Hemingway's Personal Life in Hills Like White Elephants - Book Report/Review Example

Hemingways Personal Life and its Influence on his Short Story, “Hills Like White Elephants.” (Name of the Student) Institution Title: Hemingways Personal Life and its Influence on his Short Story, “Hills Like White Elephants.” Introduction: Ernest Hemingway was a literary giant. Two issues are important in literary creations. The immediate impact of an incident and the cumulative effect of several incidents related to the life of an author. No author can escape from the set of these influences in his writings and why should one try to do so? Ernest Hemingway’s personal life was colorful and heroic. In the story “Hills Like White Elephants”, Hemingway cleverly articulates as to how the women, whether traditional or modern, have mostly been at the receiving end and menfolk are not willing to give them space and do not realize the damage they cause to their psyche due to over-protectiveness or outright suppression of their rights and individuality. Ernest Hemingway: Biography Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois and he was the second child of his parents Grace Hall and Clarence Edmonds Hemingway. After graduation, he shifted to Kansas City and joined as a cub reporter for the Star Newspaper. The ongoing World War excited him and he joined Red Cross as an ambulance driver. He was injured in the war and during the course of his recuperation, he met Agnes von Kurowsky. Hemingway took the relationship seriously but Agnes treated him as a kid. He returned to America to be honored as a war hero. With the termination of relationship with Agnes, Hemingway was heart-broken. In Chicago, when on freelance assignments, he met Hadley Richardson and they got married in 1921. Both of them moved to Paris, on the advice of a friend, to live in association with other writers. That move brought Hemingway to the limelight in the world of literature. In Paris he did some writing for the Toronto Star newspaper. Soon the marriage with Hadley ended, but Hemingway remarried Pauline Pfeiffer and they moved to Key West, Florida. His father committed suicide and his writing was interrupted. By then Hemingway had taken to heavy drinking. The marriage again was on the rocks and he went to Spain accompanied by his new love Martha Gellhorn. In 1940, he divorced Pauline. They jointly bought a house in Cuba and World War II broke out and Hemingway went to Europe to cover the war. Martha was already there to work. Their relationship however ended in 1945. He was in love again and he married Mary Welsh in the year 1946.They returned to Cuba and Hemingway was on his writing assignments again. The next phase in his life was full of tragedies. Ernest and Mary were enjoying a safari in Africa, and they were involved in a plane crash. The injuries were minor and the rescue plane arrived but it too crashed during the takeoff. Mary’s ribs were broken; Hemingway lost his kidney function for the rest of his life. He was put on medication for high blood pressure. He suffered from depression due to side effects of the medicine. He withdrew from his friends and loved ones. In 1960 his condition still worsened and he was given electro shock treatments that were very painful. He was given shocks 36 times, he lost memory and his depression increased. The day he returned from his 36th shock treatment, he shot himself. Thus, finally he challenged his destiny by committing suicide in Ketchum, Idaho, in 1961. He lived through the most volatile period of human history. “Hemingway expresses the view that the loss of liberty anywhere in the world is a threat to liberty everywhere.” (MSN)The two world wars, the Nazi holocaust, the nuclear devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, deeply touched the sensibilities of this author. “Vigorously reflecting the author’s life, the protagonists of his books and short stories also fought, loved and drank hard. His literary heroes not only used alcohol as ready incendiary to start dramatic fires, but also as a wall against humanity—drinking to excess was viewed as the one sure way a man could build a barrier between himself and the world he had come to loathe.”(Modern….) This aspect is clearly evident in the story “Hills Like White Elephants”. Hemingway’s experiences with his encounters with women in his five marriages reflect in this story. Kenneth G. Johnston’s (1988) observation seems to be applicable to this story. He writes “The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water…Hemingway felt compelled to reveal himself in his stories…” (South Atlantic Review)The time-limit of the story is short, but it throws light on a profound issue, the problem of man-woman relationship, and how cleverly the man tries to dominate the scene. The setting of the story is in Spain around in 1927 and the place is a bar in s train station. A man and a woman, the two main characters in the story, are engaged in a conversation as they have drinks at the bar. The topic of their serious discussion is not stated explicitly but one can gather that it is about the abortion for the girl. Ernest Hemingway’s mention about the statement by the man, “It’s just to let the air in,” (p.212) is the indicator about the gravity of the conversation. The name of the woman is Jig and the man is an American. Their relationship is vague and is not clearly defined. Without marrying, they have initiated a physical relationship resulting in girl’s pregnancy. They move from place to place with abrupt halts. Their conversation is childlike without any undercurrent of serious responsibility, as the American tells her to “cut it out” (p.212) and Jig replies, “you started it” (p.212). Being sensitive, she is uncomfortable about discussing the topic of abortion. She speaks through her heart; her emotions generate from her inner world, whereas the American is a conversationalist and tries to introduce the art of public relations in his talk with Jig with the confidence that he will able to dominate her and impose his wishes on her. He is trying to outsmart her. He somehow wishes to get rid of the mess that he has created for himself, and says in an argumentative and emphatic tone, “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig."(p.212) Jig, it seems, is not interested in terminating the pregnancy, and she is thoroughly uncomfortable with the suggestion of the American. The American persuades her for the abortion and pleads that it is an “easy” and “simple” process and when that is done, it is possible to recoup the level of happiness they have been enjoying. Jig is in a serious dilemma. Normally the reader at this stage thinks that the delicate problem between the two relates to the “still born,” child. Besides, it is an emotional and ethical issue. She is frustrated and wishes to end the conversation on the topic and asks him, to “please please please please please please please stop talking". (p.214)When he again attempts to restart the conversation, she threatens to scream. This indicates how helpless she is and the man has an upper hand on the issue. He is insensitive, his dialogues are cosmetic, and he is just interested in finding the escape route. What he is doing is little short of emotional blackmail of a sensitive woman who cares a great deal about him. The American’s comments of "I dont want anyone but you"(p.215) and "I dont want anyone else"(p.215) are business-like and devoid of genuine sentiments. His heart is dry and affection-less. He almost expresses hatred for the child that is yet to emerge in this world and in place of the heart he must be having a stone and thus he is a clever psychological manipulator. Conclusion: To talk about abortion ninety years ago could not be as easy as it is in the present times. Yet the American in the story “Hills Like White Elephants” exercises pressure on Jig and tries to bully her psychologically. Their relationship has lost the warmth and has turned icy like the mountainous terrain covered with sheets of ice. This is the significance of the title of the story. Suffering of women is the theme of the story and as such the institution of marriage has many loose ends. No religious tenets, no sociological convulsions, no economic solutions, no technological advancement, no feminist theories have been able to eradicate completely the secondary position of women as compared to men and she is compelled to walk under the protective umbrella of menfolk, who have held it not out of benevolence, but as an act of authority. Hemingway’s life of adventure ended on a note of melancholy. His five marriages, birth of children, his international success in the literary world, the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Award—nothing brought him happiness in the real sense of the term. The life of a self-made man came to an end through a self-inflicted bullet. It was peace at last and Ernest Hemingway reached the land from where no one ever returns and the contents of the story “Hills Like White Elephants” conclusively prove the above aspects. References Cited Hemingway, Ernest (1998). The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway: Scribner; The Finca; Eigia Edition Johnston, Kenneth, G (1987). Hemingway and the Short Story. Greenwood, FL: Pikeville Publishing Company. South Atlantic Review, Vol. 53, No. 4, Nov., 1988 MSN EncartaErnest Hemingway… Accessed from: Modern Drunkard Magazine OnlineCrushed… Accessed from: Read More