New Criticism Approach to

Identified Jig’s Relationship with

The American Guy in “Hills Like
White Elephant” Novel
About novel
• Tittle: Hills Like White Elephants
• Author, Ernest Hemingway
• Published on August 1929
• Genre: Short story
• About: focuses on conversation between spanish girl and american
guy
• Setting: Spanish train station
• Difficulties: lack of background context
About New Criticism
• It allowed the reader to interpret and evaluate the context in literary
works through “close reading”
• Analyze how the text itself: what the text means and how the text
produces the meaning, through organic unity.
• Usually appear when “everyone” feels that the text is SHORT: lacks
scenes or images, tensions struturing the text are unresolved, lacks of
proper text’s theme
• Ignored readers experience and knowledge outside the text
• Force the reader to focus on the text informations
• Read some essays about the same texts
characters
• The woman (waiterss, support)
• The girl (Jig)
• The american guy, the man
• The girl (jig) have an unlawful relationship with the american guy
issue
• The girl Jig has illegal relationship with the American guy, and they have done a sex.
• She’s pregant and they debate about the abortion, wich the american guy want her to
have
• "It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig," the man said. "It's not really an operation at
all." The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on. "I know you wouldn't mind it,
Jig. It's really not anything. It's just to let the air in."
• "I think it's the best thing to do. But I don't want you to do it if you don't really want to."
• "And if I do it you'll be happy and things will be like they were and you'll love me?" "I love
you now. You know I love you.“
• On the other hand, the white elephant wich refer to the twin hills represent the Jig
Feeling.
• Jig has a restless and uneasy feeling with the american man
• The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country
was brown and dry. "They look like white elephants," she said
issue
• the drink Anis del Toro also refer to the relation between Jig and American
guy
• The man called "Listen" through the curtain. The woman came out from the
bar. "Four reales." "We want two Anis del Toro."
• Anis del Toro is an alcohol with high alcohol and flavour. Later, Jig described
it with licorice and absinthe.
• “It tastes like licorice," the girl said and put the glass down. "That's the way
with everything." "Yes," said the girl. "Everything tastes of licorice.
Especially all the things you've waited so long for, like absinthe.“
• The term absinthe, licorice and alcohol strengthen the relation between
them: addictive and dangerous. Common relationsip between young
people
Issue: anti-feminism
• The relationship between american man and Jig is pure based on sex
and alcohols, no future planning.
• "I wanted to try this new drink. That's all we do, isn't it—look at things
and try new drinks?" "I guess so." (they convinced it)
• Notice 2 times the man agreed Jig’s willing to change their drink, wich
is refer to the anti-feminism
• "Anis del Toro. It's a drink." "Could we try it?"
• “I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees." "Should we
have another drink?" "All right.“ (the man agreed)
Issue: anti feminism
• Notice how may times the man giving an option to the girl
• "if you don't want to you don't have to. I wouldn't have you do it if you didn't want to.
But I know it's perfectly simple.“
• "I know you wouldn't mind it, Jig. It's really not anything. It's just to let the air in." The girl
did not say anything. "I'll go with you and I'll stay with you all the time. They just let the
air in and then it's all perfectly natural.“
• "I think it's the best thing to do. But I don't want you to do it if you don't really want to.“
• "I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to do—“
• The line “i’ll scream” also refer to how woman already has an option and able to shut the
man.
• "Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?" He did not
say anything but looked at the bags against the wall of the station. There were labels on
them from all the hotels where they had spent nights.