Friday, May 24, 2013

What are some pieces of direct text that prove "Hills like White Elephants" is about a man and woman debating an abortion?

While there is no
direct text that definitively proves that the man and woman in the story are debating a possible
abortion, there are clues that allow a reader to reasonably interpret the story in this way. For
example, the title's reference to white elephants is such a clue. A "white elephant"
has a figurative meaning as well as a literal one, and it can be symbolic of something that
might seem like a gift but is actually a huge burden. It can be either terribly costly to keep
or difficult (or impossible) to get rid of. An unwanted child could fit this bill. People often
think of children as gifts, but if a baby is not wanted, then one's feelings about a pregnancy
would be dramatically different. In addition, during the era in which this story was written,
abortions were not yet legal in the United States. This illegality could be another reason, too,
that the couple never explicitly says the word "abortion."


Further, the man says, "Well, let's try and have a fine time," implying
that...

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