Hills Like White

Elephants
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
(1899-4961)
PM DR NORSHIMA ZAINAL SHAH
LET’S READ THIS SHORT STORY
The hills across the valley of the Ebro' were long and white. 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. The American and the
girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. It was very hot and the express
from Barcelona would come in forty minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and
went on to Madrid.

"What should we drink?" the girl asked. She had taken off her hat and put it on the table. "It's
pretty hot," the man said. "Let's drink beer.“ "Dos cervezas," the man said into the curtain.
"Big ones?" a woman asked from the doorway. "Yes. Two big ones.“ The woman brought two
glasses of beer and two felt pads. She put the felt pads and the beer glasses on the table and
looked at the man and the girl. The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in
the sun and the country was brown and dry. "They look like white elephants," she said. "I've
never seen one," the man drank his beer. "No, you wouldn't have.“ "I might have," the man
said. "Just because you say I wouldn't have doesn't prove anything.“ The girl looked at the bead
curtain. "They've painted something on it,“ she said. "What does it say?“ "Anis del Toro. It's a
drink.“ "Could we try it?“ The man called "Listen" through the curtain. The woman came out
from the bar. "Four reales.“ "We want two Anis del Toro.“ "With water?“ "Do you want it with
water?“ "I don't know," the girl said. "Is it good with water?“ "It's all right.“ "You want them
with
2 water?" asked the woman.

1. River in the north of Spain.

"Yes, with water.“ "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.“ "Oh, cut it out.“ "You started it," the girl said. "I was
being amused. I was having a fine time.“ "Well, let's try and have a fine time.“ "All right. I was
trying. I said the mountains looked like white elephants. Wasn't that bright?“ "That was
bright.“ "I wanted to try this new drink. That's all we do, isn't it—look at things and try new
drinks?“ " I guess so.“ The girl looked across at the hills. "They're lovely hills," she said. "They
don't really look like white elephants. I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees."
"Should we have another drink?“ "All right.“ The warm wind blew the bead curtain against the
table. "The beer's nice and cool," the man said. "It's lovely," the girl said. "It's really an awfully
simple operation, Jig," the man said. "It's not really an operation at all.“ The girl looked at the
ground the table legs rested on. " I know you wouldn't mind it, Jig. It's really not anything. It's
just to let the air in.“ The girl did not say anything. "I'll go with you and I'll stay with you all
the time. They just let the air in and then it's all perfectly natural.“ "Then what will we do
afterward?“ "We'll be fine afterward. Just like we were before.“ "What makes you think so?“
"That's the only thing that bothers us. It's the only thing that's made us unhappy.“ The girl
looked at the bead curtain, put her hand out and took hold of two of the strings of beads.
"And you think then we'll be all right and be happy.“ "I know we will. You don't have to be
afraid. I've known lots of people that have done it.“ "So have I," said the girl. "And afterward
they were all so happy.“ "Well," the man said, "if you don't want to you don't have to. I
wouldn't have you do it if you didn't want to. But I know it's perfectly simple.“ "And you really
want to?"
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" 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.“ "And
if I do it you'll be happy and things will be like they were and you'll love me?“ "I love you now.
You know I love you.“ "I know. But if I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white
elephants, and you'll like it?“ "I'll love it. I love it now but I just can't think about it. You know
how I get when I worry.“ "If I do it you won't ever worry?“ " I won't worry about that because
it's perfectly simple.“ "Then I'll do it. Because I don't care about me.“ "What do you mean?“ " I
don't care about me.“ "Well, I care about you.“ "Oh, yes. But I don't care about me. And I'll do it
and then everything will be fine.“ " I don't want you to do it if you feel that way.“ The girl stood
up and walked to the end of the station. Across, on the other side, were fields of grain and trees
along the banks of the Ebro. Far away, beyond the river, were mountains. The shadow of a cloud
moved across the field of grain and she saw the river through the trees. "And we could have all
this," she said. "And we could have everything and every day we make it more impossible.“ "What
did you say?“ "I said we could have everything.“ "We can have everything.“ "No, we can't.“ "We
can have the whole world.“ "No, we can't.“ "We can go everywhere.“ "No, we can't. It isn't ours
any more.“ "It's ours.“ "No, it isn't. And once they take it away, you never get it back.“ "But they
haven't taken it away.“ "We'll wait and see.“ "Come on back in the shade," he said. "You mustn't
feel that way." "I don't feel any way," the girl said. "I just know things.“ " I don't want you to do
anything that you don't want to do—“ "Nor that isn't good for me," she said. "I know. Could we
have another beer?“ "All right. But you've got to realize—“ "I realize," the girl said. "Can't we
maybe stop talking?“ They sat down at the table and the girl looked across at the hills on the dry
side of the valley and the man looked at her and at the table. "You've got to realize," he said,
"that I don't want you to do it if you don’t want to.
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I'm perfectly willing to go through with it if it means anything to you.“ "Doesn't it mean anything
to you? We could get along.“ "Of course it does. But I don't want anybody but you. I don't want
any one else. And I know it's perfectly simple.“ "Yes, you know it's perfectly simple.“ "It's all right
for you to say that, but I do know it.“ "Would you do something for me now?“ "I'd do anything
for you.“ "Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?“ He did not say
anything but looked at the bags against the wall of the station. There were labels on them from
all the hotels where they had spent nights. "But I don't want you to," he said, "I don't care
anything about it.“ "I'll scream,“ the girl said. The woman came out through the curtains with
two glasses of beer and put them down on the damp felt pads. "The train comes in five minutes,"
she said. "What did she say?" asked the girl. "That the train is coming in five minutes.“ The girl
smiled brightly at the woman, to thank her. "I'd better take the bags over to the other side of the
station," the man said. She smiled at him. "All right. Then come back and we'll finish the beer.“
He picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other tracks. He
looked up the tracks but could not see the train. Coming back, he walked through the barroom,
where people waiting for the train were drinking. He drank an Anis at the bar and looked at the
people. They were all waiting reasonably for the train. He went out through the bead curtain. She
was 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."

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Let’s analyse the short story, through the
literary terms
• How many characters are
there in this story?
character setting
• Where is the setting of this
story?
• What is the plot of the story?
plot theme
• What is the theme of this
story/
• What is the conflict in this
conflict genre
story?
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Literary terms
character
• a person in a novel, play, or film.

• These four character types are: dynamic, flat, static, and round.

• Dynamic Character- A dynamic character is one that

experiences a change in either their outlook or their personality. • An antagonist is a
character, or a group of
This form of change can either be one that is simple to see or
could be one that happens subtly to the point where it’s hard to
detect when the change started.
characters, which stands in
• Flat Character- A character who is flat is one that displays few
personality traits and does not experience a change within the
story. These characters don’t really have any layers to them,
opposition to the
everything about them can be seen on the surface. These
characters aren’t fully fleshed out but they are able to impact
protagonist, which is the
the story.
main character.
• Static Character- Static characters are characters who don’t
develop at all during a story.

• Round Character- Round characters are characters who happen

to be fully fleshed out. These characters will have a distinct
personality, background, and motives.

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Literary terms
setting
• The setting of a piece of literature is the time
and place in which the story takes place.
• (“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest
• The definition of setting can also include social
statuses, weather, historical period, and details Hemingway)
about immediate surroundings.

• Settings can be real or fictional, or a
combination of both real and fictional elements.
• The setting provides the backdrop to the story
and helps create mood.
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• Ernest Hemingway was known for his
style of succinct description and short
sentences. The opening paragraph to his
short story “Hills Like White Elephants”
contains the majority of the descriptive
details of the piece. The “American and
the girl” are the two characters, and their
bleak conversation is mimicked in the
setting that is hot, white, and unforgiving.

Literary terms
plot
• Plot is a literary term used to
describe the events that make
up a story, or the main part of
a story.
• These events relate to each other
in a pattern or a sequence.
• The structure of a fiction
depends on the organization of
events in the plot of the story.
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• Plot Overview
• SUMMARY PLOT OVERVIEW
• “Hills Like White Elephants” opens with a long
description of the story’s setting in a train station
surrounded by hills, fields, and trees in a valley in
Spain. A man known simply as the American and his
girlfriend sit at a table outside the station, waiting for
a train to Madrid.
• It is hot, and the man orders two beers. The girl
remarks that the nearby hills look like white elephants,
to which the American responds that he’s never seen
one. They order more drinks and begin to bicker about
the taste of the alcohol. The American chastises her and
says that they should try to enjoy themselves. The girl
replies that she’s merely having fun and then retracts
her earlier comment by saying the hills don’t actually
look like white elephants to her anymore.
• They order more drinks, and the American mentions
that he wants the girl, whom he calls “Jig,” to have an
operation, although he never actually specifies what
kind of operation. He seems agitated and tries to
downplay the operation’s seriousness. He argues that
the operation would be simple, for example, but then
says the procedure really isn’t even an operation at all.
The girl says nothing for a while, but then she asks what will happen after she’s had the
operation. The man answers 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, but she claims not to care about
what happens to herself. The American weakly says that she shouldn’t have the operation if
that’s really the way she feels. The girl then walks over to the end of the station, looks at
the scenery, and wonders aloud whether they really could be happy if she has the operation.
They argue for a while until the girl gets tired and makes the American 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.
https://www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/hills-like-white-elephants/summary/
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Literary terms
• The main conflict in the story “Hills Like
White Elephants ” is the debate between
conflict the man and his girlfriend Jig over
whether or not to abort their unborn
• What makes a story interesting? When you read
a book or watch a movie, why do you care what
baby that Jig is carrying. The man
happens? Yes, most stories have characters, a obviously wants—and pressures—Jig to
setting, and a plot, but there is one thing in have an abortion while Jig is reluctant to
particular every story must have in order to go through with the procedure. The man
create interest in the audience: a conflict. and Jig are a young American couple
•
backpacking through Spain, carefree and
A conflict in literature is defined as any struggle
between opposing forces. Usually, the main supposedly in love. The baby would
character struggles against some other force. disrupt their relationship and lifestyle of
This type of conflict is what drives each and wanderlust.
every story. Without it, the story would have no
point or purpose. There needs to be some
struggle in order for the reader to get involved
and care about what might happen to the
characters.
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Literary terms • "Hills Like White Elephants" is
a rich study in human
communication. Intense,
theme focused, and concentrated, the
• The theme in a story is its underlying story depicts a couple at a
message, or 'big idea.' In other words,
what critical belief about life is the
crisis point in their
author trying to convey in the writing relationship. They struggle, in
of a novel, play, short story or poem? public, to communicate their
This belief, or idea, transcends cultural opposing views on the course
barriers. It is usually universal in nature.
When a theme is universal, it touches their relationship should take.
on the human experience, regardless of
race or language. It is what the story
means. Often, a piece of writing will
have more than one theme.

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Literary terms
• Narrative
genre • Fiction
• Genre means a type of art,
• Poetry
literature, or music
characterized by a specific form, • Novel
content, and style. For example,
literature has four main genres: • Non-fiction
poetry, drama, fiction, and
non-fiction. All of these genres • Prose
have particular features and
functions that distinguish them • Short story
from one another.
• Essay
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 Ernest
Hemingway
(1899-4961)

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

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ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS -1

Q1: From what point of view is the Q2: Since the story offers so little
story told? information about the background and
appearance of the characters, discuss the
implications of such details as are provided.
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ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS -2

Q3: How is the setting at a Spanish Q4: What is the significance of the title?
railroad crossing appropriate to the
theme?

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ANSWER THESE QUESTIONSN-3

Q5: As the man drinks his Anis, he thinks

to himself, “They were all waiting
reasonably for the train.” What is the
force of the word “reasonably”?
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ASSESSMENT 3 (10%)
This is a pair work. You can discuss with your pair and come up with a video
presenting one of the topics below:

1. If you fall for someone’s husband/wife, would you pursue the relationship?
2. Would you work with someone who is HIV positive?
3. What can we do to help someone/family member who is an alcoholic?
4. What is a healthy relationship?
5. Pre-marital sex is very common now regardless of religions. Why do you think
this is happening?
6. When it comes to unwanted/illegal pregnancy, the girl is always to be blamed, not
the boy. Why?
7. Would you still get married to the one you loved even without the blessing of
your/his(her) parents?
8. What is your take on a love relationship with big age gap?

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