The American’s Traits

Introduction

The dialogue in "Hills Like White Elephants" occurs between an American guy and a Spanish girl waiting for trains. The couple debating the female's pregnancy is shown as the tale progresses using the Iceberg approach. Hemingway uses the setting of a subway station to emphasize how the American man and the girl's connection is at a turning point. The station, situated in the middle of a barren valley, is only a place to pause. Therefore, travelers—including the main characters—must decide what to do and, in this instance, whether they are going together and keeping their romance going. Therefore, analyzing the reading, 'Hills like White Elephants' provides an insight into the characters, specifically 'The American,' where his traits are showcased to be selfish, manipulative, and oppressive in various instances in the story, as seen in the dialogue he has with the girl.

Selfish

Although he makes lip service to try to make the female content, the man is essentially motivated by his own goals in all of his conversations. The only thing readers know about the American is that his main objective is to urge the girl to terminate her pregnancy (Hemingway). His secondary objective is to bring their relationship back to normal, which appears to entail traveling for leisure. To keep the liberty he relishes, he also desires the girl to have an abortion, but he expects her to make that decision. As a result, the guy believes that woman must desire what he wants in addition to doing what he asks of her. As if the girl were a kid, the man tries to influence her actions and intentions—a very unhealthy and harmful pattern of behavior (Hemingway). By speaking around the problem, downplaying it, and presenting the information in a way he believes makes it appear rational, he attempts to persuade the girl. He confesses his love to the girl, but only after she asks if he would still love her after the abortion. Similarly, when she consents to the abortion, he lets her know that they may "go through with it" if she so chooses, adding that he doesn't want her to have the abortion if she doesn't (Hemingway). Thus, the man is selfish in his association with the girl.

Oppressive

Through his conversation with the girl, the man is shown to be overbearing. In one moment, for instance, the girl tries to imagine the future she and the male may have if they had a baby (Hemingway). However, the guy says, "I don't want anybody but you," refusing to consider such ideas while couching them in affection. The girl ultimately gives in to the man's obnoxious demands and gives up her independence (Hemingway). At the narrative end, when he questions her ‘if she feels better,’ the girl's inflexible reply exposes her true sentiments: "I feel fine. Nothing is wrong with me.' I feel fine." This last form of suppression and denial implies that this interaction would likely continue to stall in its toxic form until it fully disintegrates (Hemingway). Thus, the man is oppressive in his nature.

Manipulative

The American is cunning and nonchalantly works to persuade the girl to undergo an abortion. He demonstrates his manipulative nature when he assures the girl that he doesn't care whether she gets an abortion (Hemingway). He oversimplifies the procedure as straightforward to persuade the lady to abort. The man desires the lady to have surgery, which he depicts as "awfully simple," "perfectly simple," and "not really an operation at all," throughout the narrative (Hemingway). He vows to be with her the whole period and that they will be overjoyed when it is through since "that's the only thing that bothers us." He never genuinely engages with her and is persistent and distant in his attempts to deceive her with oversimplified reasoning. As a result, the American is unkind to her, doesn't comprehend her wants, and pays no attention to her actions. The American determines that to remove this hindrance to living the life he wishes, he must oversimplify the "painless" abortion (Hemingway). Thus, the man is portrayed as manipulative.

Conclusion

Analyzing the reading, 'Hills like White Elephants' provides an insight into the characters, specifically 'The American,' where his traits are showcased to be selfish, manipulative, and oppressive in various instances in the story, as seen in the dialogue he has with the girl. The dialogue in "Hills Like White Elephants" occurs between an American guy and a Spanish girl waiting for trains. The couple debating the female's pregnancy is shown as the tale progresses using the Iceberg approach. The lady is undecided about getting an abortion, despite the man's best efforts to persuade her. Their short, biting banter is what gives the drama its suspense. Therefore, the man possess various negative traits as instanced by the narrative.

Work Cited

Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” HillsPDFText, 1927, www.gvsd.org/cms/lib/PA01001045/Centricity/Domain/765/HillsPDFText.pdf.