Hills like white elephant 中象征手法的使用

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Symbolism Used in “Hills like White Elephants”

A symbol is an object, action, or idea that represents something other than itself, often of a more abstract nature. Symbolism creates quality aspects that make literature like poetry and novels more meaningful. The story is talking a very sensitive topic at that time, because of that, Hemingway does not use a word of pregnant or abortion. Hemingway is good at “Iceberg Theory.”In this way, the short story does not disclose everything, we may find that a lot of things are symbolic in it.

The title “Hills like White Elephants” contains three different symbols: hills, the color white, and the white elephants. Firstly, hills can be interpreted in two ways. The shape of the hills Jig sees is just really like a white elephant. “All right, I was trying. I said the mountains looked like white elephants. Wasn't that bright?” She uses the white elephants as a metaphor for the mountains. Another interpretation----Jig is pregnant, in her eyes, the rounded enlargement of her stomach with a baby is just like the hills, and it can also be thought of as the image of the swollen breasts. White is the color of pure snow or milk. It is the color of light that contains all of the wavelengths of the visible spectrum without absorption. In Western culture, white is the color most often associated with innocence, perfection, the good, honesty, cleanliness, the beginning, the new, neutrality, lightness, and exactitude. In the girl’s eyes, the color white symbolizes the innocence and purity of her unborn child. As for the white elephant, it is a largely useless

object that may be expensive to own and maintain, according to one of its definitions in standard dictionaries. From the perspective of Jig, one of the hills may represent the lifestyle of her and the American. There are also some other symbols of it. It represents a valuable possession which the owner can not dispose of. According to Asian legends, the possession of a white elephant was regarded as both a blessing and a curse. It was good because the animal was sacred and was considered to be a high-level gift. It was bad because the animal could not be used as a labor animal and would be expensive to own and maintain; It is a avoidance of a difficult topic (according to“an elephant in the room”). The phrase “an elephant in the room” is a euphemism for a topic painfully obvious that no one wants to discuss – it refers to a question, problem, or issue that is obvious but is being ignored; It symbolizes the strength and fertility. According to tradition, Buddha’s mother had a dream about a white elephant that brought her a lotus flower. The following day she gave birth to her son.

The name of the girl, Jig, also implies and symbolizes a lot. A jig is a device used in wood working. Some have suggested that her name is symbolic because the man thinks of her as a tool – an object – rather than a person with emotions and feelings about her unborn child. A jig is also a traditional Irish dance. This nickname can show, in a subtle way, that the girl and man dance around each other and around the problem that exists without saying anything important or coming to any clear decision.

Curtain is recurred seven times in the short story. “Close against the side of the station

there was the warm shadow of the building and a curtain, made of strings of bamboo beads,” “ ‘Dos cervezas,’ the man said into the curtain ” . “The girl looked at the bead curtain”, etc.

Without any doubt, curtain must have a deep meaning. It symbolizes boundaries the

couple is facing at this point in their life or the separation that exists between the couple.

Another one is Anis del Toro. Anis del Toro is mentioned five times in the story. "Anis del Toro. It's a drink." This new drink that tastes like licorice can represent the innocence of Jig, since she has never heard of this drink before. “Coming back, he walked through the barroom, where people waiting for the train were drinking. He drank an Anis del Toro at the bar and looked at the people.” This powerful liquor can symbolize the excitement that her American boyfriend has to offer to Jig, but the drink fails to deliver.

“Railroad Tracks” in the story divides line between the green, fertile land, and the brown, dry land, representing the division that exists between the couple. These are tracks that run side-by-side, yet never meet, and could represent the relationship between Jig and her boyfriend – being together – yet never coming together.

“Hills Like White Elephants” is similar to many of Hemingway’s other short stories. He uses straightforward writing, simple prose, and skeletal sentences. Hemingway knows how to trim language and has been said to “get the most from the least.” He leaves information out of this story intentionally. This allows the readers to fill in the blanks and come to their own conclusion. Hemingway uses a style that analysts call the “Iceberg Theory.” For instance, in the story the word “abortion” is never mentioned although the male character seems to be attempting to convince his girlfriend to have an abortion. “Iceberg Theory.” is very evident in “Hills Like White Elephants.”

His hard facts float above the water but most of the supporting structure, filled with symbolism, operates underwater. In conclusion, Hemingway's use of “Iceberg Theory.” is well applied through the symbols as I analyzed above.

Work cited:

“Elephant in the Room.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/elephant_in_the_room. (4/6/10).

Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” Moonstar.com. http://www.moonstar.com/~acpjr/Blackboard/Common/Stories/WhiteElephants.html. (3/31/10).

“Hills Like White Elephants.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hills_like_white_elephants. (3/31/10).

“Hills Like White Elephants: A Study Guide.” Cummings Study Guide. http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides4/Hills.html. (4/1/10).

“Hills Like White Elephants Symbolism, Imagery & Allegory.” Shmoop Beta. http://www.shmoop.com/hills-like-white-elephants/symbolism-imagery.html

“Hills Like White Elephants – Literary Analysis.” Virginia Community College Systems Literature Website. http://www.gummyprint.com/blog/hills-like-white-elephants-literary-analysis/. (4/1/10). “Hills Like White Elephants: Themes, Motifs, and Symbols.” SparkNotes. http://www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/hills-like-white-elephants/themes.html. (4/1/10). “White Elephant.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/white_elephant. (4/6/10).