ETI 306--Literary
Translation II
“HILLS LIKE WHITE
ELEPHANTS” (1927)
BY
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
Ernest Miller Hemingway (1899-1961)
 Hemingway was an American writer of novels and short stories.
Before turning to fiction, he worked as a reporter for the Kansas City
Star and served as a First World War ambulance driver before
enlisting with the Italian infantry and suffering a wound.
 After the war, he worked for the Toronto Star and lived for a time in
Paris and Key West, Fla. During the Spanish Civil War and the
Second World War, he served as a newspaper correspondent, then
lived in Cuba until 1958 and Idaho until 1961, the year of his death by
suicide.
 His narratives frequently contain masculine motifs, such as bull-
fighting (Death in the Afternoon), hunting (The Green Hills of
Africa), war (A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls), and
fishing (The Old Man and the Sea). All of these motifs derive from
Hemingway’s own experiences as a traveler and an adventurer.
Arguably, he was a better short-story writer than a novelist, although
it was his longer works that built his reputation.
Ernest Hemingway
 First published in August of 1927, “Hills Like White Elephants”
became an important piece in Hemingway's second collection of
short stories, Men Without Women. Hemingway wrote the story soon
after the publication of his 1926 novel, The Sun Also Rises, while
living in Paris.
 His first major novel, The Sun Also Rises chronicled the postwar
experiences of what his friend Gertrude Stein called the "lost
generation" of WWI.
 ‘Lost Generation’ is a term for the U.S. writers of the post-WWI
generation, coined in a remark by Gertrude Stein to Ernest
Hemingway. Besides him they included Scott Fitzgerald, John
Dos Passos, e.e. cummings and others. Their ideals shattered by
the war, they felt alienated from the materialism of America in
the 1920's, and many lived bohemian expatriate lives in Paris.
Hills Like White Elephants
 Men Without Women was well-received, as were Hemingway’s other
early works. He was embraced by the expatriate literary community
in Paris and received strong reviews on his work in the United States
and abroad. Although he continued to write novels and stories
throughout his career, the early short stories are often considered to
be among his finest works.
 ‘‘Hills Like White Elephants,’’ is one of Hemingway’s most
anthologized and much-discussed stories, possibly because of the
way used dialogue to convey the “meaning” of the story with no
description, very little narration, no identification of character or
even intent.
 We have no clear ideas about the nature of the discussion (abortion);
the dialogue conveys everything that we conclude about the
characters.
 The story offers a glimpse at the spare prose and understated
dialogue that represents Hemingway’s mastery of style.
Elements of fiction
Setting: a train station in the Ebro River (Zaragoza) valley
of Spain; the time is not given, but it seems to be
contemporary to the time the text was composed (1920s).
The day is hot and dry, and the scenery in the valley is
barren and mostly ugly.
Characters: a man (referred to as "the American") and his
female companion (whom he calls Jig); the two
characters are a couple.
Point of view: third-person point of view that limits the
narration to what the characters say and do; it does not
reveal their thoughts, (narrator does not reveal anything
about the characters and never states what the characters
is arguing about. Readers must interpret the dialogue to
infer their backgrounds and their attitudes about the
situation, and toward one another.
Elements of fiction
Plot summary: The story, told almost entirely through
dialogue, is a conversation between a young woman, Jig,
and a man, the American, waiting for a train in Spain. As
they talk, it becomes clear that the young woman is
pregnant and that the man wants her to have an abortion.
(Though it is never stated explicitly in the text, it is made
clear through some contextual clues that Jig is pregnant
and that the ‘operation’ in question is an abortion).
The American and Jig drink beer and a liquor called Anis
del Toro while waiting for the train to Madrid. Jig
compares the drink to licorice. Their conversation is, at
first, ordinary small talk, yet it quickly turns to the
subject of an operation which the American tries to
convince Jig to undergo.
Elements of fiction
Plot (cont’d): After putting forward some arguments
which the American does not respond much, Jig
eventually agrees to undergo the operation but then she
tries to change the subject. The American who seems to
be unsure of Jig's intentions and mental state tries to
keep on the subject. As the train approaches, he carries
their bags to the platform, has another drink alone and
then joins Jig. She smiles at him, tells him that she is
"fine", and the story ends.
Much is revealed about the personalities of the couple
through their tight, brittle conversation, while at the
same time, much about their relationship remains
hidden. At the end of the story it is still unclear as to what
decision has or has not been made, or what will happen
to these two characters waiting for a train on a platform
in Spain.
Elements of fiction
Themes: Even though it is quite short and made up of
mostly dialogues, "Hills Like White Elephants" contains
different themes. It deals with concepts such as the
conflict between personal responsibility and hedonism,
rhetorical and psychological manipulation, coming of
age, and the dynamics of the romantic relationship and
its transformation into the notion of family.
More generally, it could also be a statement about the
intellectual, cultural and moral climate of the Roaring
20’s and the lifestyles and attitudes of the post-WW I
"Lost Generation" of American expatriates in Europe.
Elements of fiction
Themes (cont’d)
Confronting the Future: Jig and the American have been traveling in
Europe from hotel to hotel in pursuit of pleasure. However, Jig
expresses dissatisfaction with their nomadic existence, especially
now that she is pregnant. She apparently wants to have the baby and
settle down to a normal life, symbolized from her perspective by the
greenery and thriving grain fields on one side of the station. He
wants her to abort their baby so that they can continue their
adventures.
Inability to Communicate Effectively: Jig and the American have
difficulty articulating their feelings. Rather than bluntly stating their
views, they imply, hint, euphemize.
 Themes (cont’d)
Elements of fiction
Selfishness: The man appears to be manipulating Jig in order to
maintain a lifestyle in which she is a convenient outlet for his libido.
He is even willing to sacrifice a human life, Jig’s unborn child, so that
he can continue their joyride.
Too Much of a Good Thing: Jig and the American have apparently
been living a life of excess. Consequently, life is no longer fun for Jig.
When she samples a strong and dangerous liqueur to try to revive her
interest in their great adventure, she says disappointedly that
“everything tastes like licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited
for so long, like absinthe.” Clearly, she is ready to abandon their
dissipated way of life to settle down.
Evasion of Responsibility: The American seems unable to accept
responsibility, for whatever reason. Rather than facing the challenges
of normal life, he continually puts them off.
Analysis
Symbolism: In the beginning of the story, Jig draws a
simile by describing the hills across the barren valley as
looking like white elephants?
While Jig possibly sees the child as an extraordinary
addition to her ordinary life of drinking and mindless
traveling, the American could be seeing the baby as a
white elephant and not want to raise it because of the
cost.
The symbolism of the hills and the big white elephant can
be thought of as the image of the swollen breasts and
abdomen of a pregnant woman, and might refer to the
prenatal dream of the mother of the future Buddha in
which a white elephant (in this case, a symbol of
prestigious leadership) enters her womb.
Analysis
 Some parts of the setting may symbolize the tension and
conflict surrounding the couple: the train tracks form a
dividing line between the barren expanse of land
stretching toward the hills on one side and the green,
fertile farmland on the other, symbolizing the choice
faced by each of the main characters and their differing
interpretations of the dilemma of pregnancy.
 At the end of the story, the American picks up their
luggage and carries it to the "other tracks" on the
opposite side of the station, symbolizing his sense of
primacy in making the decision to give up their child and
betraying his insistence to Jig that the decision is entirely
in her hands.
Analysis
 The name Jig, given as a pet name by the lover of the
female character and the fact that her real name is
never given may be symbolically significant, too.
 Possible meanings of ‘jig’




an old slang term for sexual intercourse,
a vivacious Celtic dance,
any of several different kinds of tools (whiskey measurer,
fishing lure, woodworking tool, etc.)
‘the jig is up’: it's all over
 All of this could imply that the American views Jig as
more of a loving object or tool than a person with
feelings and values to be respected.
Style
 Hemingway’s writing style, which is simple, direct, and
unadorned prose, stirred a great deal of comment and
controversy.
 Before Hemingway, American writers were influenced by
British mannerisms. They used many adjectives one after
another; strings of adverbs, many colons and semicolons
which hindered the flow of paragraphs, and caused
readers to become agitated. Then came Hemingway with
his plain style—simple and compact, with short sentences
and paragraphs devoid of verbosity and adjectives and
adverbs are few.
 Hemingway leaves himself out and says as little as
possible while letting the characters do the speaking.
Style
 When Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature
in 1954, his writing style was singled out as one of his
foremost achievements. The committee recognized his
“forceful and style-making mastery of the art of modern
narration.”
 Hemingway has often been described as a master of
dialogue; he accomplishes the effect of the dialogues by
calculated emphasis and repetition that makes the reader
remember what has been said.
 The writing style of Hemingway, which was certainly not
spontaneous, may be due to his journalistic training. When
he worked as a journalist, he learned to report facts crisply
and succinctly. He was also an obsessive revisionist.
Translation strategy and potential problems
 A stylistic approach will be followed in the
translation of the short story, since the aspect of
style appears to central in the story.
 Possible challenges include the symbolism in the
story and the translation of some culture-specific
terms.
 Also due to the lack of a traditional plot, the
dialogues that basically tell the story need to be
translated very carefully.
Translating symbolism
 white elephant (beyaz fil): a valuable possession which its owner
cannot dispose of and whose cost (particularly cost of upkeep)
exceeds its usefulness.
The term derives from the sacred white elephants kept by Southeast
Asian monarchs in Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. To possess
a white elephant was regarded as a sign that the monarch was ruling
with justice and the kingdom was blessed with peace and prosperity.
The tradition derives from tales in the scriptures which associate a
white elephant with the birth of Buddha, as his mother was reputed
to have dreamed of a white elephant presenting her with a lotus
flower, a symbol of wisdom and purity, on the eve of giving birth.
Because the animals were considered sacred and laws protected
them from labor, receiving a gift of a white elephant from a monarch
was both a blessing and a curse: a blessing because the animal was
sacred and a sign of the monarch's favor, and a curse because the
animal had to be kept and could not be put to practical use to offset
the cost of maintaining it.
Numeric symbolism
The story is obviously an open text, but there are several binaries:
 the two landscapes on the two sides to the valley-fertile green side vs.
barren desert side,
 two choices for the decision, to have the abortion or not, one side of
the valley has “fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro”
in stark contrast to the white hills where there is little life,
 two railway tracks at the station, to Madrid or Barcelona, again, to
have or not have abortion; The train they initially wait for is going
TOWARDS Madrid and AWAY from Barcelona. The text states they
are coming FROM the Barcelona train/side. The abortion would
presumably happen in Madrid, the heart and capital of Spain. An
abortion, as well as absinthe, at the time would have been illegal in
the U.S.
 the American not only seems to put the luggage on the other side, the
fertile side, but he also does not see the train, which is important
because everyone else can see the Madrid train that is five minutes
away — but Jig’s lover looks up for the train and sees nothing —
meaning he is looking towards the other side, towards the side that
awaits the train going back to Barcelona (no-abortion-train).
Translating specific vocabulary
 licorice (meyan kökü): both a sweet candy and an ingredient used in
medicine as a purgative.
 absinthe (pelin otu): a green liqueur having a bitter anise or licorice flavor
and a high alcohol content, prepared from absinthe and other herbs, and
now prohibited in many countries because of its toxicity
 Anis del toro: an
alcoholic drink that is dark in color and tastes like
licorice. The name is Spanish for "The Bull's Anise"
 aniseed (anason): the aromatic seed of anise, the oil of which is used in the
manufacture of anethole, in medicine as a carminative and expectorant, and
in cookery and liqueurs for its licorice-like flavor
 dos cervezas: in Spanish, “Two beers”
 reale: old silver coin that was used in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries
Beyaz Filden Tepeler (Tr. Bahar Çelik)
Ebro vadisi boyunca tepeler yüksek ve bembeyazdı. Bu tarafta ne bir ağaç ne de bir gölge vardı ve
tren istasyonu güneşin altında, iki demiryolu hattının tam ortasındaydı. İstasyonun hemen yanına
binanın ılık gölgesi vuruyordu ve bara açılan kapıya, sineklerin girmemesi için bambu
boncuklarından dizilmiş bir perde asılıydı. Amerikalı ve beraberindeki kız dışarıya, gölgedeki
masaya oturdular. Hava çok sıcaktı ve Barselona’dan gelecek olan hızlı trenin gelmesine henüz kırk
dakika vardı. Tren iki demir yolunun birleştiği bu kavşakta iki dakika duraklayıp Madrid’e devam
edecekti.
“Ne içsek acaba?” diye sordu kız. Şapkasını çıkarıp masanın üzerine koydu.
“Hava çok sıcak,” dedi adam.
“Bira içelim.”
Adam “Dos cervezas,” diye seslendi perdeye doğru.
“Büyük boy mu?” diye sordu kadının biri kapıdan.
“Evet, iki büyük boy.”
Kadın iki bira ve iki tane de bardakaltlığı getirdi. Bardakaltlıklarını ve bira bardaklarını masaya
koyarken adama ve kıza baktı. Kız sıra sıra tepelere doğru bakıyordu. Güneşin altında bembeyaz
görünüyorlardı, kırlarsa kuru ve kahverengiydi.
“Beyaz fillere benziyorlar” dedi kız.
“Ben hiç beyaz fil görmedim,” dedi adam ve birasından bir yudum aldı
“Görmemişsindir.”
“Görmüş olabilirim. Senin görmemiş olabileceğimi söylemen hiçbir şey kanıtlamıyor.”
Kız boncuktan yapılma sinekliğe baktı. “Üzerine bir şey yazmışlar” dedi. “Ne yazıyor?”
“Anis del Toro. Bir içki adı.”
“Denesek mi?”
Adam perdenin arkasına doğru bağırdı, “Bakar mısınız?” Barın arkasından kadın çıktı.
“Dört real(*)”
“İki Anis del Toro istiyoruz.”
BEYAZ FİLLERE BENZEYEN TEPELER (Tr. Müjde Dural)
Ebro vadisinin karşısındaki tepeler uçsuz bucaksız ve bembeyazdı, ne ağaç, ne de gölge vardı
ve tren istasyonu iki demiryolu hattının ortasındaydı. İstasyonun karşısındaki bina sıcak bir
gölge veriyordu, sinekler girmesin diye barın kapısına bambulardan yapılmış boncuklu
sinekliklerden asılmıştı. Amerikalı adam ile yanındaki kız binanın dışındaki gölgeliğe
oturmuşlardı, hava çok sıcaktı ve Barselona'dan gelecek olan expres trene daha 40 dakika
vardı. Bu istasyonda iki dakika durup, Madrit'e gidecekti. Kız 'ne içsek?' diye sordu.
Şapkasını çıkartıp, masanın üzerine koymuştu.
Adam "bayağı sıcak" dedi.
"Bira içelim"
Adam kapıya doğru "Dos cervezas" diye seslendi.
Kapıdaki kadın "büyük mü olsun?" dedi.
"Evet, iki büyük"
Kadın iki büyük bardak bira ve bardak altlığı getirdi, masaya koydu, kıza ve adama baktı.
Kız tepelere bakıyordu, tepeler güneşten bembeyaz gözüküyordu, her yer kurak ve
kahverengiydi.
Kız "beyaz fillere benziyorlar" dedi.
Adam birasını içerken "bir tane bile görmedim" dedim.
"Yok, sen göremezsin"
"Görebilirdim, sadece senin demen hiçbir şey kanıntlamaz"
Kız boncuklu sinekliğe baktı "Üzerine boyayla bir şey yazmışlar ne diyor?"
"Anis del toro bir tür içkidir"
"Biz de deneyelim mi?"
Adam kapıya doğru "iki anis del toro istiyoruz" diye seslendi.
Kadınsız Erkekler
Author: Ernest Hemingway
ISBN: 9752201741
Translated by: Ülkü Tamer
Publisher: Bilgi Yayınevi
Published: İstanbul, Temmuz 2006
Pages: 173
Kitap Tanıtım Yazısından:
Türkçede yayımlanmış tek yasal baskı.
Nobel Edebiyat Ödüllü Hemingway'in romanları kadar başarılı ve en az onlar
kadar ünlü 14 öyküsü.
Ahmet Yurdakul'un önsözü, Ülkü Tamer'in tertemiz çevirisiyle.
Kısa, yalın cümleler kullanan, özgün sert tarzı ile bilinen ve "tragedya
yazarlarının sonuncusu" olarak tanımlanan yazarın insanı sarsan anlatım
yeteneğiyle öykü okumanın tadına varacaksınız.