Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Hills Like White Elephants
"Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway is a story with no plot. The reader is dropped into the middle of a conversation that seems to have been going on for some time. The two main characters, Jig and the American are discussing abortion without ever mentioning the word itself. It is a conversation that must have taken place between a man and a woman countless times throughout history. The selfishness of the man, the quiet denial and the underlying pain of the woman are expressed through the use of the imagery surrounding the characters. The barrenness of the landscape represents the emptiness of their lives, their biggest concern trying a new alcoholic beverage. Other then the abortion, they have nothing else to talk about, except drinking. They can't even sustain a conversation about the landscape. This is the road they will continue on, should Jig follow through with the procedure. There is no resolution to this conflict, the readers are left to draw their own conclusions. Will the American convince Jig to have the procedure? Will they then continue on with their useless existence? Or will she choose life on the other side of the tracks? Will he follow her if she does?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Overall, I think jig is going to go through the procedure because she loves the her boyfriend too much and just wants everthing to go back to normal as it did before. By the way I like the imagery you used in your blog about the landscape representing the "emptiness of their lives".
dude... great job..
I loved your analysis on the story and I totally agree with you on every aspect of it. It is obvious that the woman does not want to go through with the abortion and is only doing it because her boyfriend does. You are right when you mentioned that nobody knows how the story will end, but don’t you think that she will get the abortion. I think so, because she is drinking alcohol, knowing that she is pregnant. I think if she would have doubted the abortion she would think twice about drinking and not kept on asking for more beer!!
I think most readers would guess that she was going to have the abortion, but it's certainly not clear.
It's true this is not a plot-driven story, but rather a situational story. It focuses on the characters' thoughts and feelings rather than a series of actions.
Yes. The Connection between the landscape and the existential condition of the characters and their relationship would be a good one to explore in detail in a journal.
Review the Hemingway study sheet (see "Assignments" in Blackboard)
Also,to those of you commenting on others' blogs: Please try to make substantial comments.
Also, a word of caution: don't get too caught up in speculating about what might or might not happen outside the story; stay focused on what happens in the story...
Post a Comment