"Hills Like White Elephants"

Reading and preparing a presentation for “Hills Like White Elephants” has been quite interesting.  Like probably many people in this class, I read this story in high school but did not grasp as much as I do now.  I remember my high school creative writing teacher (Mr. Williams) choosing pairs of males and females to read out the dialogue.  We spent an entire class trying to figure out the meaning.  We were unfamiliar with Hemingway and the iceberg technique, and as we racked our brains for answers, most of us became annoyed with him and his story.  Our teacher told us it was about abortion at the end of class, and we were all flabbergasted. 

Reading it this time was a completely different experience, although I do think I would have picked up on his meaning this time, even if I hadn’t read it before.  My close-reading skills have improved since high school, and I also approached this story with knowledge about the iceberg technique. 

One of the first things I asked myself was if Hemingway chose to write about this topic using the iceberg technique for a reason.  This is truly a modernist story, since he deals with such controversial subject matter.  It must have been obscenely controversial when it was published in the 20’s.  The iceberg technique is an effective tool to get away with publishing stories about unsavory or unpopular topics.  I think it’s interesting that Hemingway relies so much on it. 

“Hills” also stood out because of its structure.  Made up of mostly dialogue, it relies heavily on the reader to decipher meaning.  Add that on top of the iceberg technique, and this story becomes a labyrinth.  An entertaining labyrinth, ofcourse.