Themes, Symbols, and Motifs in HLWE
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Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway
Lesson Plans by Kristy Littlehale
Students will likely have differing viewpoints and feelings about abortion, as it is a very emotionally-charged political issue. That is what makes “Hills Like White Elephants” an excellent tool to use to teach about a controversial topic, and have students be able to discuss their ideas in an academic manner.
![Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway - "Hills Like White Elephants" Summary](http://cdn.storyboardthat.com/storyboard-cells/2904286/cell-col-1-row-0-w400.png "Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway - "Hills Like White Elephants" Summary")
![Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway - Literary Conflict in "Hills Like White Elephants"](http://cdn.storyboardthat.com/storyboard-cells/2904294/cell-col-0-row-0-w400.png "Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway - Literary Conflict in "Hills Like White Elephants"")
![Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway - "Hills Like White Elephants" Themes and Symbols](http://cdn.storyboardthat.com/storyboard-cells/2904308/cell-col-0-row-0-w400.png "Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway - "Hills Like White Elephants" Themes and Symbols")
![Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway - "Hills Like White Elephants" Visual Vocabulary](http://cdn.storyboardthat.com/storyboard-cells/2904331/cell-col-1-row-0-w400.png "Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway - "Hills Like White Elephants" Visual Vocabulary")
Storyboard Description
Hills Like White Elephants theme, symbolism, meaning analysis
Storyboard Text
- EXAMPLE
- ELEPHANTS
- DRINKS
- THE HILLS
- THE BEAD CURTAIN
- The elephant in the room is the abortion that Jig and the man must decide whether or not to do. A white elephant gift is an outrageously ugly gift that is given in jest, that no one really wants. Jig compares the mountains to white elephants but then decides they they don’t really look like them. This is a metaphor for the baby she seems to want to keep while the man wants it to be just the two of them again.
- The drinks are a distraction for Jig and the American man. Jig remarks that everything tastes like licorice, especially things she’s waited so long to try, and it’s always a disappointment. This could be a metaphor for the baby she is thinking about having, or for her hopes that the man would be more open to having a baby, and instead he lets Jig down by advocating for the abortion.
- Jig compares the hills to white elephants, but the American man is no longer dazzled by anything she says. He chalks it up to worrying about the pregnancy. As she looks at the hills again, she realizes that nothing can go back to the way it was before in their relationship. The beauty of the hills is like their happiness, and she knows they will never have that back.
- The curtain keeps the flies away from the bar and holds Jig’s attention several times. She touches the beads as the man tells her he wants her to have the operation. The bead curtain separates them from the actual barroom, and as the man walks from the platform, he hopes that she will be feeling “better”, or more agreeable, as he passes through the curtain and returns to her.
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