ENC1101-29

Read and respond to Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants." Who are the characters and what are they doing? What is the setting or atmosphere like? What clues does the dialogue reveal about what's going on?


When i read Hemingway's, "Hills Like White Elephants" it was a little confusing to me at first...once i kept on reading it became a little bit more clearer. This short story includes three characters. The women's name is, "Jig" and the man is identified, "As an American." They sit in one setting at a table outside a train station in Madrid. The third character seems to be like a bartender waiting on them serving beers. The two characters, "Jig and the American" seem to be like a couple dating, or married. They are in Spain sitting near a busy train station arguing and drinking beers. The pair is looking around at the peaceful landscape in front of them talking about elephants? There discussion then continues on while they are drinking...they start to discuss an important issue however the issue is really never revealed. Within the issue Hemingway mentions an operation. Then he uses love to converse between the two characters. The American does wont her to go through with this operation however Jig doesn't. She explains she will try and strive for a normal life. And he tries telling her the operation will be nothing. They discuss their importance of their love. Then they go back and forth. The story concludes with them talking about the landscape, drinking some more beers, and leaving the station. The only thing i can figure out is with Hemingway's topic and through his dialect he demonstrates two characters drinking beers (almost like they are trying to cope/soothe themselves), a women talking about undergoing an operation, and the use of a arguing couple within this story talking about love,he is maybe alluding to the fact Jig is expecting? Not really sure though?