Unspoken Conversations
With Hemmingway’s famous story “Hills Like White Elephants” he presents a great use of dialogue as a literary technique for characterization. Hemmingway’s use of language in the story involves a lot of reading between the text. The language of the two main characters isn’t about what is being said, but what is not spoken. So what does it mean when after calming down from near hysterics the girl states that “I feel fine”. Obviously the reader cannot take her word, there was near shouting match just a few paragraphs ago.The reader knows, sympathizes, with Jig’s emotional predicament.
By conversing with The American Jig realizes two things: The American is afraid of commitment and Jig wants to have a family. When Jig proclaims “We can have everything” The American disagrees stating “…once they take it away, you never get it back…”. Jig is telling her boyfriend that they can still have a happy life together with a baby they can still travel and enjoy each other’s company. However, The American presents his view of family as a sign of conformity to adulthood and refers to ‘they’ as in married couple and older people who have settled down. When Jig states “There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine…” she is announcing that the relationship between them has started towards the end. Jig doesn’t have to worry about The American because whether or not she gets the abortion they won’t be a couple in the future. Jig is saying that she will be fine with that outcome, because she wants to have everything, an adult husband and a children.
on May 15, 2009 at 10:54 am
i agree completely, we look for evidence of a subtext to the dialogue here . . . and i do think most readers sympathize with her situation, though i’m not sure all — (it’s interesting: most of the blogs by male students i’ve read look at “Indian Camp” instead of “Hills,” perhaps you’ve put your finger on the reason why!) . . . yes, she seems to want to consider the possibility of a happy life with a child while he is determined to avoid that circumstance despite his lip service to the idea of not caring either way . . . his answer that he only wants to be with her seems a thin justification at best . . . yes, I agree the outlook is grim for their relationship. . . So she’s fine because she’s realized his failings and therefore wouldn’t want to have a family with him anyway? Your last line presents an interesting reading I certainly hadn’t considered in that way — excellent take on a very ambiguous ending!
on May 18, 2009 at 4:37 pm
I thought your analysis of the end was extremely interesting, because – like Jordan – I had never even considered looking at it that way. As for my own interpretation, I merely thought that the ending signified her resignation towards the situation. I certainly don’t believe she is fine, but I feel as if she is claiming to be because she can see no other way out; suffering by keeping silent with the American is a better option than losing him completely, is what I feel she thinks. It was nice to get a different view!