“They look like white elephants” (Hemingway 475) says a young girl, referring to a burden that is never called by its name in history. Although the young girl and her companion have a conversation throughout the story, neither speaker truly communicates with the other, emphasizing the distance that separates them. Both talk, but neither listen nor understand the other's point of view. The 1920s had a political and social phenomenon that clearly influenced Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants." In 1918, a year after graduating from high school in Oak Park, Illinois, Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) volunteered as an ambulance driver during World War I. On the Italian front, he was seriously injured. This experience haunted him and many of the characters in his short stories and novels. In Our Time (1925) is a collection of short stories, including "Soldier's Home," which reflect some of Hemingway's own attempts to readjust to life at home after the war. The Sun Also Rises (1926), A Farewell to Arms (1929) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) are also about war and its impact on people's lives. Hemingway courted violence throughout his life in war, the arena, the boxing ring, and big game hunting. When he was sixty-two years old and terminally ill with cancer, he committed suicide by shooting himself with a shotgun (Meyer 165-166). Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants" focuses on the couple on their way from Barcelona to Madrid. They wait for a train at a bar and discuss the decision they made. A couple considering an abortion is an American who is completely sure of their decision and a girl Jig who is hesitant. The short story ends with an indeterminate ending, which provides the opportunity to invent the story independently. Hemingway's use of symbolism in "Hills Like White Elephants" illustrates that they continued on their intended path and that the historical and social context has a great influence in this story. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Hemingway introduces two main characters. An American is older and speaks Spanish. For him, “everything” seems to mean freedom, so when we talk about it intensely, he is threatened with losing it. A girl nicknamed Jig is younger, she doesn't speak Spanish and needs the man's help to understand the outside world, as her "everything" seems to mean a baby, settling down to start a family with the man near her. The girl's inability to speak Spanish with the waitress shows her dependence on the American, but also the difficulty she has expressing herself with him. Both characters are flat, their characteristics are simple and can be briefly described, although Jig becomes dynamic towards the end. Jig refers to a child: “…And once they take him away, you never get him back” (Hemingway 477). While the American thinks he will be happy without children, “…We must not be afraid. I have known many people who did” (Hemingway 476). To this, Jig responds sarcastically, “Me too.” » “And afterwards they were all so happy” (Hemingway 477). They argue about their “everything,” which actually means their different views on the world. “Everything” in the story illustrates that the American surely wants Jig to have surgery. Although he says: "If you don't want to, you don't have to." I wouldn't let you do it if you didn't want to" (Hemingway 477), heis not sincere. His honesty in this dialogue is questionable. From his previous statements, it is obvious that he does not want to stabilize or take responsibility for an operation; it is clear that he ardently wishes for her to undergo this operation and surely seems to remain deaf to her desires. The beginning of a story features a description of a land with a train station located in Spain. There are two sides of the tracks where Jig and the man are waiting for a train: “On this side there were neither shades nor trees…” (Hemingway 475). and “…on the other side there were fields of grain and trees…” (Hemingway 477). The author describes the shadow of a cloud on the smiling field where Jig stood. The shadow of a cloud can be accepted as a literary symbol of impending trouble. The setting is important in this story. It indicates two possible outcomes of Jig's decision. The road to Madrid where they are heading has a negative description of the land without trees and without shade, if Jig is willing to abort. The ground feels dry, as if it hasn't rained in a while. There are hills in the distance that have a white color when the sun shines on them. And a road to Barcelona that presents a vivid description of life. The Ebro River represents life, because it irrigates the fields. Fields of grain and trees also represent fertility and fecundity. The story takes place in the 1920s, known to history as the "Roaring Twenties", with their ban on alcohol, their flapper culture, their bohemian lifestyle and their extended rights to women. The ban was brought about by women, believing that it would protect families, women and children from the effects of alcohol abuse. Prohibition was only successful in certain regions of the country, while others had their "side effects", such as alcohol poisoning and an increase in lawlessness. The mafia became more powerful thanks to prohibition. Debates raged over the effectiveness of the ban. The more restricted people are, the more eager they are to do it and hungry to find a way. This is how flapper culture appears, mainly recognized by women's short haircuts, unlikely for women's behavior like smoking cigarettes and becoming more sexually free than the previous generation. Modern society appears in fashion, jazz, and women's right to vote. This was the beginning of the propaganda of the good life of women in Hollywood, in turn heralding freedom among the people also known as bohemians. The bohemian lifestyle rejected permanent residence, the pursuit of wealth, restrictions on alcohol and sexual freedom. As the characters in "White Hills Like Elephants" live in the 1920s, they are affected by an era of prohibition and bohemian lifestyle. He can be seen traveling around Europe, drinking and having the freedom to choose a partner. “…there is a common bond between Jig and man; …We know that the couple were lovers, which means that at some point in their lives they had a common “level” of communication…” (Ramsey 267). The relationship between Jig and the American clearly represents the bohemian lifestyle. However, as the bohemian lifestyle rejects the permanent relationship, "their efforts are in vain and we find, after learning that they have dealt with each communication style, that their once vibrant relationship and their feelings for each other are now dead and empty. It is time for them to go their separate ways as two people would do who met one night and discovered they had nothing in common” (Ramsey 267), their relationship must be defined for further direction. At first the story seems like a conversation. .=13211.