Journal 10

Hemmingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” is quite the story for confusion. The two characters are a man and a woman who are introduced to the reader at the beginning of the passage. The setting is said to be at a train station junction that would head from Barcelona to Madrid. The characters seem to be waiting for this train while enjoying a few drinks. The topic of an operation is brought up the reader is left rather clueless as to what kind of operation might be taking place. The only help the reader gets is when the man says “I know you wouldn’t mind it, Jig. It’s really not anything. It’s just to let the air in.” This statement leaves the reader pondering more about the operation. As the conversation continues the reader gets a look into the relationship they share. By looking at the context one might comprehend that after the operation their relationship will be fine and that they will go back to the way things were before. Although the man repeats how much he loves the girl, their relationship must be on a bumpy ride. As the train arrives the man leaves the women to take care of the bags. Upon returning he asks if she feels better and she replies “I feel fine. There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine”. This is the statement Hemmingway leaves the reader with. Not answering questions about the operation, why the couple is going where they are going, or even the tone in which the characters are even speaking. Maybe Hemmingway was a man of mystery when it came to his writing style. Maybe he wanted to leave his readers with questions.