FREE ESSAY ON ERNEST HEMINGWAY

ERNEST HEMINGWAY

Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism to help the reader gain a better perspective of how the
protagonist feels in his story. Symbolism occurs when the author uses one thing to
represent another. This helps to give the reader a better idea of the situation or
feeling in a given scene. There are several types of symbolism utilized by authors. One
type is conventional symbolism. Conventional symbolism is common to the area where the
story takes place. While another type is personal which simply is closely tied to the
individual. Still a third type of symbolism is universal, which hold a widely understood
meaning. As we examine Hills Like White Elephants we notice how Hemingway integrates both
personal and conventional symbolism in order to help the reader relate to the situation.

As the story begins the reader is thrust into the lives of two individuals who wait in a
small bar for their train to come. The symbolism is evident as early as the description
of the setting when the introduction says, The hills across the valley of the Ebro were
long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees...(170). This opening
statement describes the actual landscape and also describes the situation that the two
characters face which is dismal and dark. The reader might possibly wonder about what the
other side of the hill looks like. The opening sentence might also be used as
conventional irony since the hills are local to the setting of the story. The opening
description of the setting later goes onto say, ...the station was between two lines of 
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rails in the sun(170). This also relays the current situation of the protagonist as being
stuck between to sides. 
The reader experiences personal symbolism as the story advances. While focusing on her
decision, she looks at her life says, That's all we do isn't it-look at things and try
new drinks(171). In this reflection, she is mentioning how monotonous her and her
boyfriend's lives are with no change and no responsibility. Apparently the boyfriend
enjoys this way of life in that he is the one pushing her towards his way of thinking
without openly appearing to push her. 
The editors express their feelings of the symbolism used by Hemingway in saying, Clearly
the child begun in the girl's womb is a 'white elephant'(book Arp, 184). The reader may
be unaware of the decision that the protagonist is facing based on the text. With the
editors conveying of Hemingway's message, this statement becomes possibly the most
powerful of all the personal symbolism. The woman is in fact carrying a child that is the
white elephant of the story. 
Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism to give the reader a closer understanding of the conflict
involved in Hills Like White Elephants. Hemingway never directly expresses what the
nature of the conflict is in the story. Still, the readers are still able to more closely
relate to how the protagonist is feeling and why the antagonist is putting so much effort
into persuading the protagonist. Symbolism has many ways to allow the reader to
experience what the character's experience. Whether through personal 
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symbolism or conventional symbolism, the author can allow the reader relate to the
situation as if it occurred today when the setting may have been decades before. 
Bibliography
Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants. PERRINE'S LITERATURE:
STRUCTURE, SOUND AND SENSE. Ed. Thomas R. Arp. Fort Worth: 
Harcourt Brace & Company, 1998. 170-173.