Hills Like White Elephants Ernest Hemmingway 268

Journal Life is filled with choices, and making wise decisions can be agonizing. What are some of the big decisions you've made? What major choices still face you? Is a shared decision easier or more difficult than one you make by yourself? Why? What happens if you try to avoid decisions and the changes that accompany them?

White Elephant: Abstract Symbolism Fertility Self Enlightenment Rebirth Strength

Eastern Tradition “White” elephants are sacred for monarchs in Southeast Asia as a sign of justice and power. Tales link the elephant to the Buddha’s birth; his mother reportedly had a dream in which a white elephant presented her with a lotus flower, a symbol of wisdom and purity, on the eve of his birth. The elephants were considered sacred, and laws protected them from labor. Therefore, if one received a gift of a white elephant from a monarch, it was both a blessing and a curse. The sacred animal showed the favor of the monarch, but the animal had to be kept without much practical use. However, the financial burden to care for the animal would have been great.

Definition of Western Idiom Merriam-Webster “a property requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit” “an object no longer of value to its owner but of value to others”

Iceberg Theory/Theory of Omission “If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of the iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing. " -Ernest Hemingway Death in the Afternoon

Literary Minimalism Characteristic economy of words Sparse use of adverbs Avoidance of obvious drama or conflict

Response Writing Write about conflict. What do the American and the girl want? How do you know? What has their life together been like up to now? How do they communicate what they want? What do you think will happen? Why?

Close Reading List all references to the interior and exterior setting, particularly the two rails, the beaded curtain, and the landscape on both sides of the Ebro valley. Explore symbolic weight of references to the fertile side and the barren side. Elicit examples of dialogue that make this a “bumpy” conversation as well as specifics showing how each character is trying to influence the other. List and explain all references to body language which affect communication--the characters drinking, what they do as they speak, and especially where they look.

Discussion conflict and manipulation, symbolism, effect of sparse prose Why does Hemmingway use reasonably in the final paragraph? What is the effect of the repetition of the adverb perfectly? Consider the applications of the word junction. Discuss the symbolism of the white elephant.

Essay Reread “Hills Like White Elephants” carefully. Then write an essay analyzing the effect of the use of dialogue, setting, actions, and symbolism to convey the central conflict of the story. Bring a draft to the next class.