Hills Like White Elephants

Essay by sjmercadoHigh School, 11th gradeB+, November 2014

download word file, 7 pages 0.0

Sam Mercado

Mr. Walker

Essay 2: Story Analysis

5/2/14

Hills Like White Elephants

Ernest Hemingway's literature gained recognition and success because of his understated style, also referred to as the "Iceberg Theory", which provides the reader with minimalistic information and focuses on surface themes. This method of writing specializes in giving the reader just what they need to configure the overall theme of the story. Hemingway believed that the concept and nature of the story should be found under the surface and should shine through, and one of the surface elements that he used to perform this Iceberg Theory of writing was symbolism. In the short story "Hills Like White Elephants", Hemingway effectively utilizes symbolism to present the reader with many symbolic instances included in the setting, characters, and objects, which all provide a surface meaning for the story, but with deeper interpretation these symbols convey the actual message of abortion.

Hemingway begins his story, "Hills Like White Elephants" by supplying the reader with a rather descriptive setting, which introduces us where the story takes place, and also gives us an idea of what the characters are doing. "The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun" (Hemingway 196). This opening shows us that the short story takes place in the valley of Ebro, Spain, which is south of the Pyrenees mountain range. The valley is known for its Mediterranean climate and many different wines are made there, which ties in with the constant reference and consumption of alcohol between the two characters throughout the story. Due to Hemingway's description of their particular location in Ebro, it gives us...