The Theme of Relationships in “Hills Like White Elephants” and “Indian Camp” by Hemingway

Relationships serve as the foundation for human interactions with others. It is what guides and sustains the human race. Love is created through relationships, and life is formed out of this love; without it, life is meaningless. Relationships force people to confront their emotions, which influences what they do and how they react to situations. Ernest Hemingway’s stories “Hills like White Elephants” and “Indian Camp” depict the struggles of the characters in order to highlight the issues in human relationships that affect everyday life. The short stories show how relationships influence communication, decision-making, and behavior.

The two stories derive their similarity by focusing on the same theme, relationships. The “Hills like White Elephants” depict an unborn child bonding an American man with a jig. This suggests that the two characters had an intimate love relationship. Although the story does not mention a child or pregnancy, it uses symbolism to describe the pregnancy as an operation. This is clear from what the man says “It’s a ridiculously simple operation. It’s not much of an operation.” (Scribner Paper Back Fiction). The author depicts how relationships influence decisions and actions in this story. The mother is shown to be hesitant to undergo the procedure. It is clear from her communication that she is unhappy about the abortion that the man is forcing her to have, as she has an intimate love for her unborn child. Similarly, the characters in the “Indian camp” are depicted as married couples who are bonded by their unborn child. Throughout the story, the author expresses love as the primary motivator for the child’s further subsequent actions. For example, the author reveals that when the husband witnessed his wife’s pain during the traditional operation, he decided to cut his throat.

On the other hand, the author uses contrasting situations to bring the theme of relationships in these two stories. For instance, in the “Hills like White Elephants,” the relationship between the American man and the jig is that they were girlfriend and boyfriend, which is why the man does not feel wrong about the abortion. In contrast, in the Indian camp, the relationship between the American man and the American woman is that they were married couples, which prompted the husband to cut his throat.

Work Cited

Scribner Paper Back Fiction. The complete short stories of Ernest Hemingway- Finca vigia edition. Simon and Schuster Inc., 1987.

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StudyCorgi. (2023) 'The Theme of Relationships in “Hills Like White Elephants” and “Indian Camp” by Hemingway'. 24 August.

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StudyCorgi. "The Theme of Relationships in “Hills Like White Elephants” and “Indian Camp” by Hemingway." August 24, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/the-theme-of-relationships-in-hills-like-white-elephants-and-indian-camp-by-hemingway/.

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StudyCorgi. 2023. "The Theme of Relationships in “Hills Like White Elephants” and “Indian Camp” by Hemingway." August 24, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/the-theme-of-relationships-in-hills-like-white-elephants-and-indian-camp-by-hemingway/.

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