Hills Like White Elephants

[Suzanne]

Anyone interested in a little Hemingway?

http://www.moonstar.com/~acpjr/Blackboa ... hants.html

[Mr. P]

I read this short abot 10 years ago...what a engaging story. I still think of it til this day, specifically the line "its just to let the air in". Powerful statement with simple phrasing.

Mr. P.

[Interbane]

What is the operation for? This seems like a very simple puzzle with an answer that's evading me.

[xkimberleyx]

What is the operation for? This seems like a very simple puzzle with an answer that's evading me.

The girl in the story is pregnant and the operation is an abortion.
"It's really not anything. It's just to let the air in."

[hmrush]

This short story really changed the way I looked at dialogue. I am a huge Hemingway fan, and I loved his use of dialogue in A Farewell to Arms but Hills Like White Elephants completely amazed me. There are very few lines in the story that are not dialogue and yet it reads so well and so much is understood without the need to say very much about the surrounding situation.

[blankspace101]

I've never read anything from Hemingway before. I can't understand why I would deprive myself of such amazingly speechless examples of literature! Ok, I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but I am certain I will be researching some Hemingway literature in my very near future! lol Thanks!

[Suzanne]

I read this story for an English Lit class, one of the questions that was brought up was about the ages of the male and the female. Who do you think is older?

[Mr. P]

I read this story for an English Lit class, one of the questions that was brought up was about the ages of the male and the female. Who do you think is older?

The male is obviously he elder. He is more manipulative and unimpressed by the girls assertion that they can 'have the whole world' (a very naieve assertion) and he is obviously using a mature manipulation throughout the story: "I dont want you to if you dont want to", "you know I love you", etc.

He is also knowledgeable about the drinks whereas she is ignorant. The girl is obviously bored with the stagnation of their relationship: "thats all we do...look at things and try new drinks" and she wants more. This to me implies youth and a yearning for excitment. She is very impressed with the surroundings whereas he seems indifferent.

Just my thoughts.

[blankspace101]

I read this story for an English Lit class, one of the questions that was brought up was about the ages of the male and the female. Who do you think is older?

The male is obviously he elder. He is more manipulative and unimpressed by the girls assertion that they can 'have the whole world' (a very naieve assertion) and he is obviously using a mature manipulation throughout the story: "I dont want you to if you dont want to", "you know I love you", etc.

He is also knowledgeable about the drinks whereas she is ignorant. The girl is obviously bored with the stagnation of their relationship: "thats all we do...look at things and try new drinks" and she wants more. This to me implies youth and a yearning for excitment. She is very impressed with the surroundings whereas he seems indifferent.

Just my thoughts.

I had the sense throughout reading this that the male was in fact older but couldn't figure out why I had thought that. This makes complete sense to me.

[Theomanic]

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.