Flashcards for Hills Like White Elephants

Jig (the Girl)

Jig is the female protagonist in Ernest Hemingway's minimalist short story, a young woman traveling through Spain with her American companion.

character

The American (the Man)

The American is the male lead in Ernest Hemingway's minimalist short story "Hills Like White Elephants," which takes place at a train station in Spain.

character

The Waitress (the Barmaid)

The Waitress, also known as the Barmaid, is a minor yet important character in Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants."

character

“No, we can't. It isn't ours any more.”

This line is spoken by Jig, the young woman at the heart of Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story "Hills Like White Elephants."

Jig

“They're lovely hills. They don't really look like white elephants. I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees.”

This line is spoken by Jig, the American man's companion, in Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story "Hills Like White Elephants."

Jig (the American man's companion)

“It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig. It's not really an operation at all.”

This line is spoken by an American man to his companion Jig in Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story Hills Like White Elephants.

The American man

“We can have everything.”

In Ernest Hemingway's short story Hills Like White Elephants (1927), the American man tells Jig, a young woman he’s traveling with, "We can have everything."

The American man

“They look like white elephants.”

This line is delivered by the American girl, Jig, to her male companion, simply known as "the man" or "the American," as they wait at a rural train station in Spain.

Jig (the American girl)

“I know. But if I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and you'll like it?”

This line is spoken by Jig, the young woman at the heart of Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story "Hills Like White Elephants."

Jig

“Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?”

This urgent, repetitive plea comes from the American girl, Jig, directed at her male companion in Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story "Hills Like White Elephants."

Jig (the American girl)

“I don't care about me.”

This line is spoken by Jig, the young woman at the heart of Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story "Hills Like White Elephants."

Jig

“That's the only thing that's made us unhappy.”

This line comes from the conversation between an American man and Jig at a Spanish train station in Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story "Hills Like White Elephants."

The American (man)

“I feel fine. There's nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.”

This line is delivered by Jig, the American girl, toward the end of Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story "Hills Like White Elephants."

Jig (the American girl)

Anis del Toro / Alcohol

In Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," Anis del Toro and the couple's drink orders symbolize escapism, avoidance, and their broken communication.

Hills Like White Elephants

In Ernest Hemingway's short story, the white hills seen from the train station in the Ebro valley represent the unborn child at the heart of the couple's unspoken conflict.

The Beaded Curtain

In Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," the beaded curtain at the doorway of the Spanish bar serves as a metaphorical line between two conflicting futures.

The River Valley and Landscape

In Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," the two sides of the Ebro River valley symbolize the choices facing Jig and the American man.

The Train Tracks and Station

In Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," the train station and its tracks represent the irreversible nature of choice and the different paths available to Jig and the American.

Repetition

In Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," repetition captures emotions that direct confessions fail to convey.

Symbolism

In Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," symbolism carries much of the emotional and thematic weight in a story where the central subject — abortion — is never explicitly mentioned.

Irony

In Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," irony unfolds primarily through the disconnect between what the characters say and what they truly mean, as well as what is spoken versus what remains unmentioned.

Understatement

In Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," understatement serves as the story's structural backbone, keeping the couple's crisis largely hidden.

Juxtaposition

In Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," juxtaposition serves as the main force driving the story's meaning, making the reader sense the couple's conflicting views without explicitly stating their argument.

Tone

Hemingway's tone in "Hills Like White Elephants" is marked by a deliberate, almost stifling restraint — a calmness that barely hides the emotional turmoil underneath.

Imagery

In Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," the imagery conveys much of the story's emotional depth and themes since the characters avoid directly addressing their main conflict.

white elephants

Something that is expensive or troublesome to maintain and difficult to get rid of, yet has little practical use; here used as a metaphor for something unwanted that nobody wants to openly discuss.

noun · Chapter 1

anis

An anise-flavored alcoholic drink, common in Spain and southern Europe, typically served with water which turns it cloudy.

noun · Chapter 1

Anis del Toro

A specific brand of Spanish anise-flavored liqueur; the name literally means 'anise of the bull.'

noun · Chapter 1

beaded curtain

A doorway or window covering made of strings of beads hanging vertically, common in Mediterranean bars and cafés as a way to keep out flies while allowing passage.

noun · Chapter 1

absinthe

A strong, bitter anise-flavored spirit; here referenced as the taste that Anis del Toro resembles, evoking a potent, licorice-like flavor.

noun · Chapter 1

operation

A surgical procedure; in this story it is a euphemism the man uses to refer to an abortion, which neither character names directly.

noun · Chapter 1

awfully simple

Extremely easy and straightforward; the man uses this phrase to downplay the seriousness of the procedure he is urging the woman to undergo.

phrase · Chapter 1

perfectly natural

Completely normal and unremarkable; used by the man to minimize the significance of the operation and reassure the woman there is nothing to worry about.

phrase · Chapter 1

reasonable

Sensible and logical; the man repeatedly uses this word to pressure the woman into agreeing with his point of view and accepting his proposed course of action.

adjective · Chapter 1

fine

Used ironically and repeatedly in the dialogue to mean that everything will be acceptable or satisfactory, though the word masks deep tension and unresolved conflict between the two characters.

adjective · Chapter 1

curtain

Here specifically the beaded curtain of the bar, which the woman looks at and touches; it functions as a boundary between the interior world of the couple's conflict and the outside world.

noun · Chapter 1

Legítimo

A Spanish word meaning 'genuine' or 'authentic,' appearing on the bead strings of the curtain, indicating the bar's advertisement of its products as the real thing.

adjective · Chapter 1

junction

A place where railway lines meet or branch off; the story is set at a train station that is a junction, meaning trains from different directions stop there.

noun · Chapter 1

express

A fast train that makes few stops; here it refers to the train the couple is waiting for, which will carry them toward the city where the operation is to take place.

noun · Chapter 1

portières

Heavy curtains hung across a doorway in place of a door; here used to describe the curtain-like coverings at the bar entrance.

noun · Chapter 1

warm

Used to describe the temperature of the drinks and the setting, but also carries an ironic tone as the emotional atmosphere between the couple is anything but warm or comfortable.

adjective · Chapter 1