Hills like White Elephants is one of the most discussed works of Ernest Hemingway primarily due to excessive use of symbolism in the story to depict conflict of interest of a young couple on the subject of abortion. Interestingly the word pregnancy or abortion is never used in the story but a reader still gets the message through variety of symbols. These symbols and theme augment the iceberg technique used by Hemingway to illustrate his message without actually using the exact words. In the story, the theme and symbol of white hills play an important role as it lends support to other symbols as well.

White elephants refer to the pregnancy and the unborn child. When the American says he has never seen a white elephant, he is possibly referring to the child who hasn't yet arrived. "The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white...
[ View Full Essay]