Hills like White Elephants

"The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun. The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. It was very hot and the express from Barcelona would come in forty minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and went to Madrid(1)" The story begins with a detailed description of a train station in Spain surrounded by hills. The story then into dialogue between the two. A man and a girl who appear to be traveling sit down at a train station to grab a drink and wait for the train. However a conflict is present between the man and the girl. The dilemma is a abortion. It is made clear throughout the story that the man is wanting the abortion and the girl is not really sure what to do.

The American and the girl sit down and enjoy a glass of beer and during their conversation there is a feeling of someone wrong. The problem that is present in the man and girls life is abortion and it is made quite clear that the two are in a disagreement. This situation is apparent before the story even begins. Hemingway's good use of symbolism shows the conflict without stating the obvious. The girls looks off towards the hills and describes them as "white elephants". It is symbolic in the fact that she describes the hills as the very unique white elephant such as a baby, which implies her feelings towards the beauty of having a baby.

Hemingway's use of dialogue is also very revealing in the fact that it shows how the characters are feeling. The way he creates the dialogue makes it possible for the reader to feel the emotions of the character "I wanted to try this new drink. That's all we do, isn't it -- look at things and try new drinks?"(33). "I guess so" The girl looked across the hills. "They're lovely hills"(36) she said "They don't really look like white elephants. I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees"(36). In this part of the dialogue it is apparent that there is some sort of tension between the two characters. You can tell which character is saying what line because the feelings of the man and the girl have been established at this point. The way the flow of the dialogue has gone makes it very clear that the man would like to continue his free and exciting lifestyle while the girl is left wondering what she should do.

The man said that he wanted to try new drink and proceeds to comment on how that is all they do and that's what their lifestyle has been. "He did not say anything but looked at the bags against the walls of the station. There were labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights"(99). He implies without forcing the matter that he is used to his fun and exciting life of traveling and living