Hills Like White Elephants as a Reflection of the Author Essay

Ernest Hemingways short story, "Hills Like White Elephants, is a shining example of how the author lived. The storys time period closely relates to his affair with Pauline Pfeifer while he was married to his first wife Hadley Richardson. Due to this, the story could quite possibly be interpreted as a work of non-fiction. Hills indicates a lack of communication between the couple and their troubled relationship.

Hemingway wrote a letter to F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, during the time he wrote this short story about Pauline. In the letter he described sitting in the shade and talking with her while waiting for a train at the station. In the 4th line of the story, "The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. The girl comments how the hills in the background resemble white elephants. The American ignores the girl and quickly changes the subject numerous times. James Mellow, author of a biography on Hemingway, stated, "Another oddity is that in the earliest manuscript fragment relating to the story, written in 1925, is that Hemingway who remarks to Hadley, look at those god-damn white mountains, and she answers, They are the most mysterious things I have ever seen.. This would explain how

Hemingway concocted the white elephant idea.

Set in Spain, the story also relates to Ernest Hemingways life. During his time in Spain, the setting of the story, Hemingway unveiled that Hadley was pregnant for the second time. The story may have expressed his true feelings about the pregnancy. In the story, the American is temperamental and wants the girl to do as he says. This could also have been Hemingways feelings toward Hadley near the end of their relationship.

In "Hills Like White Elephants," Ernest Hemingway uses his own experiences for the construction of the story. The writing deals with how he probably acted and felt in the presence of the women he cared about. According to James Mellow, "Hemingways divorce from Hadley and his marriage to Pauline and the convergencewould have a man, for a time, with two women in his lifewould have a long reach into his fictional life".

The number two is brought up on several occasions in the story; between the two lines of rails, took hold of two lines of beads. These lines could be used as symbolism to the couple themselves. The couple is obviously on the rocks and troubled by a certain something that isnt quite brought to the open. Pregnancy may be a correlation with the number two and the character of the girl. The couple could be concerned about a pregnancy and trying to find a conclusion of what to do.

The girl describes the hills as looking like white elephants. A white elephant is defined as a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of. This would lead the reader to believe that an unborn child is symbolized by the white elephants. It would also explain the awkward air and troublesome state of the man in the story. The girl is pregnant and they are leaving to find a new life away from his current marriage.

Works Cited

Mellow, James. Hemingway: A Life Without Consequences. Houghton Mifflin Co., 1992

Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants. Literature and the Writing Process.

Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.