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ENGL 102

Insert DateStory Elements “Hills Like White Elephants”

Ernest Hemingway’s fictional story, “Hills Like White Elephants,” is an example of a short story that embraces many literature elements. In as much as the storyline is set in a single day, the events in the story signify a lot in the American context.

In terms of setting, the story is set in the country of Spain. To be precise, the storyline is set in the train station located in the Ebro Valley in Madrid. Evidence of this setting can be seen from the story through the constant reference of the native country of Spain as well as “Ebro” which is a river in the Northern part of Spain. Plot, in the world of literature, can be defined as the series of events that an author uses so as to tell a story and to bring out the sequential flow of events. The plot is centered on the young couple at the train station that is having a normal conversation regarding the scenery that is observed from a far. However, the topic of discussion is beyond than simple. There is extreme symbolism that is represented by the simple conversation. The constant disagreements and differing opinions between the boy and girl shows that it is more than just a simple conversation.

The narration style that is adopted by Hemingway in the story is quite unique and embraces the idea of creativity. In the story, the main narration point of view is the third-persons point of view. The third person’s point of view is presents an objective angle of the story. Critical for the story is that the third person objective point of narration is used to conclude and give a true evaluation of what the characters thoughts and experiences. There is more detail of the feelings and the thoughts of the characters in the story that is brought out through the use of the third person point of narration.

Perhaps the greatest element that comes out evident from the story “Hills Like White Elephants,” is the extensive use of symbolism. Symbolism in literature works can be defined as stylistic device that means something more than what is seen on the surface. The obvious use of symbolism in the short story is first seen through the use of characters. The description of hills and valley is purely symbolic. The valley side that is viewed as dry and without a shade is representative of the wrong decision of abortion that may cause barrenness and infertility due to abortion. On the opposite side, there is a valley that is green with the Ebro river that is symbolic of life and fertility. The female character girl represents the naivety and innocence that is held by a majority in society regarding important matters such as abortion while on the contrary the male counterpart in the story represents a strong view on the subject matter. Other than that, there are many instances that represent symbolism. The plot of the story being set on the train station is an illustration of the fact that the couples lives is on the move and can take a serious change owing to the decision taken.

Essentially, “Hills Like White Elephants,” is a story that represents beauty in terms of the elements that are employed. All in all, the various elements that are employed in the story make it a masterpiece worth implementation in real life.

Works Cited

Mays., and Kelly J.. The Norton Introduction to Literature (Digital Portable Edition), 11th Edition. “Hills Like White Elephants” W. W. Norton & Company, 2014. VitalBook file.