White Elephants

8 Pages 2067 Words

ng on this particular relationship or on its history, which makes the central topic the conflict over having the procedure or not having it. However, Hemingway then prevents that from becoming the focus by never naming the procedure being discussed. This draws attention away from what the couple is arguing about and, as Margeret Bauer points out in her article “Forget the Legend and Read the Work”, prevents morality from becoming the focus (129). Absence of the morality argument is important because discussions about abortion are normally accompanied by debates about the rightness and or wrongness of it. Hemingway manages to further eliminate the morality issue by writing an argument in which the couple is not at all concerned about the moral consequences of the procedure but is instead worried about the effect it will have on their relationship. In fact the main question they discuss is if everything will go back to “normal”. Hemingway’s purpose in withholding important information is to guide the reader to focus on the couple’s argument and their dynamic, causing one to recognize the negative treatment of Jig by “the American”.
In “Hills like White Elephants” Hemingway takes great care in his portrayal of the characters because this is essential to his argument. The first point is seen in the way that Hemingway refers to Jig as “the girl”. Many assume that this is because she is young; however this is doubtful because she seems very intelligent and is obviously old enough to be in a serious relationship ...