Persuasive Essay

Persuasive Essay

Introduction

In Ernest Hemingway's famous story “Hills Like White Elephants,” a couple (the American and the girl with him) talk and drink while waiting for a train to Madrid. Most readers agree that the subject of their discussion is whether “the girl” called Jig, should have an abortion. The theme reflects a failure of romantic love and miscommunication between women and men. It has also exemplified the style of Hemmingway with grammatically short and easy sentences, vivid symbolic detail and simple diction. Most of the story depends upon dialogues, and although the word abortion is not mentioned, most readers agree that her pregnancy is the source of the tension between them. However, there are other aspects of the story about which readers do not agree. For example, some critics believe that Hemingway's portrayal of Jig is unfair or sexist. Although, a close and critical reading of the story exposes the opposite to be true that Jig is not a one-dimensional stereotype but a complex, sympathetically drawn character.

Discussion

Most critics who see Hemingway's portrayal of Jig as sexist base their interpretation on Hemingway's reputation and not on the story itself. For example, feminist critic Katherine M. Rogers points out that because Hemingway openly expressed fear of and hostility to women, it seems fair to see his male characters as representative of Hemingway himself (Rogers, 1996). However, although the American man in this story may see Jig as just a pleasant pastime, it would be an oversimplification to confuse the character's opinion of her with the writer's as Rogers would encourage us to do (Rogers, 1996). For example, one could argue (as many critics have done) that because the name Jig has sexual connotations, it reveals the author's sexism (Renner, 1995). However, as critic Howard Hannum points out, she is referred to by this name only twice in the story, both times by the male character himself, not by the narrator (Renner, 1995). There are a number of comments as Critic Stanley Renner agrees with Hannum, rejecting the idea that Hemingway's choice to refer to the character as “the girl” is equally belittling the importance of roles. Renner argues that this use of the word girl is necessary to show how the character changes and matures in this story. In fact, the writer sees her achievement of mature self-knowledge and assertion the main line of development in the story. Subsequently, the evidence suggests that the main protagonist of the story is the girl as the American was supporting character. Given this central focus on the girl and the complexity of her character, the accusations that Hemingway's sexism has led him to create a stereotype do not seem justified. More specifically, some see in her the qualities of the typically submissive Hemingway woman (Nolan, 1984).

When students who are not familiar with Hemingway's reputation as a misogynist read “Hills Like White Elephants,”. They tend to sympathize more often with Rig than the American man (Bauer, 2003) and to see the character's thoughtfulness and ...