I couldn't agree more, this story, to me at least, seems so different in writing style to Hemingways novels.Theomanic wrote:I really enjoyed this short story. It was written so clearly and precisely I'm in awe. It is rare to read something so cleanly written and yet with subtlety. It reminds me of The Great Gatsby in the layered approach. On the surface it seems like a really simple little story, but as one examines the levels of imagery it starts to have a much deeper meaning.
I asked the question, who was older, the male or female, because when I read this story and discussed it in class, my opinion was different than most of the class. Typical!
The use of the word “girl” is deceiving, and I believe it is used as a tool to show the man’s condescension towards the “girl” and the relationship. It is my belief that the “girl” may be older than the man, if not older, they are close in age. This may be her last chance to have a baby, but she realizes that the “man” wants his carefree lifestyle and she will lose him if she does in fact have the child. The “procedure” may not be what scares her, losing him may scare her more.
This of course leads me to another question. Does she indeed have the procedure? This of course requires speculation on the part of the reader, and how the reader interpreted the story. White elephants typically represent something special. The "girl" sees the train going towards these hills like white elephants, and she wants to be on that train. I think she chooses to have the baby. The relationship she will have with the child, will certainly be longer than the relationship she has with the man.
BTW, nice to hear from you Mr. P.