White Elephants and the Girls Dilemma - Essay Example

The story of Ernest Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants,” perfectly describes the structure of the short story and the symbolism or theme working well together. The short story does not explicitly say the theme or the subject of the story itself. It uses symbolism and the dialogues of the characters to portray the meaning behind their words. It seems like the girl is the protagonist in the story and her partner is the antagonist. The story revolves around the picture of the white elephant, which indirectly puts the situation of the girl into a simpler picture.

A white elephant means that something is too expensive or too costly to keep up that it becomes a nuisance. The girl keeps mentioning the white elephant over and over in the story, emphasizing that there is something that burdens them. But as can be seen throughout the story, hesitation can be seen in her voice when she talks about the simple operation that her partner is suggesting. This shows that the girl is torn between keeping the white elephant or going through with the operation to get rid of it. The white elephant, then, becomes the symbol for keeping the baby, which is obviously what the partner is trying to rid of.

Throughout the story, we can see that the exchange of statements between the girl and the man is full of tension. The reader can feel that the girl is torn between going through the operation and not going through with it. We cannot feel that she is scared but more that she is worried that the plan will not go through as simply as the man puts it. The man is insistent and almost sounds too pushy when he mentions that the operation is just simple, just letting air in through and everything will be alright again. He dismisses the girl’s worries by saying that everything will be alright and they will be happy again like before. This statement does not anger the girl but it makes her doubt the simplicity of the situation. In her mind, we can almost hear her thoughts, which are inclined to believe that things will not be the same anymore after she goes through with the operation.

The symbolism of the white elephant and the structure of the story emphasizes the theme of confusion and disbelief. Something is not worth keeping, as the man insists, but in the end, the girl believes that letting that something go will not make them as happy as they were before. The symbolism of the white elephant cements the thoughts of the man on the girl’s situation and the statements of the girl emphasize that she is worked up about the situation. The exchange between the man and the girl indicates that the girl is looking for stability in their relationship but she knows she will not get it, whether she goes through with what the man wants or not. The man’s flat-toned responses easily read as a dismissal of the girl’s worries and feelings of confusion and frustration.

Symbolism and the exchange of statements between the girl and the man clearly indicate the larger theme of dilemma and an unfortunate ending between the girl and the man’s relationship. How Hemingway structured the story as flat, talking about white elephants and the operation interchangeably, emphasizes the theme of grandeur marked by bleakness because of the character’s response to the situation.