In “Hills Like White Elephants,” published in the literary magazine Transition, author Ernest Hemingway portrays the difference in the implicit and explicit dialogue in the couple’s conversation. In this short story, a young couple is faced with a crucial decision of going through with an abortion or keeping the baby. The girl, named Jig, is confronted with the struggle of deciding, while the American man, unnamed, already had his mind set on getting the abortion. While Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants” portrays a simple conversation between two lovers, the hypertext of their dialogue reveals the onflict between them.
Throughout the couple’s conversation, it might be known for him to make a comment, but really he means something else. Hemingway mirrors this explicit and implicit dialect to show that their conversation has a deeper meaning. Getting to know authors might help one to understand his style of writing. When one can understand how an author writes, it might explain why their style is the way it is. Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois on July 21, 1899. He lived in an upper-middle-class Chicago neighborhood. As he grew, he followed his father and became an outdoorsman t a young age.
His father’s profession was a physician, and to his father’s disappointment he did not follow that rough in the medical field. He spent his summers in Northern Michigan at his summer house on Walloon Lake. Hemingway was not healthy in his youth but put his physical tolerance to the test. This behavior carried on as he grew as well. Grace Hall Hemingway, his mother, was highly educated and showed much interest in music. Grace never showed interest in his writing or seemed to be fond of it due to the way Hemingway’s portrays her in his writings in only negative ways.
As Hemingway grew older, he ad an attraction to older women. This appeal is due to the lack of affection from his mother and not being able to win over her approval. His interest can be seen through the age difference between him and his wives. He liked the attention he gained from these older women that admired his writing. Hemingway had four wives, and three of them were greatly older than he. His first wife was Hadley Richardson; they got married in 1921. He wrote his first novel The Sun Also Rises in 1926 followed by A Farewell to Arms in 1929. These books asserted his position as a known writer.
In 1927, he divorced Hadley at this point, he had ne son named John with Hadley. Right after their divorce, he then married Pauline Pfeiffer in 1927 with whom he had two sons: Patrick and Gregory. Ernest and Pauline were married for 13 years; they got divorced in 1940. He was married to Martha Gellhorn from 1940 until 1945. He was with his fourth wife in 1946, Mary Welsh, until he died. In 1932, Hemingway wrote his book Death in the Afternoon, followed by Green Hills of Africa (1935), To Have and Have Not (1937, and then For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), which is about the unity of mankind.
For Whom the Bell Tolls was his last novel for ten years. Then came Across the River and into the Trees in 1950. In 1959 he bought a lavish estate, Finca Vigia, Cuba, which would be his home until 1959. Hemingway was forced out of the country due to the political circumstances under Fidel Castro. He found himself in Ketchum, Idaho, where he would spend the rest of his life. Depression and anxiety started to take over Hemingway after World War II. He went through two sessions of electric shock therapy at the Mayo Clinic. He ended his life with a shotgun blast on July 2, 1961.
Moreover, the hypertext of the two lovers’ dialogue can be revealed to show a conflict. The whole short story revolves around a conflict and Hemingway shows pieces slyly throughout the text. “He picked up the two heavy bags and carried them to the station to the other tracks” (Hemingway, 1927, p. 478). Hemingway uses this sentence to represent “two heavy bags” as this baby is to be heavy baggage. Also, it is the man that is carrying these bags, which shows that he does not want to have this baby. He also would have the responsibility of attending to this “baggage”.
Stanley Renner, Doctor of Arts in English and professor at Illinois State University also sees how the man is the decision maker. He argues, “Clearly the American is the leader in their relationship: he knows Spanish, the language of the country in which they are traveling, he is knowle about drinks, and he is in charge of their luggage and thus, presumably, to the destination of their travels” (Renner, 1995, p. 28). This quote, show that the American is the leader, and he is in charge of the luggage (two heavy bags). In the end, the man is in charge of the decision.
It is evident what his decision is; he wants to go through with the abortion. Additionally, the implicit and explicit tones in the couple’s conversation can be noticed hrough their dialect. “Come on back in the shade,’ he said. You mustn’t feel that way” (Hemingway, 1927, p. 477). The man tells the girl to come back in the shade. On the surface, one may think that the man does not want the girl to be warm. Although, if one looks more deeply into it, it could be perceived that the man wants the girl to come onto his side or have the same opinion as he.
In this case, he wants the girl to agree with him that she should go through with the abortion. Timothy O’Brein (PhD, M. A, and B. A from University of California, Santa Barbra) also sees that the way the man uses his words can be deceiving The argument is essentially about the way the two talk about their relationship, and about the way in which the male’s language overpowers her” (O’Brein, 1992, p. 22). The man has the power in this relationship. Although he makes it seem like the girl has options and he will support her decision, it is clear what he wants.
Consequently, the frequent examples of the couple drinking often appears throughout the story. It always seems like, whenever there is an issue, they drink to calm down. “I want to try this new drink. That’s all we do, isn’t it-look at things and try new drinks? ” (Hemingway, 1927, p. 76). Also “Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe” (Hemingway, 1927, p. 476). Absinthe is known to have a bitter taste. Hemingway has the girl stating this quote to show that the situation they are in is bitter.
Explicitly, one might think that she is talking about the actual taste of the drinks, but implicitly, she is talking about how she has waited for her pregnancy, and now the situation has gone bitter. The pregnant girl is drinking alcohol, which is not good for the baby. Hemingway harps on all of the drinking to show the ack of responsibility that the couple has. Also, it raises the question if they really should go through with this abortion. Doris Lanier, a well-known author, sees how the couple’s relationship is filled with a life of little responsibility.
It is an empty, meaningless existence that revolves around traveling, sex, drinking, looking at things, and having pointless conversations about these things” (Lanier, 1982, p. 286). It is known that the couple is now unhappy. Although they are talking about their options, they are not handling the situation too seriously. Whenever they start clashing ideas, instead of alking it out, they drink. Additionally, Lanier uses the word “empty” which is also a feeling. The couple feels empty or unhappy about the decision they have to make.
The couple are talks about the options they have, but it is clear what is wanted, they are having a “pointless conversation”. The conversation is pointless because the couple knows what each other wants, but they are just talking to talk. The explicit dialogue can be seen when they start actually to try and talk it out. Furthermore, Hemingway shows a lack of focus when the girl talks about white elephants. Someone might overlook the definition of white elephant. When talking about white elephants, the implicit and explicit conversation has a deeper meaning.
On the surface, ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ appears to be no more than a thumbnail sketch, a story with a plot so slight that it can be summarized in a few sentences” (Lanier, 1982, p. 279). If one were just to skim through, many details would be missed. One might think that the white elephant is just how the hills look. The title is “Hills Like White Elephants,” but Wikipedia states that the definition of a white elephant is “a possession that is useless r troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of. ” Hemingway equates the baby to the white elephant.
The implicit and explicit dialogue come into play at this point. Explicitly, the white elephant is how the hills look. Implicitly, the definition of white elephants symbolizes the baby who is unwanted. Moreover, throughout the text, both the girl and the American man will state a remark but mean something else. Hemingway represents the implicit and explicit in the couple’s conversation. While the American man talks about the abortion, he uses dialogue that makes it seem like it is not omething to be concerned about or even think twice about. He uses very gentle words.
He says phrases including “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,’ the man said. ‘It’s not really an operation at all” (Hemingway, 1927, p. 476). Also, he states, “It’s really not anything. It’s just to let the air in” and “They just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural” (Hemingway, 1927, p. 476). These quotes just show how the man will not be affected by the abortion, but also how the girl truly does not know what decision to make. Throughout the text, it is evident what the an wants, but he uses reassuring words implying that the decision is up to the girl.
Although readers cannot see their body language, the audience can assume that the girl is showing body language of confusion or sadness towards the decision that she has to make. The carelessness from the American can be seen by using the vague, underwhelming words to reassure the girl. Additionally, Hemingway shows the couple being concerned about how their relationship is going to be. Readers see how it was before and how they portray how their lives might be after this pregnancy. Previously, life was better because they had no orries. They drank often and traveled multiple times.
They had a lot of freedom with their lives. After the girl has the abortion, she is going to have to live with the pain or guilt. If she keeps the baby, then she has the responsibility of a child. They will no longer have to experience the freedoms that they had before. Either way, the relationship will change, and it will never be the same. Hemingway shows the girl having a concern that her lifestyle is going to change and be different, while the man has the impression that, if she has the abortion, they can go back to living their carefree life.
Then what will we do afterward? ‘ We’ll be fine afterward. Just like we were before. ‘ What makes you think so? ‘ ‘That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy” (Hemingway, 1927, p. 476). In this quote, one sees that the girl does not know what is going to happen. Being the girl, she is going to have more of the emotional impact of this decision. The man does not even take into consideration the girl’s emotions. He already knows what is going to happen afterward, or he thinks he knows what is going to happen afterward.
He seems to be very sure about his answers and is very convincing to the girl. Jennifer Yirinec, who has her Master of Arts degree in English literature, explains Jig’s feelings towards how she would feel after if she did go through with the abortion. “Jig insists that “undoing” something—… – such as the conception of life is an impossibility, for though something can be removed or killed, that something was once present—was once a reality—can never be truly reversed” (Yirinec, 2011, p. 410).
This quote really shows how their lives will truly never go back to being the same. Also, also how Jig is faced with a decision that could potentially scar her emotionally forever. Yirinec expresses how life will never be the same for the girl, through her deep conflict of unyielding decision making. “It’s clear that if Jig went through with the abortion, she would never be able to view the world in the same way-nothing could ever be hers again, for she would’ve lost something that was truly important to her” (Yirinec, 2011, p. 0).
This quote shows that Hemingway portrays the girl genuinely wanting to keep the baby. Yirinec shows that the girl would be disappointed and sad if she were to go through with this abortion. Her whole perspective of the world would change. Yirinec argues that the baby would be a loss; usually when people want something and lose it, it hurts that individual. Although the couple sees their futures differently, they still do not just come right now and say what they want.
All in all, Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants,” portrays a young couple’s conversation in which the couple having discovered that the girl is pregnant, struggle with the decision of abortion or keeping the baby. Jig, the girl, is faced with deciding, while the American man wants her to get the abortion. While Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants” portrays a conversation between two lovers, the hypertext of their dialogue reveals the conflict between them. The final decision is still unclear, due to the unclearness of implicit and explicit dialogue.
