Frankie Klimek
English Comp II
January 28, 2004
Human Nature and Human Life
In Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," we see a young woman torn between two decisions as if she were standing between "two lines of rails," (248) each one leading to a different life for her. She must decide whether she will keep the life growing inside of her, or give it up to be with the young man she is with. Hemingway takes a spectator's point of view in this story, however through his mastery of imagery, symbolism and diction, he makes it evident in the end that "Jig" has overcome the selfish nature of youth and made the decision to keep her baby.
The title of the story is a symbolic hint as to the meaning of the story. A white elephant symbolizes two things: First of all, in the story of Buddha, Buddha's mother dreams that a white elephant comes to give her a lotus on the eve of Buddha's birth; the white elephant symbolizes fertility and knowledge. On the other hand, a white elephant represents a burden. In ancient Asia, white elephants were regarded as holy, but to keep a white elephant was a very expensive task. If a king became dissatisfied with one of his nobles he would give them a white elephant, which in most cases would ruin the recipient. In this story, Jig has been given something very precious, a baby, which is the ultimate symbol of her fertility. To him the baby represents an enormous burden and an unwanted change in his lifestyle. Jig could never keep the child if she was to choose to stay with the young man. The baby is blatant symbol of her fecundity and an important piece of the female puzzle, but she must first give up some of her freedom and overcome the selfish thoughts that have brought her to this train station in the first place.
English Comp II
January 28, 2004
Human Nature and Human Life
In Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," we see a young woman torn between two decisions as if she were standing between "two lines of rails," (248) each one leading to a different life for her. She must decide whether she will keep the life growing inside of her, or give it up to be with the young man she is with. Hemingway takes a spectator's point of view in this story, however through his mastery of imagery, symbolism and diction, he makes it evident in the end that "Jig" has overcome the selfish nature of youth and made the decision to keep her baby.
The title of the story is a symbolic hint as to the meaning of the story. A white elephant symbolizes two things: First of all, in the story of Buddha, Buddha's mother dreams that a white elephant comes to give her a lotus on the eve of Buddha's birth; the white elephant symbolizes fertility and knowledge. On the other hand, a white elephant represents a burden. In ancient Asia, white elephants were regarded as holy, but to keep a white elephant was a very expensive task. If a king became dissatisfied with one of his nobles he would give them a white elephant, which in most cases would ruin the recipient. In this story, Jig has been given something very precious, a baby, which is the ultimate symbol of her fertility. To him the baby represents an enormous burden and an unwanted change in his lifestyle. Jig could never keep the child if she was to choose to stay with the young man. The baby is blatant symbol of her fecundity and an important piece of the female puzzle, but she must first give up some of her freedom and overcome the selfish thoughts that have brought her to this train station in the first place.
