Hills Like White Elephants Discussion Questions

1. What kind of point of view do we have in this story? Explain. There is an objective point of view and a 3rd person narrator. The narrator records a conversation without any comment on it. He simply presents beats of dialogue and describes the landscape.

2. Describe the setting and explain its function The story takes place in Spain Jig and The American are waiting for a train coming from Barcelona to Madrid at a café/bar in the station. The weather is sunny and very hot. The station lies between two different landscapes: on one hand, there’s a dry and barren landscape with hills, and on the other, there are fields of grain and trees along the river. There is a strong contrast between the darkness of the shades and the brightness of the hills. …continued…

2. Describe the setting and explain its function… continued… Jig and The America are in the valley of the Ebro (in Spain) at a railway station. Trains that come and go could mean that they have to do something, but after choosing, they can’t go back. It’s very hot: the action takes off in a hot and dry landscape (no trees, no shade). The white hills in the sun and the country are brown and dry (no vegetation); it’s a barren landscape. On the other side, there are trees, a river, and fields of grain; it’s a fertile landscape. The characters are on the barren side.

3. What kind of relationship is there between the man and the woman 3. What kind of relationship is there between the man and the woman? Do they seem to get along? What was their past life? Jig and The American are in a romantic relationship. It has been suggested that they are engaged to be married. They seemed to have been happy together until they met their first important responsibility, a baby. In the story, Jig and The American have a discussion that worries them, especially Jig. Their prior life seems to have been very superficial; their suitcases are full of labels of the places they’ve visited.

4. What is the story about. What is the “operation” (p 4. What is the story about? What is the “operation” (p.476) the man and woman are discussing? Do they have the same opinion about the issue? The story is about a discussion between Jig and The American. They are discussing whether or not to have a “simple operation,” an abortion. The American wants her to have one; she isn’t sure The American only refers to the technical elements of having an abortion; he isn’t very sensitive about the issue. Jig knows having a child would mean a more mature relationship; she’s convinced a baby would improve their life, although she also knows that if she kept the baby, their relationship would likely end The baby doesn’t mean anything to The American. He appears selfish. Jig is disappointed in him.

5. “White elephant” is an idiomatic expression 5. “White elephant” is an idiomatic expression. Provide an explanation for the title of Hemingway’s Story. Definition: a gift or possession that is difficult to keep, or unwanted. The expression originates from a Thai story where the king would give a white elephant as a gift to someone he disliked; that person would then have to spend all his money looking after the rare animal. If something is referred to as a “white elephant,” it means that it is expensive, but useless. In the story, the baby is like a white elephant: dear and precious for Jig, but unwanted and useless for the man.

6. Comment on the passage: “You mustn’t feel that way 6. Comment on the passage: “You mustn’t feel that way.” What are they talking about? Do they understand each other or are they talking on separate levels? The pronoun “IT” occurs several times in this passage; is the referent always the same or does it change? Jig and The American are talking about having or not having an abortion. They seem to speak on different levels: Jig is speaking about the baby, but the man is speaking about the world (with the pronoun “it”) The American is on the literal level of the conversation; Jig is on a deeper level

7. What does Jig mean when she says, “I don’t feel any way […] I just know things.” What has she finally realized? Why does she say, “can’t we maybe stop talking?” This is the turning point in the story. When Jig says “I just know things,” we know she has reached awareness. She wants a more mature relationship, while the man does not. She knows that even without the pregnancy, they would likely break up anyway. She wants to stop talking because she is exasperated. She knows what she wants and understands the kind of man she is living with. The man keeps saying the same thing in conversation, so she wants to stop.

8. What is the implication in Jig’s final statement, “I feel fine […] There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.” Jig feels there is something wrong with the man. Jig “smiled brightly at the woman” (478), which is an act of politeness to a stranger. Then, Jig smiles at the man, who has become like a stranger to her.