Hills like white elephant

1. Theme
The complicated situation of couple in facing the incidental and unwanted pregnancy.
Argument: the story describes of how hard and difficult the situation of their
relationship, seen from the frustration conversation between the two characters. It
might not explicitly be stated in the story about what is they’re talking about or what
is happening in their relationship, but the author explains it symbolically about what is
their going through by use the ‘hills like white elephant’ as a symbol, in which in
dictionary it means a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of.
That is, related to their conversation, it is now clear what is actually they're facing in
their relationship, the unexpected pregnancy, which is hard to discuss because the two
characters have opposite desires and don’t understand each other.

2. Plot
 Exposition: the exposition is at the paragraph 1, the American man and a girl sat
at the bar in the station that located near the Ebro River while waiting the train to
Madrid.
Argument: this paragraph is an exposition because an exposition usually contains
the introduction about the characters, setting in story. And this paragraph
introduces a reader to characters in the story, the American man and the girl, also
it describes the setting location where the story happens, which at the bar, in the
Spanyol’s train station and the setting time, which is the afternoon.
 Rising action: when the American man and the girl are about to ordering beer.
And the conversation switch to the line of hills that the girl said looks like a white
elephant and replied by the man that he has never seen one, which the girl also
replied by “you wouldn’t see one”. And then the chat evolves again as they try a
new drink and finally goes to the conversation about the decision of doing the
“procedure”, which the man said is just a simple operation and they will be happy
after it just like they were before, because it is the only thing that bother them. Jig
is reconsidering her decision, as she said she may would be happy afterwards just
like the others, but the man doesn’t want to do if Jig doesn’t really want to. Jig
tells the man that they could have everything, but not anymore, because
something will be taken away.
Argument: the conversation from ordering the beer, switch to the hills like white
elephants and finally brings to debate about the “procedure” are the raising action
because it introduces the readers about what is the conflict and what is happening
between the man and the girl named Jig through the conversation. It describes the
tension developments between the two characters, lead the readers to understand
their feelings, struggles, and obstacles.
 Climax: when Jig sick of hearing her boyfriend talking and wants to stop the
conversation so she asks him to please shut up by saying "Would you please
please please please please please please stop talking?" Then she threatens to
screams.
 Argument: the seven please of Jig is the climax because the conversation is
already burning so hard that shown in the story by the frustration and tired
feelings of Jig as she wants it to end by asking her boyfriend to shut up.
 Falling action: when the waitress announces the train will be arrive in 5 minutes,
and the American man takes the bags to the other tracks.
Argument: the announcement by the woman bar is a falling action because the
tension between the American man and the girl is going down as the girl cancels
to scream.
 Resolution: when the man back to the girl to finish they drink, and he asks Jig if
she’s feeling better and she says there’s nothing wrong with her and she’s fine.
Argument: this part is a resolution cause the conflict is finally blow over as Jig
says she is fine but unfortunately, we don’t know what the final decision they
make.

3. Characters & characterization

 Jig
The main character & protagonist
Argument: she’s one of the characters that has the struggle in this story. She
seems not clear about her decision and helpless, as she like want to talk about
it by use the white elephants as the symbol, yet she wants to avoid the
conversation. In one side, she seems doesn’t want to do the “procedure” but in
the other hand, she also put her trust in her boyfriend as seen in the story that
she keeps ask about everything she doesn’t know to her boyfriend. For
instance, "What does it say?" “Could we try it?” "Is it good with water?”
 The American man
The main character & the protagonist
Argument: he may be seen as an antagonist because of commanding Jig to do
the “procedure”, but actually he is also the main character in this story that has
the same struggle or obstacle about this situation, and he try to find a solution
to get over it by suggest Jig to do the “procedure” and think it will be the best
option, even though it might look an evil decision. He thinks about what best
for him and her girlfriend, as he already survey about a lots people who have
done it.
 Woman (bar’s waitress)
Figure. Appears in some dialogs.

4. Setting
 Place: station, bar
“….On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between
two lines of rails in the sun. Close against the side of the station there was the
warm shadow of the building and a curtain, made of strings of bamboo beads,
hung across the open door into the bar, to keep out flies…..”
 Suasana: struggling, frustration,
 Time: afternoon
“……the station was between two lines of rails in the sun…”
“……They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry.”
5. POV
Third person objective
Argument: the teller (narrator) is not a part of the story, but as an outside observer that
describes what is happening to the characters in the story without showing or deep
diving or into the characters’ thoughts and emotions.

6. Irony
Majas dan teknik yang berfungsi untuk menggambarkan suatu perbedaan antara
tampilan dan realita.
Verbal = overstatement (melebih-lebihkan)
"It tastes like licorice," the girl said and put the glass down.
"That's the way with everything."
"Yes," said the girl. "Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the
things you've waited so long for, like absinthe."
Argument: licorices tastes is sweet, and the girl said that everything tastes of licorice,
which means that everything in this world is sweet (overstatement).

7. Makna judul
The metaphor of "white elephants" carries a sense of unwanted or burdensome
situations. White elephants are rare and were considered sacred in some cultures, but
they were also impractical and expensive to maintain. In the context of the story, the
phrase suggests the weight and burden of the decision the characters are facing.
Metafora "gajah putih" mengandung arti situasi yang tidak diinginkan atau
membebani. Gajah putih adalah hewan langka dan dianggap suci dalam beberapa
budaya, tetapi mereka juga tidak praktis dan mahal untuk dipelihara. Dalam konteks
cerita, frasa ini menunjukkan berat dan beban keputusan yang dihadapi para karakter.