Hemingway’s short stories are widely considered masterpieces of the genre. The author was even awarded a Nobel Prize for his contribution to the development of prose and his outstanding skills in narration. Short stories seemed to be his passion, as he managed to shed light upon so many concepts, topics, and themes within the limit of several pages. Love and the relationship between men and women represent one of the topics that brought him fame. Hills Like White Elephants, published in 1927, was one of his earliest works. In it, Hemingway explores one of humanity’s greatest problems: the inability to communicate despite having the immense power of language. This essay will concentrate on the male character named simply the ‘American,’ focusing on aspects of his behavior and personality that at first glance seem hidden and indistinct, but can in fact be grasped from details that Hemingway placed throughout the story.
The American’s Personality
At the beginning, the narrator does not reveal the characters’ names, which seems strange and inspires the belief that they are irrelevant. However, as the conversation between the American and the girl goes on, the reader learns the name of the female character. This raises the question why Hemingway left the male character with only a nationality for a name. It could be argued that this was just a feature of a conversation between people who have known each other long enough that they do not use names very often. This may have been a moment when there was no use in mentioning it. That might have been the case if it concerned a randomly occurring conversation between two people in real life, but in literature there are rarely coincidences. Thus with a high degree of probability the author left the male character as the ‘American’ for a reason.
One of the possible reasons the author did so is that Americans are famous worldwide for their passion for small talk. It is commonly held that Americans have a low tolerance for silence, and they often tend to fill pauses with conversation that has little practical meaning or does not reflect a person’s views, ideas, or feelings about the subject of the conversation. In this way, all participants in the verbal engagement can feel secure and are able to avoid revealing too much about themselves. This peculiarity of American culture also serves as a non-offensive and non-intrusive speech tactic. As applied to the short story, the key feature of small talk – its intrinsic principle “many words, little meaning” – seems to be characteristic of the American’s conversation strategy. By using this tactic, he tries to avoid expressing his opinion on the topic of conversation too directly. This avoidance weighs on the minds of both him and his partner, and the American finally attempts to present his view. In his choice of words, he often leaves room for disagreement. For instance, referring to the operation, he claims it is “the best thing to do,” but after that he adds that if she doesn’t want to, it is also fine (Hemingway, 2003, p. 477). That might characterize him as either sensitive or weak-willed, depending on the point of view.
The male protagonist, like the female one, understands the delicacy of the topic and does not want to be to blunt because it could upset Jig. He cannot find the power in himself to express support for one position or another. He does not want to push her to a decision that she might regret, but instead of making her feel comfortable, he continues to guess if she is 100 percent certain. He senses that this decision is a crucial turning point in their relationship and he is desperate not to make a mistake. He is full of doubt and confusion as much as any other man in the situation would be.
Another peculiarity of his character can be seen in the author’s description of the American’s looking at the passengers waiting for the train. He noted that they were all “reasonably waiting for the train” (Hemingway, 2003, p. 478). The probable purpose of this word choice was to emphasize the American’s recognition that other people were noticing their argument. The word “reasonably” meant that this is what passengers should do in that situation instead of listening to other people’s conversations. The American probably expected to find signs of their silent judgment in their eyes directed at him, but to his relief he did not. That word told the readers a bit more about the male protagonist: his desire to look decent in the eyes of others and, probably, an inclination to conceal such an uneasy conversation. This also indicates the character’s similarity to real people. His motivation to remain a good husband (or partner) and a good citizen, and to juggle these roles without defining the main one, shows a certain duality and indecisiveness of nature. It seems as though he wants to have everything while sacrificing nothing.
Hemingway specifically wanted to make the male character as close to the reader as possible in order to deliver his central idea. That may be another reason why the male character does not have a name. Any name could have been inserted. His inability to communicate clearly, his persistence in taking all sides at once in order to find an optimal solution fitting for all is only natural. The author made this character typical to mirror any other person. His personality, as it is expressed during his conversation with Jig, is intended to lead us to consider ourselves from the other side. All the character flaws displayed are projected onto the reader.
The American’s Behavior in Relation to Jig
The behavior of the male character in the described situation is seen through the actions and words that reveal his character. The background of the American is not given, therefore there is little a reader can determine about his natural behavior to be able to know his true identity. At the beginning of the conversation, the American doesn’t seem eager to engage in conversation, as his answers are short and abrupt. He even seems irritated, as he reacts harshly to some of Jig’s remarks about his not having seen a real elephant, or the joke she made about absinthe (Hemingway, 2003, p. 476). This may indicate irritation about his partner’s knowledge and love of alcohol. But he seems to have a drinking habit, too. The fact that he knows the names of Spanish drinks seems to confirm this assumption. He drank two beers and one glass of Anis del Toro. The reason for his heavy drinking becomes evident, as he seems to be buried in his own thoughts as he looks for the right words to raise the topic that they had avoided. The alcohol was part of his preparations for it, as he does not seem to find the strength to start this conversation right away. This tendency to steer away from hard topics also sheds light on the male character. He seeks strength in alcohol to face the hardships in life, which does not seem to raise any concerns in either of the two partners.
After a pause, and apparently running out of other topics for conversation, he takes the active position in the conversation. His behavior changes from irritated to soothing and calming. He tries to express his love and support, but Jig apparently wants something else, and after a few desperate attempts and having her almost lose her temper, he abandons the attempt to reach an agreement. He shifts from being persuasive and pushy to reasonable and supportive. He tries to adjust his behavior to his understanding of Jig’s state of mind, but it seems to be an impossible task for him. All of these failures and the character’s flaws lead the reader to grasp the root of the problem.
Conclusion
All things considered, through the male character’s behavior and personality traits, readers are able to understand his role and put themselves in his place to reflect on a deep and timely problem in society. Like many of us, the American is afraid of raising hard topics, which is why he is indecisive, seeks the help of alcohol, and does not have the strength of character to be openhearted with his beloved. He helplessly struggles to find a universal solution and let the other party make the final decision. This is where the reader sees the “convenience” that language provides. It allows people to say words that are evasive and do not reflect their real thoughts while they are trying to inquire about another person’s state of mind. This inadequacy in relationships is what Hemingway tried to emphasize, and the male character vividly illustrates this.
References
Hemingway, E. (2003). Hills like white elephants. In A. Charters (Ed.), The story and its writer: An introduction to short fiction (6th ed.) (pp. 475-78). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.