Discussion Topic
Key Elements and Climax in "Hills Like White Elephants"
Summary:
The key elements in "Hills Like White Elephants" are the symbols of white elephants and the hills, representing the couple's relationship and the unborn baby. The climax occurs when Jig contradicts her earlier statement about the hills, revealing her true feelings about the pregnancy. Despite this, the man continues to push for an abortion, highlighting their irreconcilable differences and the likely end of their relationship.
What is the plot and climax of "Hills Like White Elephants"?
A man and woman (Jig) are waiting at a train station in Zaragoza, Spain. We can surmise that they are headed for Madrid from the text. They drink beer and an Anis drink. They note that the hills in the distance resemble white elephants.
The man begins to urge the woman to have an operation. She tries to avoid the conversation by talking about the flavor of the drink, but the man is not amused. The woman states that she will have the operation because she does not care about herself. The man then tells her that if she has no other reason, she should not do it.
The woman begins to walk around and states that they could have the whole world. The man disagrees, claiming that they cannot have what has already been taken from them. He continues to try to urge her toward the operation and she...
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finally asks him to "please please please please please please please" stop.
A server asks if they would like more to drink and tells them that the train is close. The man asks the woman if all is OK and she states that she is just fine.
It could be argued that the climax takes place when the woman asks the man to stop talking about operation because of the immediate break that follows. On the other hand, it could also be argued that the climax is the very end since we see no actual resolution.
Where is the climax in the short story "Hills Like White Elephants"?
The short story "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway does not have a plot in the traditional sense of the term. Two people, a man and a woman, wait at a railway station in the valley of the Ebro River in Spain. It is very hot. They sit outside in some shade and drink and talk.
However, beneath the seemingly placid surface of the story, there is clear emotional progression. The couple is on the way to Madrid so that the woman can have an operation. It is not specifically mentioned, but it is clear that she is going to have an abortion. Although the man continually repeats that he only wants her to go through with it if it is something that she also wants, he is obviously trying to coerce her into doing it. This is evidenced when he says that he doesn't want anyone but her. He doesn't want anyone else. In other words, a baby would affect their lifestyle so he doesn't want the intrusion. He keeps saying how simple and easy the procedure will be. In fact, in the 1920s when the story was written and published, abortion was illegal and was not simple at all. Medical complications were common for women who had abortions.
The woman is ambivalent about the procedure. She loves the man and wants things to be right with him, but at the same time she's not sure that the abortion will be so simple or that things will be the same for their relationship after it is over.
All of this is implied in the seemingly simple dialog until the woman has had enough of the man's persistence and pestering. She finally asserts herself strongly, first by saying, "Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?" and then by saying, "I'll scream." This is the climax, turning point, and most intense point of the story, when the woman expresses the tension that she has built up inside. Afterwards, she smiles at the woman serving them and tells the man that she feels fine, but for a brief moment she has let her real feelings emerge.
What is the most important symbol in "Hills Like White Elephants"?
I would argue that the most important symbol in this novel is that of the white elephants of the title. This is because it seems to sum up so much of the difference between Jig and her partner and the way that she is so desperate to do anything to try and save what seems to be a hopeless relationship. Let us remember that white elephants are refered to firstly when Jig looks at the view of teh white hills and she compares them to white elephants. This triggers a minor squabble between them.
Later on, however, she deliberately contradicts herself, trying to make her thoughts and way of looking at the world the same of her partner's, when she says:
They don't really look like white elephants. I just meant the colouring of their skin through the trees.
White elephants are shown therefore to be a symbol of the irreconcilable differences between Jig and her partner, and also the way in which Jig is willing to think of doing almost anything--even aborting her baby--to save that relationship.
What is the most significant moment in "Hills Like White Elephants"?
"Hills Like White Elephants" is Hemingway's short story about an American couple, presumably on vacation in Spain, discussing a very difficult topic. Actually, they are doing their best not to discuss it. At first, they simply talk about what drinks they might order and the scenery. Then the conversation turns to what the reader assumes is the topic of abortion. The man seems to be urging the girl to have one, despite continually saying, "if you don't want to you don't have to."
During the early part of their conversation, the girl mentions that the hills in the distance look like white elephants. A white elephant sometimes refers to a gift that is worthless or useless. The hills are symbolic of the baby the girl is carrying. Later, however, and arguably the most significant moment in their conversation, the girl says,
"They're lovely hills," she said. "They don't really look like white elephants. I just meant the color of their skin through the trees."
Her comment reveals her true feelings about having the baby. Unfortunately, the man doesn't catch her meaning and continues to try to convince her to go through with the abortion. They basically talk in circles for the remainder of the story until the girl says,
"Would you please please please please please please please please stop talking?"
At the end, the man is drinking at the bar and the girl at the table, signifying the probable end of their relationship.