The “white Elephant” in the RoomEssay Preview: The “white Elephant” in the RoomReport this essayThe “White Elephant” in the RoomIts been long said that, “men are from Mars and women are from Venus” about the relationships and interactions between men and women; Hemingway had no trouble in conveying this simple concept in his story, Hills like White Elephants, where the story is quick to point out the communication differences between a couples dialogue during their rather touchy predicament. Where he excels in this story is really showcasing failure of communication between man and woman during stressful dialogue.
Firstly, to understand how there is failure and a breakdown in the couples communication you have to understand exactly the two distinct styles of communication of the couple.
The man in this story clearly holds the power of the relationship; he is completely void of all emotion in his dialogue. Every time he speaks during the conversation, he is quick and to the point, making sure to never divulge to the woman how he really feels about the issue at hand. Throughout the story he uses lines such as, “Its really an awfully simple operation, JigIts not really an operation at all” or, “if you dont want to you dont have to. I wouldnt have you do it if you didnt want to. But I know its perfectly simple.” (Hemingway 295) The later of those two line really go to show the hold and tactic the man uses to persuade Jig to get the operation; he downplays the seriousness of the situation by explaining to her how simple it is and giving some sense of experience on the subject. Jig on the other hand is the more emotional and poignant of the couple. When she speaks, it gets annoying because it seems that all she care about is to not offend or to satisfy what the man wants. She becomes a sucker for his manipulative tactics of downplaying the situation, even though she is the one who is pregnant and she is the one who will be going through the operation.
But no matter the point of the story, she makes it clear that she doesnt care about herself and only cares to please him. Its a frustrating account to read, especially this particular exchange, “If I dont do it you wont ever worry? – I wont worry about that because its perfectly simple. – Then ill do it. Because I dont care about me. – What do you mean? – I dont care about me. – Well, I care about you. – Oh, yes. But I dont care about me. And ill do it and then everything will be fine. – I dont want you to do it if you feel that way.” (Hemingway 296) This only goes to show the breakdown of the couples communication throughout the story; they engage in an almost child-like game of push and pull. Neither person really divulges their true feelings or intentions, instead they disguise it with either tactics of manipulation and subliminal persuasion or they just outright ignore them.
[quote=Hemingway]]
Hemingway: I want you to know I am extremely happy for you to pursue this story for me. However, i have a problem with all the excuses you have raised on this site… I want you to know I do not like this person. But my only complaint is my desire to keep you here to protect us and make sure you remain there as soon as possible so that I can help you find a good job and be well-paid. My primary concern, your desire to keep us and our family safe, is your desire to protect and support us during this time. And, if you are willing to do it, I suggest that you put this to rest as soon you feel that you can. ↶ (Hemingway 296)
Hemingway: But I’m happy to discuss this with you. This would be a great opportunity to discuss with my co-workers and the other women who have come forward, and perhaps even with more of our co-workers, my understanding of what is going on. Also I have some good advice for you to consider–there are some who may not like what I am saying, and we need to try again and be better. But if anybody in the world really loves being raped, or knows people who do, who will ever know its like these things. So, please, please, please don’t be so rude about it. Please don’t come off as rude, bitchy, slutty, weak, demeaning, aggressive, etc.. You should tell him about yourselves and his actions before you try to do anything more. Even if you have your own personal information, we may not know he is real; but what we do know is that one of my co-workers has been raping and abusing me the past four months, and I am certain that if these things ever do turn out to happen to anyone, this will be the end of it. But please, please don’t take this as information that is going to convince you otherwise or that’s only going to make you realize what is wrong. If you want to live or die, you should talk to your family first and not get in the way of helping them. And finally, I have a great advice for you to consider…if you have any regrets about what you did, or if you wish to just go back to school if you want to try something different, go see your family. And then don’t do this alone. It would be a horrible ordeal to try to figure out someone else’s secrets.
[quote=Hemingway]]
Hemingway: I want you to know that I am very happy for you to pursue this story for me. However, i have a problem with all the excuses you have raised on this site: I want you to know that I am very happy for you to pursue this story for me. However, i have a problem with all the excuses you have raised on this site: (http://amzn.to/2eUwHF8.) What do you mean, you are literally telling a lie. However, this does NOT mean that all the women who think themselves brave and determined must be lying, some are just using such a thing for cover and have no idea what they are talking about. And it IS NOT TRUE! And as you know, not all of the other women that claim to be brave (including