Life and Hills like White Elephants Essay

The life of Ernest Hemingway can be roughly described as turbulent as he previously led a tumultuous social life and has had a complicated marital relationship (Raeburn, p. 207). Although he has won for himself numerous awards in literature, the life of Hemingway remained blemished by his multiple relationships as well as the physical and mental difficulties he suffered from (Donaldson, p. 691). He was also treated in a mental hospital and received medical attention for severe depression. In the end, Hemingway committed suicide by tripping the trigger of his double barreled shotgun which immediately took away his life. The personal experiences of Ernest Hemingway have largely contributed to some of his major literary works. For example, For Whom the Bell Tolls echoes that of a not-so-distant memory of Hemingway, specifically the time when he had to part ways from his home in order to fulfill his job, boarding and leaving with the train while his father watched the train disappear in the distance (Reynolds, p. 600). In his A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway appears to relieve his previous experiences as an ambulance driver, a member of the personnel for the canteen duties which meant distributing food for the soldiers in the battlefield, and a short-lived affair with a woman named Agnes von Kurowsky during the First World War. All these things and a lot more indicate the presumption that the works of Hemingway are largely influenced by his experiences. And this most likely holds true to his short story â€Å"Hills like White Elephants†. As the story revolves around two characters—an unnamed American and a woman named Jig—Hemingway appears to employ the Iceberg Theory by writing just a little about the explicit messages and allowing the reader to divulge with what is indirectly written in the story. Thus, a thorough reading of â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† will lead the reader to the understanding that there is more than what meets the eyes. Apparently, the short story is about an American and Jig where the American appears to convince the woman to commit abortion. Perhaps the primary reason why the American is persuading the woman to abort the child is because the man is afraid to lose the liberty or freedom from an imminent parental responsibility. In a sense, the ‘child’ whom the man wants to be aborted is comparable to a ‘white elephant’, at least in the understanding of the American. White elephants are considered to be sacred and symbolize justice in Southeast Asian monarchies although on the other hand these elephants come with a costly price in terms of its upkeep (Martin). Hence, white elephants are considered to be either a blessing or a curse, or even both. The ‘child’, like white elephants, is seen by Jig as a blessing whereas the child is seen by the American as a burden or a ‘curse’. â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† can be interpreted in many ways as resembling the life, or a significant fraction thereof, of Hemingway’s life. In essence, the short story is reminiscent of the destructive situations faced by couples with marital bonds, specifically the conflicting decisions being pushed through by both sides. This, too, is reminiscent of the multiple relationships Hemingway had in the past wherein he was involved in such numerous affairs while being married. For instance, Hemingway’s marital relationship with Elizabeth Hadley Richardson came to an end wherein Elizabeth divorced Hemingway after discovering his affair with Pauline Pfeiffer. A short time after his divorce with Elizabeth, Hemingway married Pauline. Prior to the time when his short story â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† was first published in 1927, Hemingway already had two wives, with the first wife divorced. But prior to the divorce, as Elizabeth found out about Hemingway’s affair, she decided to tell him to stay away from Pauline for six months. Only after that time if he knew he was still in love with Pauline will Elizabeth give Hemingway a divorce. That very instance where Hemingway had to decide for himself the outcome of his marriage with Elizabeth and his affair with Pauline reminds us of the essence of â€Å"Hills like White Elephants†. For the most part, whether or not Hemingway will keep his marriage with Elizabeth must have depended on his comprehension of it as either a burden or a blessing. The same most likely holds true to his affair with Pauline. The delicate situation wherein Hemingway had to consider whether one of his relationships is a burden or a blessing is quite synonymous to the essence of the situation faced by the American and Jig in Hemingway’s short story. The analogy tells us that, far from being a mere mental construct, â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† is a short story that strongly reflects the perception of the author. Since Hemingway is keen to use the Iceberg Theory where what the reader is only able to immediately absorb are the explicit contents of the story (Halliday, p. 1), it must have been the case that â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† functions like a window where the reader can take a closer look at the life of Ernest Hemingway. Works Cited Donaldson, S. (1982). The Wooing of Ernest Hemingway. American Literature, 53(4), 691. Halliday, E. M. (1956). Hemingway’s Ambiguity: Symbolism and Irony. American Literature, 28(1), 1. Martin, G. (1996). A white elephant. Retrieved October 23, 2007, from http://www. phrases. org. uk/meanings/410050. html Raeburn, J. (1989). Skirting the Hemingway Legend. American Literary History, 1(1), 207. Reynolds, M. S. (1985). Hemingway’s Home: Depression and Suicide. American Literature, 57(4), 600.