Introduction
With minimum adjectives and minimum words, setting in “Hills Like White Elephants” by Hemingway captures not only the tense relations between characters, but also the spirit of the age within two and a half pages. With just two characters and a railway station in the hilly background, Hemingway has succeeded in creating a conflict that starts from the very beginning of the story and lasts until the story ends. This conflict does not end; rather, it forces the female character, whose name is Jig, to become silent and taunts the American for not being silent. It also synchronizes with the barren setting of the countryside where the story is set. Therefore, in a way, Hemingway in “Hills Like White Elephants, has put the girl in a conflicting situation to make a difficult decision following which she is engaged in a deep introspection regarding the likely consequences amid this barren setting where the train is to take them to the other world.
Lost Generation and Setting in “Hills Like White Elephants”
The story seems to be written after WWI when money, sex, and lawlessness created a new generation, or the lost generation as John Steinbeck called it. This generation was not only rootless but also moral-less, having nothing to live, no purpose to live and nobody to live with (Sanchez). The American seems to be representing this lost generation, for he has no name, no place to go by, and nothing to live by – the reason that the girl is pleading with him not to leave her. This puts the girl in a dilemma, as he poses her two choices – to either go for abortion or to let him leave her. It is clear from this when the American puts forward the proposal before her that “it’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig” (Hemingway 75), she stays silent. He repeats and promises her, “I’ll stay with you all the time” to which she responds “Then what will do afterward?” based on which she is to make this decision (75). Now the onus of the decision is upon her that was the hallmark of the lost generation in that they shirked the responsibilities like the American here. This forced acceptance leads her to a critical point of decision-making within in this minimal setting in “Hills Like White Elephants”.
Jig and Setting in “Hills Like White Elephant”
Jig is, then, lost in introspection about whether to consent to him and whether consenting to his suggestion would not lead to having him with her or not. These likely consequences make her meditate on her future despite his repeated assurances that he would be with him through think and think. She thinks about whether her decision to undergo this operation would be really long-term relations that she doubts because when he promises her again, she says that “I don’t feel any way” (76), adding, “I just know things” by which she means that she knows he will leave her (76). It is because she has never called him even once by his name. In the entire story, he is a nameless character, the American, who could go anywhere at any time, having no responsibility and no accountability. That is why she is lost in introspection over the likely consequences that could be against her. This is shown by her chagrined response to his assurances when she says, “Would you please please please please please please please please stop talking?” and Hemingway notes that “he did not say anything” because he has nothing else to say (77). Both of them know this reality because their surrounding or setting in “Hills Like White Elephants” is telling them.
Barren Setting in “Hills Like White Elephants”
This surrounding is their setting that is totally devoid of greenery, shade, and even grass that typically grows at any place. The setting of any story sets the moods of the characters, showing how they are going to behave and what they will have in the future. Both of the characters, the American and the girl are sitting amid the barren setting. This setting is a symbol of the futility of the conversation, infertility, and sterility. On the side where they were sitting there “was no shade and no trees” while the hills were “white in the sun and the country was brown and dry” where nothing grow (75). This shows that the attempt of the American to convince the girl may succeed but the relationship is infertile like the landscape. She would not succeed in having the American with her all the time is the case here. His claims that he would stand by her all the time are just based on this topical assumption that she would undergo surgery and they will be fine like before. But it is unclear whether they have been meeting for how many years. That is why the setting in “Hills Like White Elephants” only adds to the infertility of the situation.
Conclusion
In short, not only the dialog but also the situation of the characters add tension to the conflict existing between both characters. Hemingway has not wasted more words in showing it and showing the setting. He has mentioned abortion or operation only once which makes the entire situation clear. Then the setting in “Hills Like White Elephants” adds further to this bitter relationship between the girl and the American where they feel the futility of their meeting and conversation – the reason that the girl has to insist on the American’s silence. They have nothing to do at this railway station but only wait which seems to them reasonable because they cannot do anything else.
Works Cited
- Hemingway, Earnest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” Mays. Kelly J. et al. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 8th Ed. Norton. New York. 2002. Print. 75-78.
- Sanchez, Salina. “The Lost Generation.” CCHS News Quest. n. d. Web. Accessed 16 July. 2015.
Relevant Questions about the Setting in “Hills Like White Elephant”
- How does the setting in “Hills Like White Elephants” by Hemingway contribute to the overall atmosphere and tone of the story?
- In “Hills Like White Elephants” by Hemingway, how does the setting play a symbolic role in conveying the underlying tension between the characters?
- What specific details in the setting of “Hills Like White Elephants” by Hemingway help to emphasize the theme and central conflict of the story?
