Life and Hills like White Elephants Essay

The animation of Ernest Hemingway can be roughly described as turbulent as he preliminaryly led a tumultuous social manners and has had a confused marital relationship (Raeburn, p. 207). Although he has won for himself numerous awards in literature, the life of Hemingway remained blemished by his multiple relationships as well as the animal(prenominal) and mental difficulties he suffered from (Donaldson, p. 691). He was also treated in a mental hospital and received medical attention for severe depression.In the end, Hemingway committed suicide by tripping the trigger of his double barrel shotgun which right away took away his life. The personal experiences of Ernest Hemingway defend largely contributed to almost of his major literary flora. For example, For Whom the Bell Tolls echoes that of a not-so-distant memory of Hemingway, specifically the metre when he had to part ways from his home in order to contact his job, boarding and leaving with the train while his father watched the train unfreeze in the distance (Reynolds, p. 600).In his A F bewell to Arms, Hemingway appears to relieve his previous experiences as an ambulance driver, a member of the personnel for the canteen duties which meant distributing food for the soldiers in the battlefield, and a oblivious-lived interest with a wo world named Agnes von Kurowsky during the First humanity War. All these things and a lot more indicate the presumption that the works of Hemingway are largely influenced by his experiences. And this most kindredly holds true to his short story Hills like exsanguinous Elephants.As the story revolves around twain charactersan unnamed American and a woman named JigHemingway appears to employ the iceberg Theory by writing just a little closely the explicit messages and allowing the contributor to divulge with what is indirectly written in the story. Thus, a thorough reading of Hills like White Elephants will lead the contributor to the understanding that th ere is more than what meets the eyes. Apparently, the short story is about an American and Jig where the American appears to convince the woman to commit abortion.Perhaps the direct reason why the American is persuading the woman to abort the peasant is because the man is afraid to lose the liberty or freedom from an imminent enatic responsibility. In a sense, the child whom the man wants to be aborted is comparable to a white elephant, at least in the understanding of the American. White elephants are considered to be sacred and symbolize justice in Southeast Asiatic monarchies although on the other hand these elephants come with a costly monetary value in terms of its upkeep (Martin).Hence, white elephants are considered to be both a approving or a curse, or even both. The child, like white elephants, is seen by Jig as a blessing whereas the child is seen by the American as a perfume or a curse. Hills like White Elephants can be construe in many ways as resembling the life , or a probative fraction thereof, of Hemingways life. In essence, the short story is reminiscent of the annihilating situations set about by couples with marital bonds, specifically the conflicting decisions be pushed with by both sides.This, too, is reminiscent of the multiple relationships Hemingway had in the past wherein he was involved in such numerous links while being get hitched with. For instance, Hemingways marital relationship with Elizabeth Hadley Richardson came to an end wherein Elizabeth divorced Hemingway after(prenominal) discovering his affair with Pauline Pfeiffer. A short time after his divorce with Elizabeth, Hemingway married Pauline. Prior to the time when his short story Hills like White Elephants was initial published in 1927, Hemingway already had two wives, with the first wife divorced. provided prior to the divorce, as Elizabeth found out about Hemingways affair, she resolved to tell him to stay away from Pauline for six months. Only after that time if he knew he was still in love with Pauline will Elizabeth give Hemingway a divorce. That very instance where Hemingway had to decide for himself the issuance of his marriage with Elizabeth and his affair with Pauline reminds us of the essence of Hills like White Elephants.For the most part, whether or not Hemingway will keep his marriage with Elizabeth essential have depended on his comprehension of it as either a burden or a blessing. The same most likely holds true to his affair with Pauline. The delicate situation wherein Hemingway had to consider whether one of his relationships is a burden or a blessing is quite synonymous to the essence of the situation faced by the American and Jig in Hemingways short story.The affinity tells us that, far from being a mere mental construct, Hills like White Elephants is a short story that strongly reflects the perception of the author. Since Hemingway is bang-up to use the Iceberg Theory where what the reader is only able to immed iately absorb are the explicit contents of the story (Halliday, p. 1), it must have been the case that Hills like White Elephants functions like a window where the reader can take a closer look at the life of Ernest Hemingway.Works CitedDonaldson, S. (1982). The Wooing of Ernest Hemingway. American Literature, 53(4), 691. Halliday, E. M. (1956). Hemingways Ambiguity Symbolism and Irony. American Literature, 28(1), 1. Martin, G. (1996). A white elephant. Retrieved October 23, 2007, from http//www. phrases. org. uk/meanings/410050. html Raeburn, J. (1989). Skirting the Hemingway Legend. American Literary History, 1(1), 207. Reynolds, M. S. (1985). Hemingways Home Depression and Suicide. American Literature, 57(4), 600.