Hills Like White Elephants

3 Pages 625 Words

“Hills Like White Elephants” is a short third person perspective limited story by

Ernest Hemingway. An American man and a woman are sitting at a train station in the northern part of Spain. They are on their way to an operation for the women. The two seem to be a couple but unknown of what their status is but unlikely they are married. The title of the story fits into the story in many different ways, it all depends on how the reader understands it. This will explain the reason for their location and departure.
The women seems to be more in love with the man at the present moment because of the way that they are acting towards each other and their tones of voice. She is trying to make him feel bad by telling him things, and then being sarcastic but also trying to make him forget about the operation he is trying to force her to have but she doesn’t want to. They are sitting outside of a train station drinking beers and other alcoholic beverages while waiting for the train. She mentions the hills that are in front of them on the other side of the railroad tracks and how their color resembles a “White Elephants” color.
White Elephants is a rare Asian elephant but it also means about a handful of other things such as a rare and expensive possession that is difficult to maintain or an article no longer wanted by its owner. Another meaningful meaning it has is an endeavor or venture that is proved a conspicuous failure. She feels that their journey will end now because of this operation. The man feels as if it won’t and if they do have the operation that things will be as they were before with no problems. The reason of the operation is unknown but if she does not have the operation it will be the only problem they’ve ever had in their relationship. He tells her that everything will be the same as before after the

operation and it is not even an operation, all it is, is just letting the air in, and that’s it. Af...