User:Scoay/sandbox

Hills Like White Elephants (Short Story)

Analysis

There is little context or background information about the characters. The reader must infer their own conclusions based off of the dialogue. This has lead to varying interpretations of the story. One point of debate is whether or not the woman decides to get an abortion. Critics like Stanley Renner assert that the details in the story imply that the woman decides to keep the baby: “The logic of the story's design enjoins the conclusion that she smiles brightly at the waitress's announcement of the train because she is no longer headed in the direction of having the abortion that she has contemplated only with intense distress”. Still, many critics conclude that the woman ultimately decides to get an abortion. Furthermore, most critics acknowledge that the story has several possible interpretations: “The two organizing questions of the narrative—will they have the abortion or the baby? Will they break up or stay together?—imply four possible outcomes: 1) they will have the abortion and break up; 2) they will have the abortion and stay together; 3) they will have the baby and break up; and 4) they will have the baby and stay together”. There are many essays written which argue for all of these possibilities and more. There is no universal consensus because of the nature of the story; the reader is simply not given much information.

Symbolism

The description of the valley of Ebro, in the opening paragraph, is often seen as having deeper meanings: "It has long been recognized that the two sides of the valley of the Ebro represent two ways of life, one a sterile perpetuation of the aimless hedonism the couple have been pursuing, the other a participation in life in its full natural sense." Critics also point to the various positions of the characters, with relation to the train tracks and the valley, to show a wide variety of possible symbolic interpretations.

Doris Lanier writes about the significance of Absinthe in the story. She explains the drink “was alluring not only because of its narcotic effects but also because of its reputation as an aphrodisiac.” Lanier asserts that every detail in “Hills Like White Elephants” is intentionally placed by Hemingway, and the Absinthe could have several possible connotations. She postulates that “the addictive quality of the drink…is meant to emphasize the addictive nature of the couple’s lifestyle…It is an empty, meaningless existence that revolves around traveling, sex, drinking, looking at things, and having pointless conversations about these things”. Another possible interpretation of the Absinthe relates to it’s appeal and effects. Like the man and woman’s relationship, it is alluring at first, but “It becomes a destroyer of the child, who is aborted; a destroyer of the girl, who endures the physical and emotional pain of aborting the child she wants; and a destroyer of the couple’s relationship”. It is important to note that this interpretation assumes the couple have the abortion and end their relationship; neither of these are certain, due to the ambiguity of the story.

Reception

“Hills Like White Elephants” has been criticized for being anti-feminist. It has also been viewed as being pro-feminist. The anti-feminist perspective emphasizes the notion that the male dominates the female in the story, and she ultimately succumbs to his will by getting the abortion. Frederick Busch asserts that the woman “‘buries her way of seeing as she will bury her child’”. However, critics also argue that the female character makes her own decision in the end, and the story is actually pro-feminist. Stanley Renner claims that “Hills Like White Elephants” is primarily sympathetic towards female character: “So firmly does the story's sympathy side with the girl and her values, so strong is her repugnance toward the idea of abortion, and so critical is the story of the male's self-serving reluctance to shoulder the responsibility of the child he has begotten that the reading I have proposed seems the most logical resolution to its conflict.” There is evidence for both possibilities, and there is no clear consensus.