Talk:Hills Like White Elephants/Archive 1

English paper
If you are looking for material on this story, I wrote a paper on it for my english composition class. User:The_stuart/The_Curse_and_Prize_of_a_White_Elephant --The_stuart 01:32, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Revision 10/24/07
Today I overhauled this article, incorporating as much of the existing material as possible while doing my best to bring the article in line with Wikipedia standards. I revised the plot summary and added analytical information from six peer-reviewed sources. The trivia section was deleted; the single pop culture reference included therein could conceivably be readmitted in a "References in Popular Culture" section, perhaps, but only with a good deal more accompanying material.

Hopefully this article will now meet qualifications for at least the "start" class. If not, intelligent suggestions and alterations are, of course, more than welcome. --Cantseetheforest 18:20, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Reaction
The article could now do with something on commercial and critical reaction. :: Kevinalewis  : (Talk Page) /(Desk)  08:56, 25 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Agreed, thanks. This morning I provided the citation requested and am removing the "unsourced statements" category for now. I revised the language in that particular statement to be less subjective, as well. Cantseetheforest 12:17, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

This interpretation of Hills Like White Elephants first erroneously poses a false fact that the discussion is about a bay. There is no inference to that fact in the poem. Secondly, the American expressly states he has never seen a white elephants (par.10) let alone form an analogy between a fictional baby and a symbol he cannot recognize. In Hemingway's tradition mood, these two people do not share the same perspective on life, the girl realizes it, the American does not. Look at the definition of "white elephant." The girl sees something that has outgrown it usefulness, the hills are the relationship. Even the high points of the relationship, the hills, have outgrown their usefulness and thus look like "White Elephants." the barkeep, a female that does not even speak the same language as the "girl" shares an understanding smile (par. 105). hemingway, as much a cynic as he was, would never involve a baby or a pregnancy in his literary expressions. That would be juvenile to such genius. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.42.223.196 (talk) 12:48, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

Offensive Racial Term
the discussion of the etymology of "jig" omits the obvious racial slur. you americans and your elephants in the room. are they white, i wonder? --81.151.196.243 (talk) 22:22, 29 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Yeah but... I think that that part of the article is already stretching a point in describing so many of the other meanings of the word, and would be doing so even more so to cover that meaning. I think it would be sufficient to note that the only name she's known by is this somewhat demeaning nickname. All the talk of fishing lures and woodworking tools (or racial slurs) just sounds to me like someone trying to pad the word count on his term paper. RedSpruce (talk) 01:56, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

The racial slur was not around when Hemmingway wrote the short story. It should be removed from the article. Even if it were around when the story was written, there is no connection to a racial connotation at all. If there is someone should prove it via text from the story. The phrase "white elephant" does not suffice. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.248.185.22 (talk) 18:32, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

Plot summary interpretive
The plot summary asserts that the girl consents to the abortion. This is highly interpretive. While she may say that she will have the abortion, her agreement does not produce the reaction from the man that we might expect. Instead of being satisfied, he is clearly alarmed. After her remark, the conversation continues at some length, and the girl's behavior (and the description of the landscape) suggests that she has not, in fact, agreed but turned the tables on the man. He is attempting to avoid responsibility, and she has just indicated that, if she has the operation, he will be the one responsible. Granted, this is also interpretive, but it is consistent with the story and takes into account a more subtle reading of the dynamic between the couple. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jarvis1313 (talk • contribs) 19:58, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

The "full text" link under "External Links" leads to text with an important error
Aside from typos, there is a very important error in the version that is referenced as the full text. It is missing the line where the American says "We can have everything", which is the American affirming what Jig had just said after she looks out at the fertile fields. By omitting this line, it reverses who sQays what in the following dialog. In the original version, Jig, after saying that they could have everything then denies it after the American affirms it. The American then argues that they can have everything, and Jig says that they can't. I found another version of the full text that does not have this omission:  http://www.gummyprint.com/blog/archives/hills-like-white-elephants-complete-story/. Someone should change it, but I'm not going to do it at the moment. SCooley138 (talk) 00:48, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

The assertion that Jig "chooses to impregnate herself" with the American's child should be removed: this is not only speculation, it also flies in the face of all we know about reproductive biology. (If only infertile couples could just "choose" to be pregnant!!) Squash28 (talk) 17:16, 9 February 2011 (UTC)

Nor
Jig's sentence "Nor that isn't good for me" makes no sense unless she is calling the American "Nor". Is it possible that Nor is the characters name, or at least his pet-name? SCooley138 (talk) 01:03, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

...I don't know how to leave a comment, so I'm just going to add mine to yours. It does make sense. The American says, 'I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to...' at which point the girl interrupts and effectively finishes his sentence, 'Nor that isn't good for me.' The entire sentence would read, 'I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to, nor [do I want you to do] anything that isn't good for [you].' I'm pretty sure the American's name is not Nor. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.170.122.134 (talk) 09:40, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

The second commentator is correct, 'Nor' is a proper English word that shortens and combines 'Neither Or'. Americans simply "Don't speak too good." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.118.12.237 (talk) 04:55, 3 August 2011 (UTC)

Symbolism and Settings Section
The symbolic readings suggested here are mostly baseless and/or undefended. Suggest that, to save undergrad "researchers" the pain of the Cs, Ds, and Fs they'd receive for repeating any of this in essays, the whole section should be scrapped. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fj280 (talk • contribs) 14:31, 17 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Anyone who attempted to use this in an essay deserves the failing grades they'd receive. That aside, this certainly should be removed. As pointed out, the interpretation of the story is completely baseless, undefended and, for the most part, senseless. The writing quality is also quite poor. I believe this was probably the work of some overambitious highschool student reading this in their lit class. It has no place here. Caiyern (talk) 03:24, 3 July 2010 (UTC)
 * It is directly copied directly from a print edition of Cliffs Notes. I'm removing it, as it's plagiarism. Ariamythe (talk) 14:01, 5 February 2016 (UTC)

American wants to beat her spine in?????
How on earth did that get in this analysis??? Utterly ridiculous! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.216.170.50 (talk) 11:30, 17 September 2010 (UTC)