Hills like White Elephants

1927, Ernest Hemingway, Men without Women

(Hills in the Zaragoza area)

PL !"
o 40-minute wait for express train, from Barcelona (east) to Madrid (central) o merican ! girlfriend sit outside in the heat at train station o order " large #eers o she waxes philosophic #$ noticing the hills %loo& li&e white elephants' white hot in the sun field ( #rown ! dr$, arid o she insults him sa$s of course he)s ne*er seen a white elephant her sno##er$ her worldliness or #oo& smarts+education o order " nis del ,oro drin&s (#+c she sees an ad on the curtain) change of su#-ect o she ( #ored, disappointed E##$% %.*er$thing tastes of licorice/' %,hat)s all we do, isn)t it0loo& at things and tr$ new drin&s/' o another drin& o out of the #lue %the operation' it)s reall$ simple -ust let air in perfectl$ natural 1)ll go with $ou afterward, we)ll #e happ$, li&e #efore it)s the onl$ source of our displeasure if $ou don)t want to, $ou don)t ha*e to it)s for the #est 1 lo*e $ou o her response2 1)ll do it #+c 1 don)t care a#out me childish

 selfless selfish, controlling, manipulati*e (control drama) self-loathing o she loo&s at 3 ,45. 6x 7 #efore operation 7 %in the sun' ! sees the fertilit$ 7 %in the shade' ! sees the aridit$ o %1t isn)t ours an$more8/ nd once the$ ta&e it awa$, $ou ne*er get it #ac&/' o another #eer o she2 stop tal&ing8or 1)ll scream train in 9 minutes he ta&es the #ags to the other side of the station stops inside for a #eer o others ( %waiting reasona#l$' for the train goes #ac& to finish his other #eer final words2 o %1 feel fine/ ,here)s nothing wrong with me/ 1 feel fine/' :1; from

http2++*ccslitonline/cc/*a/us+cop$<of<hills+split/htm <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< <

&E!!%#'"
o Zaragoza, =aragossa o the *alle$ of .#ro, in northeastern =pain o #etween Madrid ! Barcelona

o o o o

7>"? summer season train station 40 minutes .,

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&(M) L%&M"
o =etting ( s$m#olic o *alley +ise,te- +y train station one side ( fertile (motherhood, pregnanc$) other ( #arren (a#ortion, conse@uence of a#ortion) perhaps s$m#olic of the Ahoice o train station" stop-o*er, pause, transition, mo*ement cuts the *alle$ in half foreignersB don)t #elongB outsiders ph$sicall$ outside the #ar where the locals are waiting she)s waiting for him to grow up ! settle down, marr$ her he)s waiting for her ma&e the decision (his wa$) so the$ can go on as #efore the$ ( waiting for the express from Barcelona to Madrid (40 minutes) in-#etween #etween " #ig cities la$o*er, pause, transition purgator$ epochal moment

one of those %we ha*e to tal&' moments " different directions go forward or #ac& past, future time mo*es in onl$ 7 direction, can onl$ go in 7 directions, can)t go #ac& the AC4:D., going in " different directions can)t go #ac&, can)t recapture the glor$ da$s, can)t %#e li&e the$ were #efore' o train tra,ks"

o hills"

" parallel lines ( not con*erging, ne*er crossing, connecting together #ut separate ( ,H. AC4:D. di*ision, separation

white mounds of pregnanc$, wom#, expanded woman)s stomachB swollen, mil&-filled #reasts fertilit$ o white elephants" woman)s pregnant stomach

she ( poetic her wa$ of #ringing up the con*ersation E her pregnanc$ her unconsciousness, re*ealing what)s on her mind #irth of Buddha (fertilit$ s$m#ol) B)s mother dreams of white elephant coming to her the night #efore the #irth ! presenting her w+lotus lin&ed to fertile *alle$ white s&in through trees white s&in ( new#orn)s s&in white ( purit$ innocence rarit$ (al#ino) white elephants ( (7) #asicall$ useless o#-ect o ta&es up space o waste of mone$ (to #uild, maintain) o expensi*e to maintain o empt$ arena, a#andoned home Fing of =iam)s practice of gi*ing white elephant to courtier who)d fallen out of fa*orB since it couldn)t #e put to wor& or slaughtered (*enerated) ! couldn)t #e easil$ rid of, it pro*ed to #e financial #urden, ruinous #+c of its up&eep! uselessness (Gordsmith) Ghat does this sa$ E a #a#$HH Ior+against a#ortionHH (") similarl$, o#-ect once prized o no longer holds *alue to owner o unwanted (! useless) propert$ (6) *enerated o#-ect o in 1ndian culture o rare

.//0l+1 gorilla in the room o#*ious #ut a*oided issue o E+ro 2i*er" %originates in the Aanta#rian Mountains and flows 9J9 miles to the Mediterranean' (lin&) water ( s$m#ol of fertilit$, *italit$ life-gi*ing force feminine passage of time .#ro ( %em#r$o' o *alley" fertilit$, connected to hills

#arrenness, across the trac&s reflects her choice sterilit$ fertilit$

o o ,lou-" cloud passes o*er as she)s loo&ing while standing in the sun she was noticing the fertile side cloud ( the a#ortion #rea& from heat (of the sun, of the argument+pro#lem) o +ea- ,urtain" not a door things still seep in+out li&e their pes&$ pro#lem

to &eep out pests (flies) li&e the #ooze, a distraction from the pro#lem a*oidance of their pro#lem o 3nis -el !oro" seed of the #ull #ull ( *irilit$ seed ( sperm o she)s pregnant hard, %stiff' drin& to num# E Kig she)s ad*enturesome, daring, willing to tr$ new things she)s tr$ing to get drun& she doesn)t spea& =panish (#ut he does) E ,he merican he spea&s =panish, he)s #een around o more educated than sheH ironicall$, his lac& of %*irilit$' o while he once thrilled her+she got a %charge' out of him ad*enture, something new o he no longer gi*es her a thrill o ennui he ( B4DD

o impregnates her o &eeps charging at her in the con*ersation E %the operation' watered down, diluted %tastes li&e licorice' num#ing of life (through alcohol) ignoring con*ersations seen it all, #oredom, ennui

she -o&es E a#sinthe #oredom, ennui danger-see&er o 3+sinthe" strong drin&, highl$ alcoholic, highl$ addicti*e,, highl$ toxic tastes li&e aniseed from wormwood (poison, end of world) her %-o&e', zinger L her sarcasm waiting for him to propose

her #oredom, ennui she ( thrill-see&er o summer time of fertilit$, planting too hot, can scorchH o heat" tension a#out to #oil o*er (her %scream' later) under a spotlight, #eing grilled pressure to make a decision com#ined with the =etting o " people alone outside o in the center of a *alle$ o at a train station denial, a*oidance num#ing to a*oid each other to a*oid the pro#lems within their relationship o pro#lem ( more than -ust the pregnanc$ t$pical of their relationship o alwa$s a*oiding it o when the$ tr$ new drin&s

o +oo4e"

final " drin&s ( separation, end of the relationship li&e the train trac&s she drin&s #$ herself at the ta#le he drin&s #$ himself at the #ar L identif$ing w+the people %reasona#l$' waiting for the train o the +arten-er5waitress" o 6ig" spea&s =panish onl$ local, nati*e L #elongs s$m#olic of something else, release, reliefH li*el$ dance L full of life o li*el$, energetic o pregnant o once was li*el$, now ( deadened, num# num#ed #$ the restlessness, constant mo*ing waiting, waiting, waiting

mercurial o can change her mind at an$ second their relationship o the$ %dance' around the issue

pot shots, zingers has tra*eled more than heH Cr more educated than he %3o, $ou wouldn)t ha*e/' rich, upper class (slumming it w+worldl$ gu$) elitist, sno##ish, condescending lac&s asserti*eness alwa$s in the form of a @uestion alwa$s as&s his appro*al to the point of screaming total dependence upon him doesn)t spea& =panish her dependence upon him her ina#ilit$ to express herself

creati*e, lin& to nature she philosophizes on the hills she pa$s attention to+o#ser*es the nature around them he ne*er does o !he 3meri,an" no name anon$mous

s$m#olic of countr$, wa$ of life wandering, aimless L %lost' num#ing manipulati*e tr$ing to manipulate through words force his will upon her wants to maintain his current lifest$le roaming tra*eling drin&ing not settled down

Hemingwa$-es@ue rugged, worldl$ &nowledgea#le self-controlled (AAA) controlling feigned indifference o the num+er 2" mentioned 70 times throughout the stor$ " to refer to the couple (#ut there could #e 6) he wants to &eep it at " she wants to tr$ it at 6 o +aggage" %la#els from all the hotels where the$ had spent nights' lots of tra*eling nights ( sex hea*$ no home tra*el w+all possessions nomadic existence %#aggage' emotional #aggage, the %pro#lem' that the$ drag+haul with them where*er the$ go can)t get awa$ from pro#lems L e*en though ignore them

the past, %the wa$ things were' his mo*ing them ( his wanting to continue on as #efore <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< <

!HEME&"

o E##$% #oredom Kig ( tired of the nomadic, restless+rootless existence, alwa$s tra*eling she wants to settle down, start a famil$ what #etter time than now as she)s pregnant %,hat)s all we do, isn)t it0loo& at things and tr$ new drin&sH' %.*er$thing tastes of licorice/' after a stead$ diet of -un& food, we cra*e some %real' food o la,k o7 ,ommuni,ation li&e the train trac&s the$+re ne*er on the same page the$ spea& in shadows hints, intimations, euphemisms the word %a#ortion' is ne*er used

talking *s1 ,ommuni,ating o *er+al manipulation he tries to swa$ her through his onslaught downpla$s operation euphemizes a#ortion #ut if $ou don)t want to it)s the sole cause of our unhappiness o men are 7rom Mars 8!aurus9, women 7rom :enus differences #etween the sexes he ( li&e a Bull she ( li&e a ra##it (elephant ! #ull ( hard-charging animals) 'uy0thing tal& o &eep tal&ing o &eep tal&ing until she)s con*inced o #eat her in to su#mission w+words o #arrage her w+words until she succum#s o force his will onto her (=h&)s will into her) euphemisms o don)t come out ! sa$ it o #eat E the #ush o %operation' o %it' w+se*eral definitions o la,k o7 resolution PL ! ; &!(LE unresol*ed %pro#lem'

 o a*oi-an,e

unresol*ed interpretation #+c of the st$le

put off decisions until another time, some later date, not now through alcohol through not tal&ing E it o psy,hi, num+ing through alcohol o layo*ers in li7e those times we sit at the depot ! wait ma&e decisions epochal moments %moment of truth,' %crossroads' (that ne*er cross) unresol*ed L missed opportunities to resol*e pro#lem o Present he wants to li*e in the %now' no past, no future, no ties carpe diem, come what ma$, whate*er happens what &ind of existence is it to ha*e no past+future, onl$ eternal presentB no rootsHH o Past < =uture train trac&s past issues future conse@uences o o*erin-ulgen,e too much of a good thing stead$ diet of -un& food ! cra*e %real' food o sel7ishness, irresponsi+ility she ( get drun& (while pregnant) ! forget a#out itB ta&e pot shots he ( get the a#ortion, forget a#out it, ! go #ac& to the wa$ things were <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< <

&!(LE"
o un-erstatement o minimalism #are #ones, nuts ! #olts, stripped-down (1ce#erg ,heor$) %,he merican and the girl with him' %,he operation' his euphemistic tactic re2 the operation the explosi*e s$m#olism the minimalistic con*ersation sparse prose

short senten,es short paragraphs la,k o7 *er+osity >ournalisti, straight7orwarsu+te?tual, impli,it, implie- @ ,lues, hints, suggestions

6rd person :CM, limited omniscience (onl$ what the$ sa$+do, not what the$ thin&) between the lines" title line L hills li&e white elephants ( her segue into con*ersation E the pregnanc$, and she is metaphoric, and she is connected to 3ature her retraction L %not reall$' ( she wants to &eep the #a#$ or she is alwa$s changing her mind or she changes her mind to please him his %the operation' downpla$ing, understatement his %it' meaning a#ortion, #a#$, the decision, the tension #etween them o his reaction to her put-down o his cut it out o her snar&iness o her 1)ll scream the s$m#olism the euphemistic, su#textual st$le of their con*ersation

o o result o7 style forces readers to anal$ze, interpret, thin& Aritical ,hin&ing =&ills put self in characters) shoes dramatize, put on as a pla$ lea*es unanswered @uestions unresol*ed m$steries

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< < =he)s pregnant B4, o rgues a#out the a#ortion o Net drin&s hard ! dangerous alcoholic #e*erages o mercurial part of her name

!he 3meri,an an- the girl with him o he has no name o he ( outsider, foreigner o the$ ( not married

o the$ ( not a couple o the$ ( -ust together (li&e the train trac&s) <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< <

$#3#&WE2EA B$E&!% #&"

Gh$ are the$ sitting outside, in the heatH o Gh$ not inside with the rest of the peopleH o 1s it for pri*ac$, to discuss %the operation'H o 1s it #ecause the$ don)t #elong, #ecause the$)re foreingersH 1s the pregnanc$ the sole cause of their unhappinessH Ghat else could it #e, esp/ herH Ooes she reall$ not care a#out herselfH o 1s this -ust some form of control, guilt-tripH .xplain her2 %1t isn)t ours an$more8/ nd once the$ ta&e it awa$, $ou ne*er get it #ac&/' o Gho are the$H o Ghat is itH o Gh$ can)t the$ (and thematicall$ us) get it #ac& once the$)*e ta&en itH 1f she a#orts the fetus, will e*er$thing go #ac& to the wa$ the$ wereH o Aan the$H Ooes either of them ha*e a thought a#out thisH o Aan the$ -ust pretend that the %pro#lem' ne*er existed, that the %operation' ne*er happenedH Oo $ou thin& he used the same line of reasoning to win her o*er in the 7st placeH o Pot her to sleep w+him o B$ downpla$ing the se*erit$, seriousness, conse@uences o %1t)s -ust sex' o Oo $ou thin& she)s #u$ing it now, the "nd time aroundH Gh$ does she want to stop tal&ingH o Gh$ is she on the *erge of screamingH o 1s she -ust some emotional femaleH o Cr has she %realized' somethingH Ghat is that somethingH o 1s he reall$ %tal&ing'H ,al&ing to or at herH Ghat happens at the endH .xplain her+stor$)s final words2 o %1 feel fine/ ,here)s nothing wrong with me/ 1 feel fine/' o 1s she drun&, num#H o =arcastic o Oenial+a*oidance o Moc&ing his insistence a#out her %feelings' when she alread$ %&nowQsR things' o Made up her mind Oo $ou thin& she)s made up her mindH o Oo $ou thin& she)s going to Madrid with him, will ha*e the a#ortion, #ut then go off on her ownH

o Gill she get him drun& ! lea*e him on the train8and &eep the #a#$H o Gill she &eep the #a#$ ! raise it on her ownH o Gill she go #ac& to where*er she comes from w+the #a#$, #ac& to her rich famil$H Ghat is $our final anal$sis of the womanH o pusho*er, su#missi*e relies on him for e*er$thing (her @uestions) o emotional o dramatic, passi*e-aggressi*e o sno##$, condescending o confused, indecisi*e, waffling o mercurial, changing, shifting o is she the same at the end as she was at the start Ghat is $our final anal$sis of the manH o selfish, domineering, controlling, manipulati*e o free-spirited o lo*ing, caring o wants an answer o push$ o patronizing women ( emotional, %feelings' men ( reasona#le o is her waffling, indecisi*eness, dependence upon him force him to #e push$ force him to ma&e the decisions force him to #e all the negati*e traits a#o*e &etting re*isite-2 o Scene = proleptic moment as the station loo&s #ac& ! forward so too does the entire seen the #edroom before the pregnanc$, at the start of their relationship the train station in the middle of the pregnanc$ the operating room at the end of the pregnanc$ the #edroom or platform at the end of their relationship o Bedroom, #ar Before the pregnanc$ he is tr$ing to con*ince her to ha*e sex minimize the sin+shame minimize the pain in the loss of her *irginit$ #ortion room End of the pregnanc$ he ( doctor pro#ing, prodding her his tal& ( instruments

her ears ( wom#

she tries to escape (H) waitress ( nurse alcohol ( antiseptic, anesthetic pads ( pads, towels, #andages ta#le ( operating ta#le platform ( #ac&-alle$, #ac& room, pri*ate room o Bedroom, platform, #ar End of the relationship she turns the %ta#le' on him sa$s the operation L the excising of him L the ending of the relationship is painless, natural, simple <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< < C ##EC!% #&" ,he .agles) %Dife in the Iast Dane' ,he .agles) %,he ,hrill 1s Pone' ,he ,wilight saga ,he Oeath ! the Maiden motif KAC)s %G54PH' .ddie Mone$)s %1 Gant to Po Bac&' Mac#eth2 7 thing ( cause off all pro#lems, or cure-all

L%#D&" http2++www/cummingsstud$guides/net+Puides4+Hills/html http2++www/gumm$print/com+#log+hills-li&e-white-elephants-literar$-anal$sis+ http2++www/spar&notes/com+short-stories+hills-li&e-white-elephants+ http2++*ccslitonline/cc/*a/us+cop$<of<hills+criticism/htm http2++www/answers/com+topic+white-elephant

S http2++leeanndufour/#logspot/com+"00T+77+hills-li&e-white-elephants/html U Zaragoza town map2 http2++oi$angnacho/com+gifs+mapa/-pg

Hotel near train station2

Modern Zaragoza ! .#ro 5i*er2

=panish Cs#orne Bull (Zaragoza)2

Basilica del :ilar (Aathedral of our lad$ of the :illar) dedicated to Mar$, mother of Kesus her 7st appearance to the =panish people