Evanson Michel
Fiction Paper
2/11/13
ENG 113

"More than meets the eye". Most are fimliar with the saying, but what does it mean? It means you have to search beyond what you see, there is a deeper meaning behind a story. This is the essence of sybmlism. I will be analizing the sybolism in the short story Hills like White Elephants. The story by Ernest Hemingway is about a couple who are disussing a abortion procedure, but it is not made so obviuos to the reader. As a result the author uses symbolism to communicate main ideas in the stroy through setting, description and dialouge. The setting of the story uses symbolism to give the reader hints about main ideas. For example, the story takes place near a railraod, which symbolizes couples relationship is at a crossroad. The man and jig are disagreeing on the abortion of the baby. The man wants to have the abortion, while jig is relectant to giving the baby up so easily. Another example is the landcape, the author goes on to write how jig notices the lines of hills. The hills looked white againts the brown and dry valley (Roberts, Zweig
350).The white hills that contrast with brown and dry barren valley represent the choice between life and death. Jig either has to keep the baby, life, or the abort the baby, death. When jig walks to other the end of the station, the author descibes the fields of grain and trees along the Ebro river (Roberts, Zweig 352). This symbolizes the life in her belly. The fertile landscape at the end of the station reminds jig she is pregnant, and she the possibility of keeping her child and having a happy life. In addition to setting, the author uses symbolism to communicate main ideas through description. Jig describes the white hills as elephants. A white elephant is an symbol for a valuable but burdensome possession of which its owner cannot get rid of easliy (sparknotes). The baby Jig is bearing represent the white elephant, but it is a burdern to her relationship, even so, she not quick to get rid of it. The girl looked at the hills (Roberts, Zweig 351). The Images of the hills symbolises big obstacles that the new couple must climb. This represents the fact that the jig’s baby is a major obstacle in her life, but it is not the end of her life and she will make it through no matter what comes in her path. The author emphasizes the number two which signals that the man only wants to keep a himself and jig in the relationship and does not want the baby included. Even in the dialouge, symbolism is used to communicate main ideas."Everything tastes like licorice, Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe
(Roberts, Zweig 351).” Jig does not say exactly what is on her mind. She is basicly trying to bring up the abortion topic agian. The statement also mean they are having a lack of communcation. While discussing the operation the man says "Its really a simple operation, jig (Roberts, Zweig 351).” This statement is ironic and sybomlic. The irony is he's calling the operation "simple" but jig emtional and physical is the one that will be going through all the complactions. The sybomlism of the statement represents the lack of care the man has for the baby and his selfishness. Later in the story, after many drinks jig says to the man "but if I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and you’ll like it (Roberts, Zweig 352)?" Here we see the woman already questioning the man's love for her. Her speech suggests that before the baby, when she mentioned similar statements like how the hills were like white elephants, the guy was perhaps more attentive, jovial, and entertaining of her Through setting, description and dialouge, the author was able to use symbolism to communicate main ideas in the stroy. Using those 3 aspects the author was able to convey the thought and Geelings of the man and jig with out acutally stating them in the
story.