They spend the time drinking and waiting for the train to arrive. They are a couple, but there is distance and lack of communication between them and the beer helps pass the time and uneasiness of the situation. They decide on beer, and he orders two "big ones." The hot weather, the relief sought in beer and cold alcoholic drinks mirror a disagreement between the two people, the nature of which will soon become clear upon further reading.
When the conversation begins, Jig asks the man what they should have to drink. One of the themes of "Hills Like White Elephants" is the use of alcohol. At a more abstract and general level, it can be interpreted as a statement about the Zeitgeist of the Roaring Twenties and the lifestyles and attitudes of the post- World War I " Lost Generation" of American expatriates in Europe. On the surface, it deals with concepts such as the conflict between personal responsibility and hedonism rhetorical and psychological manipulation coming of age and the dynamics of the romantic relationship and its metamorphosis into the family. "Hills Like White Elephants" is thematically rich, given its short length and sparse narrative. She smiles at him, assures him that she is "fine", and the story ends. As the train approaches, he carries their bags to the platform and has a drink alone before rejoining Jig. Though it is never made explicit in the text, it is made clear (through phrases of dialogue such as "It's just to let the air in" and "But I don't want anybody but you," among numerous context clues) that Jig is pregnant and that the procedure in question is an abortion.Īfter posing arguments to which the American is largely unresponsive, Jig eventually assents to the operation, giving the final justification: "I don't care about me." She attempts to drop the subject, but the American persists as if still unsure of Jig's intentions and mental state. Their conversation is mundane at first, but quickly drifts to the subject of an operation which the American is attempting to convince Jig to undergo. The American and Jig drink beer and a liquor called "Anis del Toro" while waiting for the train to Madrid. The two main characters are a man (referred to only as "the American") and his younger female companion, whom he calls Jig.
This particular day is oppressively hot and dry, and the scenery in the valley is barren and ugly for the most part. The time setting is not given, but is almost certainly contemporary to the composition (1920s). The story takes place at a train station in the Ebro River valley of Spain. "Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants." "Explicator", Summer 1980. It also illustrates the extent to which setting can contribute to meaning in fiction. These elements combine to make the story an apt introduction to Hemingway's minimalist narrative style, as expressed in his Iceberg Theory. "Hills Like White Elephants" is commonly studied in literature courses because, while brief and accessible, it contains ingenious symbolism, efficient and powerful dialogue, and it deals with universal themes applied to a controversial topic ( abortion) which is explored without ever being explicitly stated. It was first published in the 1927 collection " Men Without Women". Publication_type = short story collectionįollowed_by = " The Killers"" Hills Like White Elephants" is a short story by Ernest Hemingway.