HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS

By: Ernest Hemingway

Characters

The story "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway

revolves around two main characters:

1. The American Man: He is an American man in his early

thirties, traveling with a young woman. He is assertive,
persuasive, and seems to have a more pragmatic and
detached perspective on the situation they are facing. He is
pushing for the woman to have an abortion, and throughout
the story, he attempts to convince her by emphasizing the
practicality and potential benefits of the procedure.

2. The Girl (Jig): She is a young woman in her twenties and is

the American man's companion. Throughout the story, she is
referred to as "the girl." She is more hesitant and
contemplative about the decision they are facing. She is
uncertain about the potential consequences of having an
abortion and is torn between the desire to please the man
and her own emotional attachment to the unborn child.
Other minor characters are briefly mentioned, such as the
waitress at the bar who serves them drinks and the people
passing by in the train station. However, the focus of the story
remains primarily on the intense conversation between the
American man and the girl as they grapple with their
conflicting perspectives and emotions regarding the
pregnancy.

Settings
"Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway is a short
story set in the 1920s at a train station located in the Ebro
River valley in Spain. The story primarily takes place at a
small, simple outdoor bar near the train tracks, where the
main characters, a man and a woman, are waiting for a train
to arrive. The setting is described as hot and dry, with hills
that resemble white elephants in the distance.

The bar is described as having a few tables under the shade,

with a curtain made of strings of bamboo beads at the
entrance. There is a line of trees nearby along the bank of
the river, and the station itself consists of two parallel tracks
with a few buildings.
The setting is significant to the story as it reflects the
characters' emotional state and mirrors the underlying
tension and conflict they are experiencing. The barren and
desolate landscape symbolizes the uncertainty and difficulty
of the decision they are facing, which revolves around the
woman's potential pregnancy and the choice of whether or
not to have an abortion.

Overall, the setting of "Hills Like White Elephants"

contributes to the story's themes of communication
breakdown, the weight of decision-making, and the struggle
between personal desires and societal expectations.

Unlock the unfamiliar words

1. Ebro: The Ebro is a river in northeastern Spain, mentioned
as the location of the train station where the story is set.

2. Bead curtain: This is a curtain made of strings of beads,

often used as a decorative element or to separate spaces.
3. Anis del Toro: Anis del Toro is a type of Spanish liqueur,
referred to in the story as the drink the characters order at
the bar.

4. Licorice: Licorice is a flavor derived from the root of the

licorice plant, often used in candy or beverages.

While these words may not be completely unfamiliar, they

might require some contextual understanding within the
story. However, it is worth noting that Hemingway's prose is
generally accessible and relies on simple language, allowing
readers to focus more on the characters and their dialogue
rather than complex vocabulary.