The American Spectator

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“Do you feel better?” he asked.

“I feel fine,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.”

br> Paul Johnson has described Hemingway as “a writer of profound originality” practicing brevity, economy, simplicity, using strong verbs, short sentences, nothing superfluous or for effect. All of these traits are present in “Hills Like White Elephants” as it brutally, honestly, and sadly depicts the crisis of a woman and a man considering the possibility of destroying their unborn child.

Hemingway had no use for his own mother (always referring to her as “that bitch”), families, or religion. But his integrity as an artist did not fail him in portraying the emotional and psychic wreckage inherent in the act of abortion. Whatever Hemingway’s personal view of the matter, his short story rings true while casting a dark shadow over it.

An example of Hemingway’s ruthless honesty, is his unsparing portrayal of abortion as being the result of a male imperative for convenience and control, disguised as solicitude for the girl. Clearly, it is the man who is encouraging the girl to have the abortion in the face of her very evident misgivings. This may just be the way of a heartless world in the author’s grim view.

“Never trust the artist. Trust the tale,” said D. H. Lawrence. This advice is well taken in the case of Ernest Hemingway and his bleak tale, “Hills Like White Elephants.”