HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS - QUESTIONS
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
1) Describe the setting and try to explain its function.
The story takes place in Spain. There are two people, the main characters, who are waiting for a
train coming from Barcelona to Madrid at a café in a station. They are a girl, Jig, and a man, “the
American” and they are engaged.
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 (ll. 24-25), on the other there are fields of grain and
trees along a river (Ebro) (ll. 121-123).
There is also a strong contrast between the darkness of the shades and the brightness of the hills.
In this story symbolism are certainly very important. The station could represent a typical place
where you have to take a decision, a crossroad. The landscapes, on the other hand, could have
different links with the reasoning and feelings of the characters or with their relationship.
They are in the valley of the Ebro (in Spain) near a railway station. Trains that come and go could
mean that they have to do something, but if they did that, they couldn’t go back.
It’s very hot: the action takes off in a hot and very 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 (arido, sterile)
landscape. On the other hand: trees, river, fields of grain; a fertile landscape. The characters are on
the barren side.
2) What kind of relationship is there between the man and the woman? Do they seem
to get on well together? What was their past life?
The man and the girl are engaged. They had a nice life so far (ll. 85,105). They have always been
happy together until they met their first important responsibility, a baby. During the story Jig and
the American have a discussion that worries them, in particular the girl. Their life seems to have
been very superficial (l. 60), their suitcase are full of labels of the places they’ve visited (l. 173).
3) What is the story about? What is the “operation” (ll. 73-4) the man and the woman
are discussing about? Do they have the same opinion about it?
The story is about a discussion between a man and a girl. This discussion is about doing or not
doing it, having or not having a “simple operation”, an abortion. The man wants her to have the
abortion, but the woman isn’t sure. They are trying to decide if the woman should or shouldn’t do
this operation.
It’s not their first discussion because the word “abortion” isn’t mentioned. The man tries to
convince the woman to do this operation, to abort. He keeps repeating the same things over and
over again: “it’s a simple operation”. Jig is unsure about what to do, she probably doesn’t want to
do the operation, she would probably like to keep the baby.
Having a child means have a more mature relationship. Jig is quite convinced that the baby would
improve their life.
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The man only refers to the technical elements, he isn’t very sensitive. He refuses any
responsibility in the decision (l. 93). Jig knows that if she kept the baby, their relationship would
probably finish. The Baby doesn’t mean anything to him (ll. 159-160). He appears very selfish. The
baby wouldn’t be a joy for him, it would be a burden (peso). Jig is disappointed and she speaks
with sarcasm (l. 166).
4) “White elephant” is an idiomatic expression. Look up the meaning in an EnglishEnglish dictionary and then try to explain the title of Hemingway’s short story.
Meaning of “white elephant”: if you refer to someone as a white elephant, you mean that it is
expensive but completely useless. Origin: from the story that in Siam (now Thailand), the king
would give a white elephant as a present to somebody that he didn’t like. That person would
have to spend all his money on looking after the rare animal.
White elephant: a gift or a possession difficult to keep, unwanted. The baby is like a white elephant:
dear, precious for Jig, unwanted, useless for the man.
Symbolisms:
Hills: the hills remind the woman of the tummy (pancione), the hills could represent the tummy
of a pregnant woman.
Landscapes: the barred landscape represents their life, if they decide to go through the abortion.
The fertile landscape represents, on the other hand, their life if they decide to keep the baby.
Railway junction: this symbolizes a conflict, they have to make a decision.
Shade: it prevents them from an entirely experience, what the reality is like. They can’t really
understand what the abortion really mean.
5) Comment on the following passage: l. 121 (“The girl stood up…”) – l. 146 (“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?
Comment on a passage:
• briefly put it into its contest;
• comment on the themes/characters ( comparisons)
(quote text);
• use passage to speak about general features of the text.
It’s a discussion between a man and a girl that they are waiting for a train at the railway junction.
They are having a discussion about having or not having an abortion. This is not clear at the first
reading. Comment: Jig seems to understand the alternative oh having the abortion: that’s keeping
the baby. On the other hand, the man doesn’t seem to understand it. They seems to speak on
different levels. Jig is probably speaking about the baby, the man is speaking about the world (with
the pronoun it). The man is left on the literal level of the conversation.
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6) What does Jig mean when she says “I don’t feel any way […] I just know things”
(ll. 146-7)? What has she finally realized? Why does she say “Can’t we maybe stop
talking” (ll. 153-4)?
Turning point: “I just know things”. The girl has reached awareness (consapevolezza). The man
doesn’t understand that the woman is looking for a mature relationship. She has realized that she
wants a mature relationship, but the man is very superficial. They will probably break up anyway.
Jig has become more mature with the pregnancy.
“Can’t we maybe stop talking?”: Jig is exasperated. She knows what she wants, she understood
what kind of man she’s living with. If they go on with the discussion, the man will always say the
same things (leitmotiv): “It’s a very simple operation”.
7) What is the implication in her final statement “I feel fine […] There’s nothing
wrong with me. I feel fine” (ll. 201-202)?
The woman thinks that there is something wrong with the man… “She smiled at him” (ll. 188199). Smiling at the woman (l. 185) is an act of politeness to a stranger. Then the girl smiles to the
man, who has become a stranger to her.
Narrative technique
1) What kind of point of view do we have in this short story?
There is an external point of view and a 3rd person narrator. The narrator records a conversation
without any comment on it. He simply presents beats of dialog and describes the landscapes.
2) Why is it so difficult to understand what the man and the woman are talking
about?
Because the word “abortion” isn’t mentioned in the story.
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