Hills Like White Elephants
Submitted by chris on March 24, 2008
Category: Literature
Words: 663 | Pages: 3
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“Between two lines of rails”
In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” a couple is laid over at a train station on their way to Madrid, where presumably they are going for an abortion. This short story is told mostly through dialogue, the only real narration given is about the setting. The couple's dialogue is vague, and at times even childish. It is what is not said, that can be seen in the symbolism of their surroundings. It is through this symbolism that we see the true thoughts and feelings of the couple.
The couple waits in limbo "between two lines of rails" (144). One rail goes to Barcelona and the other Madrid, where the couple are headed to get an abortion. The two rails could represent two choices or directions that the couple could go in. They are at a junction, just like the one they are at in life. The tracks run parallel; it is...