hemingway relies heavily on the tolls of imagery and symbolism to add many layers of depth and understanding to the unfolding of the drama between the two characters. The title of the story itself is highly symbolic as there are two of the most significant symbols present in it.
- Hemingway's Iceberg Theory
- "Hills Like White Elephants" Analysis
- White Elephants Symbolism
- What else?
Also known as the "theory of omission," Hemingway'sIceberg Theory contends that the words on the page should be merely a small part of the whole story—they are the proverbial "tip of the iceberg," and a writer should use as few words as possible in order to indicate the larger, unwritten story that resides below the surface. Hemingway made it clear...
If it already seems obvious to you that "Hills Like White Elephants" is a story about abortion, you can skip this section. But if the story is new to you, you might feel less certain about it. Throughout the story, it is clear that the man would like the woman to get an operation, which he describes as "awfully simple," "perfectly simple," and "not...
The symbolism of the white elephants further emphasizes the subject of the story. The origin of the phrase is commonly traced to a practice in Siam (now Thailand) in which a king would bestow the gift of a white elephant on a member of his court who displeased him. The white elephant was considered sacred, so on the surface, this gift was an honor....
"Hills Like White Elephants" is a rich story that yields more every time you read it. Consider the contrast between the hot, dry side of the valley and the more fertile "fields of grain." You might consider the symbolismof the train tracks or the absinthe. You might ask yourself whether the woman will go through with the abortion, whether they'll s...
Need help on symbols in Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants? Check out our detailed analysis. From the creators of SparkNotes.
The girl is staring at the distant hills, which are brightly lit in the sunlight, though otherwise barren in appearance. The girl makes a seemingly innocent remark to the man that the hills “look like white elephants,” to which the man responds that he has never seen one.
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Oct 4, 2024 · The hills, likened to "white elephants," symbolize burdensome gifts, reflecting the couple's differing views on the pregnancy. The story, centered on the couple's conversation about...
