"Hills Like White Elephants" - Wu

Hi, Allison Wu here. Two concepts come to mind when and after reading, “Hills like White Elephants”: expansion and retreat. Hemingway seems to gesture outward and inward with his use of transitions within content of the dialogue and the change in scenes. What is capturing about this literary effect is Hemingway’s ability to demonstrate these tools of transition not only separately, (the content of the dialogue shifting between different topics) but also, together, (change in dialogue working with change in setting). At the beginning of the story, Hemingway teaches us to expand our minds to the hills and environment with which the setting draws us into. As we move further into the story, we retreat from that environment into the interpersonal drama between man and woman. At first, this is a jolting transition as we are preoccupied with the environment that the hills exist in. Soon, however, Hemingway eases us out of shock at the change in content and setting and occupies our attention toward the ebb and flow of the story – creating the expansion and retreat I previously mentioned. As we move through the story, Hemingway teaches us to accept these transitions by grabbing our attention at their obvious yet subtle effect. Our attention is called forth through this simultaneity of the obvious and subtle that is demonstrated both in the story’s content and setting. Hemingway presents us with the drama of the interpersonal relationship alongside of the dramatic, beautiful setting of the far away outside – where the hills are. As we read and ultimately finish, “Hills Like White Elephants”, we have become Hemingway’s students. He has taught us to breathe through his story by taking us through transitions like each is its own train stop, while we wait to reach the next one.