The Biography of Ernest Hemingway

- Born in Oak Park, Illinois, on July 21, 1899

- Both his mother and father were active members of the First

Congregational Church and ran a strict household.

- Hemingway wanted to enter the army or become a writer.   When

his father refused to allow him to enlist, Hemingway left home

and began reporting for the Kansas City Star.

- In 1918 when Hemingway volunteered as a Red Cross ambulance driver to do service on the front lines of World War I in Europe.

- While there, he met and fell in love with a Red Cross nurse named Agnes von Kurowsky. They planned to marry; however, she became engaged to an Italian officer instead.

- After the war, Hemingway returned to his work as a reporter. He married Hadley Richardson in 1921, and the couple moved to Paris.

• - Ernest Hemingway began work as a journalist upon moving to Paris in the early 1920s, but he still found time to write.

• - He was at his most prolific in the 20s and 30s. His first short story collection, titled “Three Stories and Ten Poems,” was published in 1923.

• - His next short story collection, “In Our Time,” published in 1925, was the formal introduction of the vaunted Hemingway style to the rest of the world, and considered one of the most important works of 20th century prose.

• - In 1926, Hemingway published The Sun Also Rises, his first novel, which generated considerable critical attention. The novel firmly established Hemingway as the voice of his generation, which is sometimes referred to as the ‘‘lost generation.’’

• - In 1927, he and his first wife divorced, and he married Pauline Pfeiffer. In that same year, he published the well-received collection of short stories, Men Without Women, a collection that included the short story, ‘‘Hills Like White Elephants.’’

In the years that followed, the Hemingway's established a household in Key West, Florida. In 1929, Hemingway’s novel A Farewell to Arms was published. Hemingway’s fame continued to grow, but not only for his literary skill—his ‘‘extracurricular’’ activities placed him squarely in the public eye. He hunted big game in Africa in the 1930s and German submarines in the Caribbean in the 1940s, and after covering the Spanish Civil War as a reporter, he memorialized the Loyalist cause in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940).

He also won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.

• - Hemingway’s final years were filled with growing physical and mental pain.

• - In 1961, at his home in Ketchum, Idaho, he took his own life with a shotgun blast, ending a decades-long literary career and a life filled with both the highest adventure and the deepest depression.

• - The legend of Hemingway looms large, and his writing style is so unique that it left a legacy in literature that will endure forever.

The relation between Hemingway's life and the story - Hemingway doesn't even say whether or not the two characters are married. He presents only the conversation between them and allows his readers to draw their own conclusions.

( Because Hemingway did not have a serious relationship in his real life. He is known to divorce his first wife after the birth of child. )

Vocabulary

Bead:

- a small usually spherical piece of glass, wood, plastic, etc. with a hole through it by means of which it may be strung with others to form a necklace, etc.

Reales:

- prenominal (economics) (of prices, incomes, wages, etc.) considered in terms of purchasing power rather than nominal currency value.

Absinth:

- a potent green alcoholic drink, technically a gin, originally having high wormwood content.

Grain:

- the small hard seed like fruit of a grass, esp. a cereal plant.

Damp:

- slightly wet, as from dew, steam, etc.

Plot Overview

“Hills Like White Elephants” starts with a detailed description of the story’s

setting. A man who is probably American and his girlfriend “Jig” sit at a table

outside a train station in a valley that is surrounded by hills and fields. They wait

for a train to Madrid.

The weather is very hot and they decide to drink some beers. While drinking, the

girl says that the nearby hills look like white elephants and the man responds that

he has never seen a white elephant. Then the girls changes the subject and asks

to drink a Spanish drink that she had never tested before. After tasting the drink,

she remarks that it tastes like licorice, bitter like all the things waited for so long.

The man criticizes her and says that they should try to have fun.

The girl retracts her earlier comment by saying the hills don’t actually look

like white elephants to her anymore. The American mentions that he wants

the girl, to have an operation, although he never actually specifies what

kind of operation. He mentions how easy the operation is. The man says

that things will be fine afterward, just like they were before, and that it will

fix their problems. He says he has known a lot of people who have had the

operation and found happiness afterward. The girl dispassionately agrees

with him. The American then claims that he won’t force her to have the

operation but thinks it’s the best course of action to take. She tells him that

she will have the operation as long as he’ll still love her and they’ll be able

to live happily together afterward.

The man then emphasizes how much he cares for the girl and weakly says that

she shouldn’t have the operation if she is going to do that for him only. Then Jig

gets tired of that conversation and makes the man promise to stop talking . The

Spanish bartender brings two more beers and tells them that the train is coming

in five minutes. The girl smiles at the bartender but has to ask the American

what she said because the girl doesn’t speak Spanish. After finishing their drinks,

the American carries their bags to the platform and then walks back to the bar,

noticing all the other people who are also waiting for the train. He asks the girl

whether she feels better. She says she feels fine and that there is nothing wrong

with her.

Narrator of the Hills Like White ElephantsThe Narrator of the story is third-person objective.

That technique is also called “the fly on the wall”. The narrator doesn't tell

us what the characters are thinking but what they do, see and that they say.

The narration style is simple and compact.

The narrator does not explicitly state motives, thoughts and attitudes.

The narration leaves many questions unanswered.

HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTSCharacter List

The American

The male protagonist of the story

The American never reveals his name, nor does the girl ever directly

address him by name.

He is determined to convince the girl to have the operation but tries to

appear as though he doesn’t care what she does.

He remains disconnected from his surroundings, not really understanding

or even listening to what the girl has to say.

HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTSCharacter List

The Girl

The female protagonist of the story.

The American calls the girl “Jig” at one point in the story but never mentions her real

name.

Unlike the American, the girl is less sure of what she wants and appears reluctant to have

the operation in question.

She alternates between wanting to talk about the operation and wanting to avoid the topic

altogether.

HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTSCharacter List

The Bartender

The woman serving drinks to the American man and the girl.

The bartender speaks only Spanish.

HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS Analysis of Major Characters

The American

The American behaves according to Hemingway’s rigid conception of masculinity.

Hemingway portrays the American as a rugged man’s man—knowledgeable, worldly, and always in

control of himself and the situation at hand.

when vexed or confused, he maintains his cool and feigns indifference.

He avoids discussion of their problems.

He seems to identify more with the other passengers “waiting reasonably” at the station than with

his own girlfriend at the end of the story, which suggests that the two will go their separate ways.

HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTSAnalysis of Major Characters

The Girl

Compared to the American, Hemingway’s overly masculine character, the girl is less assertive and

persuasive.

The girl appears helpless, confused, and indecisive.

changes her mind about the attractiveness of the surrounding hills.

claims to selflessly care only for the American; and seems uncertain about whether she wants to have the

operation.

the girl can’t even order drinks from the bartender on her own without having to rely on the man’s ability

to speak Spanish.

HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTSAnalysis of Major Characters The Girl

the girl seems to understand that her relationship with the American has effectively

ended, despite her professed desire to make him happy.

She knows that even if she has the operation, their relationship won’t return to how it used

to be.

the girl’s realization of this fact gives her power over the American, who never really

understands why they still can’t have “the whole world” like they once did.

HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS Setting

Hemingway sets “Hills Like White Elephants” at a train station to highlight the fact that the

relationship between the American man and the girl is at a crossroads.

the station isn’t a final destination but merely a stopping point between Barcelona and

Madrid.

Travelers, including the main characters, must therefore decide where to go and, in this

case, whether to go with each other and continue their relationship.

HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS Setting

the contrast between the white hills and barren valley possibly highlights the dichotomy

between life and death, fertility and sterility, and mirrors the choice the girl faces between

having the baby or having the abortion.

The girl seems torn between the two landscapes, not only commenting on the beauty of

the hills but also physically walking to the end of the platform and gazing out at the brown

emptiness around the station.

HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTSTime

This story takes place in a very short period of time

but yet tells a tale that is much bigger than itself

However, a time period or a location does not need to be palpably and directly stated in the text.

In “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway gives only indirect indication of the setting.

Never does he state the year. Hemingway writes, “It was very hot and the Express from Barcelona

would come in forty minutes

The time period is never explicitly stated but it can be assumed to be around 1927, as that is the

date the story was written.

Main Themes in ‘‘ Hills Like White Elephants’’

Talking versus Communicating

-Inability to Communicate Effectively-Language and Communication

"Let's drink beer." (4)

"They look like white elephants," she said. 

"I've never seen one," the man drank his beer. 

"No, you wouldn't have." (9-11)

"Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?" (98)

Conflict Between Personal Responsibility and Hedonism

Choices and Consequences

"We can go everywhere."

"No, we can't. It isn't ours any more. (78-79)

"I think it's the best thing to do. But I don't want you to do it if you don't really want to." (57)

He went out through the bead curtain. Shewas sitting at the table and smiled at him.‘Do you feel better?’ he asked.‘I feel fine,’ she said. ‘There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.’

Some Important Symbols in ‘‘ Hills Like White Elephants’’

-Hills- White Elephants- Railroad Tracks- Green Side of the Station -Anís del Toro- Baggage- Train Station- The Bamboo Bead Curtain

‘‘Hills’’ as a Symbol in ‘‘Hills Like White Elephants’’

‘‘White Elephants’’ as a Symbol in ‘‘Hills Like White Elephants’’

‘‘Railroad Tracks’’ as a Symbol in ‘‘Hills Like White Elephants’’

‘‘The Green Side of the Station’’ as a Symbol in ‘‘Hills Like White Elephants’’

‘‘Anís del Toro’’ as a Symbol in ‘‘Hills Like White Elephants’’

‘‘The American With the Baggage’’ as a Symbol in ‘‘Hills Like White Elephants’’

‘‘The Train Station’’ as a Symbol in ‘‘ Hills Like White Elephants’’

DrinkingDrinking is a motif which helps the

characters to avoid talking about important issues such as pregnancy of the girl. Drinking seems like the only decision they make together.

References;

http://www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/hills-like-white-elephants/themes.html http://www.123helpme.com/preview.asp?id=98492 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080211071639AA0kWOd

http://www.shmoop.com/hills-like-white-elephants/choices-quotes.html

http://cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides4/Hills.htmlhttp://voices.yahoo.com/analyzing-symbolism-hills-like-white-elephants-2408749.html

References http://www.hemingwaypreservationfoundation.org/ernest-hemingway-a-short-biography.html

http://www.anafilya.org/go.php?go=7da36902e12dc

http://www.gradesaver.com/complete-short-stories-of-ernest-hemingway/study-guide/section5/

http://voices.yahoo.com/a-biographical-analysis-hills-like-white-elephants-3355504.html?cat=38

http://www.enotes.com/hills-like-white-elephants/author-biography

http://www.123helpme.com/complex-relationship-between-the-american-and-jig-in-hemingways-hills-like-white-elephants-preview.asp?id=155770

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/hemingway-short-stories/summary-analysis/hills-like-white-elephants.html

http://contemporary-literature.yoexpert.com/reviews-of-fiction/symbolism-ernest-hemingway-and-how-it-is-portrayed-33188.html

http://www.collinsdictionary.com/

http://www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/hills-like-white-elephants/themes.html

http://www.123helpme.com/preview.asp?id=98492

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080211071639AA0kWOd

http://www.shmoop.com/hills-like-white-elephants/choices-quotes.html

http://cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides4/Hills.html