The Style and the Theme of Loss in Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants.docVIP

The Style and the Theme of Loss in Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants 　　Abstract 　　Hemingway’ s Short Story Hills Like White Elephants presents a simple story between an American man and a young woman. Under the simple plot lies strong conflict between protagonists. Through probing into its language techniques， repetition， documentary style， and girl’s loss of unborn child， her love， and her future， this paper aims to give an in-depth analysis of its style and theme of loss. 　　Key words： Repetition； Documentary style； Loss 　　THEME OF LOSS 　　Loss of Child 　　Clearly， little happens and not much is said， but just beneath the surface of these spare and dull events， a quiet but crucial struggle between these two characters has been resolved. The future course of their relationship appears to have been charted in these moments， and the fate of their unborn child determined. Their very first words not only reveal tension between these two but also suggest that there are perhaps fundamental differences between them. The woman is interested in the world around her， concerned with being friendly， vital， and imaginative； the man， on the other hand， is self-involved， phlegmatic， and literal. 　　“They look like white elephants，” she said. 　　“I’ve never seen one，” the man drank his beer. 　　“No， you wouldn’t have.” 　　“I might have，” the man said. 　　What is critical in this story， as in Hemingway’s fiction generally is the ironic gap between appearance and reality. The seemingly petty conversation here about hills and drinks and an unspecified operation is in actuality an unarticulated but decisive struggle over whether they continue to live the sterile， self-indulgent， decadent life preferred by the man or elect to have the child that Jig is carrying and settle down to a conventional but， in Jig’s view， rewarding， fruitful， and peaceful life. 　　Although it is never stated， they are trying to agree on whether or not she should have an abortion； and it becomes clear th