A Masterpiece of Dialogue and Symbolism - Essay Example

“Hills Like White Elephants A Masterpiece of Dialogue and Symbolism Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story replete with verbal exchanges between the two characters, the American and his girl, Jig. The literary elements chosen are dialogue and symbolism which are used together to come up with a masterful work that leaves the readers thinking about what problem confronts the couple. The entire story is devoted to the dialogue between the American and Jig. Hemingway uses dialogue which allows the readers to analyze the personalities of the couple.

The dialogue however, never stated directly what the two characters were talking about. The conversations of the couple are full of symbolisms which the readers have to decipher. One example of the symbolism used by Hemingway is the use of the hills looking like “white elephants” (Hemingway , par 9). A white elephant symbolizes fertility in some cultures (DeMare , par 3). This gives the readers the idea that Jig is pregnant. The American disagrees with Jig, saying he has never seen one (Hemingway , par 10).

Again, this is symbolic of how he views the possibility of having a child with Jig. He disagrees with the whole idea, suggesting that an “operation” be done (Hemingway , par 41). The “operation” being referred to here is the abortion of Jig’s baby. Another symbolism is when the American transferred their luggage to the other side of the train station which represents his giving in to Jig’s request to have the baby. The bamboo bead curtain is the symbol used by Hemingway to denote the disagreement between the couple which separates them from each other (par 3).

It is a sort of boundary between them. In conclusion, one can say that Hemingway’s use of the dialogue and symbolism was effective at bringing his message across the readers. The synthesis between these two literary elements contributed to the appeal of the story. The value of the symbolisms is given emphasis as it is totally immersed in the dialogues of the characters. Works Cited DeMare, Josh. "Writing a literary analysis." 26 May 2003. 15 March 2012. Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.

” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 5th Compact ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012. 295-298. Print.