The main topic of discussion between the man and the girl is never named. What is “the awfully simple operation”? Why is it not named? What different attitudes are taken by the man and the girl? Why?
The main dilemma hidden in Hills Like White Elephants is the subject and idea of the American man suggesting that his foreign girlfriend get an abortion performed. Ernest Hemingway's ability to create characters dancing around the subject without exactly naming the subject creates a mystery and challenges the reader to use their own imagination and intelligence to understand the issue being discretely discussed. At the start of The Hills, Hemingway distinguishes the roles of both the American man and foreign woman as one of the traditional relationship of the sexes in the 20th century. The man portrays the more dominant role of the relationship, a common attribute to men back in the early 1900s whereas the women exemplifies passivity and neediness, being dependent on her man for not only explaining the language to her, but seconding her own life decisions, ultimately wanting to please and accommodate him in everything she does.
What is indicated about the past life of the man and the girl? How? What has happened to the quality of their relationship? Why? How do we know?
It can be inferred of the couple's relationship past that the man wears the pants in the relationship, condescendingly acting as if he cares about her feelings and objections, yet the basis of their relationship states that if she acts out and shares her feelings that his opinion will always overrule hers. The woman, constantly living in fear, believes that if she does not go through with the abortion that he will no longer love her. This thought emphasizes on the relationship that the woman is endlessly walking on eggshells in panic that with one mess up the man will abandon her. Their relationship has slowly deteriorated due to the constant reminder that the woman is growing an unwanted baby inside of her. Before the accidental pregnancy came about the two were perfectly content in their relationship, says the woman. "That's the only thing that bothers us. It's the only thing that's made us unhappy."
Though the story contains strong emotional conflict, it is entirely without adverbs to indicate tone. How does Hemingway indicate tone? At what points are the characters insincere? Ironic or sarcastic? Do they give open expression to their feelings? Do either want an open conflict? Why? Trace the various phases of emotion in the girl.
Hemingway is capable of indicating tone without the use of adverbs by developing short, choppy dialogue which demonstrates the lack of communication in the couple's relationship. The woman speaks in the beginning of the conversation of the hills being beautiful as white elephants, and soon backtracks as she becomes aware that her significant other does not agree with he. Drinks play a large role in the text by being used as mindless, thoughtless conversation fillers. The woman tries to enjoy her time, speaking of irrelevant topics like the many different new drinks she would like to try, completely paying no attention to the elephant in the room, the white elephant gift the man would not like to keep: the baby and the possible act of an abortion. As the woman feels inferior to the man, she does not go out and say directly that she would like to keep the baby, she only states that she will do whatever it takes to make the man happy and love her again.
Much of the conversation seems to be about trivial things. What purposes does this conversation serve? What relevance has the girl’s remark about absinthe?
The couple dances around the elephant in the room voicing only remarks of inconsequential topics. As the man proceeds to confront the tension, the woman speaks little of the important issue, speaking of only little things which lack substance such as the many different drinks present at the railroad station. When trying the "Anis del Toro drink," the woman makes the remark of the drink reminding her of absinthe to further reiterate the fact that the very alcoholic drinks the couple tries is clouding their judgement, making it harder to focus on the real issue at hand; the abortion. The lack of importance in the couple's conversation reflects the couple's relationship as whole which can be inferred to be very secretive, insincere and very superficial drawing to the conclusion that the couple only pays attention to surface things.
What is the point of the girl’s comparison of the hills to white elephants? Why does the author use it for his title?
The comparison to hills as white elephants are symbolic in the fact that a "white elephant" gift is something which is unwanted, and that whenever someone uses the expression the, "elephant in the room" it is the unnamed, awkward topic in which no one wants to speak of. The woman's positive view of describing the the "white elephant" like hills as something beautiful and breathtaking compromises with the male's view of them being as normal hills regarding no real qualities in which should be recognized. Hemingway's title, Hills Like White Elephants symbolizes the unwanted pregnancy as well as the cumbersome, difficult topic that is being avoided of being spoken of directly.
What purpose does the setting serve – the hills across the valley, the treeless railroad tracks and station? What is contributed by the precise information about time at the end of the first paragraph?
Hemingway is capable of indicating tone without the use of adverbs by developing a setting which speaks the unspoken truths of the topic of abortion. The "barren" and arid land on the side near the railroad tracks represents the lifelessness and death which would accompany the loss of life of having an abortion performed whereas the alluring hills on the other side across of the valley represent the life, prosperity and flourishing new life that a baby brings. The time, or lack of time that is, from when the train leaves for Madrid (two minutes) represents how little the couple has to make the decision of whether or not to keep the baby or go through with an abortion.
Despite the objective point of view in the story, who do you think wins the argument? Why?
I can infer that the man wins the argument only in the fact that he appears dominant and the woman has proved to be passive and shy of sharing her own thoughts.