Hills Like White Elephants is an interesting name for a short story. Of course, with an author like Hemmingway and a story about alcohol, readers cannot accept the title without at least a little subliminal searching. Hills are a common symbol for fertility and pregnancy. A white elephant is a present given to you with the best of intentions yet is completely unwanted. The loose translation of the title would then be, A Pregnancy Like an Unwanted Gift. This title is the first example of the many forms of symbolism used throughout Hills Like White Elephants. .
On the first read through, it would be difficult to pick up on the various symbols Hemmingway uses. After two or three days with Hills Like White Elephants, one becomes acquainted with more of the details throughout these forty minutes of a couple's life together.
The use of nature as a symbol is evident once, with the girl walking to the platform and looking to either side, on one hand barren and brown dusty plains, yet to the other side, there are fields of grass, mountains, hills, trees, and a river. The foremost landscape is infertility and lack of luster and beauty. The other side is the cliché of life and rebirth. This is where she stares off at during a moment of reflection and desire.
The ways that the characters are referred to are a use of language symbolism. The male counterpart is always referred to as the "man- yet the female is a "girl."" This implies that the man is older than the girl because "man- and "girl- refer to different generations. Also, the girl is the only one addressed by a name, Jig. This brings up the question if Jig is her real name or a pet name. A reader would assume it is a pet name, because even after the man refers to her as "Jig,"" her dialogue is still distinguished with "the girl- as her character identity. This could be a symbol of the immaturity and naivety of Jig because of the childish nature of her nickname.
