Reading Response 8: Hemingway

At first, I wasn't able to discern the true meaning of the text and didn't really understand the use of "white elephants" throughout the story. All I gathered was that this was a story about an American man and his girlfriend perhaps vacationing in Spain, who were engaging in some sort of heated argument. To me, it appeared as though the man was very adamant and stern while the girl was far less persuasive. At first she says that the hills look like white elephants but later she changes her mind and says that maybe they don't really look like white elephants after all. She seems confused and uncertain, whereas the man is portrayed as assertive; he speaks Spanish and the girl relies on him for drinks. Having read Hemingway before, the whole alcohol theme didn't strike me as odd; many of Hemingway's stories include characters who spend a good portion of their lives drinking. Furthermore, the setting was also appropriate given Hemingway's fascination with the Spanish culture as seen in the Sun Also Rises.

The fact that nearly the entire story was composed of dialogue made it even harder to comprehend. Consequently, I had to refer to an outside source to grasp the story's underlying message. Abortion turned out to be the matter being discussed by the man and his girlfriend and this revelation shed some light on the various symbols employed. I deciphered the white elephant to be a symbol for something that doesn't belong or something that is out of place. When the girl initially says that the hills look like white elephants, she's expressing doubt and uncertainty about the possibility of becoming a mother. The man tries to reinforce this feeling in her by convincing her that "[he's] known many people that have done it", referring to abortion, and that "[they] will be happy afterwards." He also goes on to tell her that he doesn't want to force her to do anything she's uncomfortable with and that it's not a big deal. Moreover, they engage in an exchange in which the man says things like "we can have everything" and "We can go anywhere". Unconvinced that their relationship will stay the same after the operation, the girl says "Once they take it away, you never get it back." I interpreted this to refer to the aborted fetus on a literal level, and their love on a symbolic level.

Ultimately, what I find brilliant about this short story is the fact that Hemingway says so much without actually saying much. He uses mainly vague dialogue to project the gravity of a topic like abortion; he uses setting and the theme of alcohol to parallel the emotional turmoil experienced by the couple.