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Hills Like White Elephant

By : Ernest Hemingway
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In Hs Lke Whte Eephant, the
coupe dscuss an ssue that reates
to soca (mora, regous, ega)
ssues.
1) How are the views of the
characters presented7
2) How does the writer evoke
social}post-modern views.
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Question 1
Jig
She believes the couples relationship has been
irrevocably altered simply by the pregnancy.
Jig, clearly reluctant to have the operation,
suspects her pregnancy has irrevocably changed the
relationship but still wonders whether having the
abortion will make things between the couple as they
were before.
Jig is more emotionally invested in the relationship.
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The American
For the American the relationship mostly about sex.
The American is anxious for Jig to have the abortion
because he doesnt want anybody but [her].
He is interested in his life with Jig continuing as it has,
globetrotting, and having sex in different hotels.
To make the operation seem less frightening, he asserts
that it is perfectly simple. Interestingly, he never
mentions that the operation is safe, a notable omission.
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Question 2
Social
Hemingways feat in this story is to accomplish
full, fleshed-out characterizations of the couple
and a clear and complete exposition of their
dilemma using almost nothing but dialogue. This
dialogue even omits the main causes of
disagreement: the words abortion and baby.
He also gives the reader a clear sense of how the
power shifts in the couples relationship.
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POST-MODERN VIEW
Hemingway breaks with his typical bitch goddess characterization of
women because that is how post-modern view looks like at that time.
Jig is a sympathetic character, ultimately more sympathetic, scholars have
argued, than the American. She sees the issue of the abortion as a
multilayered question, and considers the impact it will have upon her
relationship with the American, upon the child itself, and upon the couples
economic means (We could get along.) The American, on the other hand,
considers only that he wants life to continue in a carefree fashion and that
he wants to evade the responsibilities of fatherhood. Accordingly, he tries
to bully Jig into the procedure, and this very bullying, and Jigs resistance
to it, make her the protagonist of the story.