Hemingway’s Clever Usage of Misogyny

Hemingway’s Clever Usage of Misogyny

            

           When reading literature it is often a good idea to clear your head, keep an open mind and

read without expectation or prejudice.  This is especially true of some authors like Ernst

Hemingway.  A man that wrote with so many symbolic references and hidden meanings it is

virtually impossible to take his work at face value.  It is important to note that, when reading his

work, we don’t overlook his masterful ability to manipulate the reader and almost control the

emotional response to the text.  After reading his very short story titled “Hills Like White

Elephants” I was admittedly puzzled. I couldn’t identify a plot or recognize the theme. At first I

couldn’t see its subtle implications and symbolisms made by the author but after rereading it

several times I did and then found it to be a perfect example of Hemingway’s mastery of his

craft.  Many reviews have been written about this story with some suggesting that it is just

another example or expression of Hemingway’s misogynistic view.  However, it’s my opinion

and the thesis of this paper that his inclusion of, what many consider, misogynistic behavior of

the male character, identified only as “the American” (Hemingway789) in the story, was

intentional and used solely to manipulate the reader into identifying more with Jig, the female

character, and/or her plight. And that is what Hemingway was trying to accomplish and not

necessarily to represent or express his own views.  Regardless of his own personal, almost

legendary, struggles with women.

            First, let’s get a clear definition misogyny.  According to Webster’s Dictionary,

misogyny is the “hatred of women.” (Merriam-Webster, Web).  That definition would suggest

either a male view point or perspective would be presented in the story and that the female would

be more submissive.  However the story isn’t presented this way and according to Nina Baym

it’s quite the opposite when she wrote that the story “…Hills Like White Elephants” present a

woman’s point of view and attribute her plight -…” (p.112-120).  I tend to agree Baym in that

the story is more aligned with a woman’s point of view than a man’s.  Adding only that

Hemingway enforces this purposefully by using the insensitive nature of the male character to

make the reader empathetic to Jig.  Secondly, Jig only shows some submissive behavior in the

beginning but her ability to manipulate the conversation allows her to dominate the conversation.

In my view, if the story were misogynistic in nature then the man’s perspective would be given

more attention but instead we find that it is Jig’s struggle we identify with.  In fact, I would argue

that it is Jig’s struggle that makes the entire story.  It is only possible to view the story from Jig’s

point of view. The argument for abortion combined with his actions and dialogue with Jig make

siding with the male character unattractive to the reader. The man’s name isn’t even given.  That

alone makes him seem less important than Jig.  I believe this is done so that the emphasis is

focused on her not him.  The review “Hemingway’s Women’s Movement” supports this idea

when it points out that “Hemingway’s focus here is on her victimization by her immature lover.”

(Nolan148).  And that “There is little doubt that Hemingway highlights Jig’s maturity and

superiority as he excoriates the selfishness and insensitivity of her companion.” (Nolan148). 

These interpretations are further supported by another in a comparison study done between

Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” by

Stephen K. George.  In it George admits that “The strongest evidence for implied author

sympathy for Jig and Elisa rests with the male-female conflicts within the stories and how

unsympathetically the male antagonists are drawn by the authors.” (George103)  These ideas are

undoubtedly brought forth because the text almost insists that the reader identify with Jig’s

circumstance.  Both physical and emotional through the character dialogue and actions. 

            The dialogue between Jig and her male companion can be hard to decipher even for the

most experienced of readers.  Their conversation is almost entirely implied.  But careful

interpretive and critical reading allows the reader a better chance to pick up on some of the

subtleties. Reading many other reviews of text should help shed some light on any symbolisms

missed.  That said, the story reads almost like a play or as though eavesdropping on a couple’s

conversation at a train station that’s having a few drinks while waiting for their train.  The topic

of the conversation is abortion but that can be rather difficult to pick up on at first until after

reading a few lines into the conversation.  Right from the start the male seems to almost have a

dismissive tone, with his response to Jig’s white elephant analogy about the hills, when he says

“I’ve never seen one.”(Hemingway789).  Which is the first indication of trouble or that you can

really start to notice something is wrong.  As you read on they seem to bicker and the male

continues to push Jig into the abortion by saying things like “It’s really an awfully simple

operation, Jig.”…“It’s not really an operation at all.”(790)  and “I think it’s the best thing to do.”

(790). It’s exactly this insensitivity by the male character that is exposed and used by

Hemingway to make the reader identify with Jig’s plight.  Along with some of her own words

when she states “Then I’ll do it.  Because I don’t care about me.”(791). Again Hemingway

shows empathy to Jig’s situation. This time making both the male character as well as the reader

feel sympathy for Jig’s circumstance. As the story continues to unfold we can see that Jig

actually begins to manipulate the conversation in her favor almost confusing the man.  And by

the end it of the story it is her, Jig, that has the last word. “I am fine.  There’s nothing wrong with

me.”(792). This type of dialogue doesn’t seem consistent with a man expressing his misogynistic

views.  Allowing a woman to have the last word in an argument doesn’t show a hatred of women

at all.  Instead it shows a respect for what she has said or for women in general. 

            The actions of the characters are very few and far between but important none the less.

Remember what I said earlier in the opening paragraph about being careful not to overlook

anything.  So that means that everything must be scrutinized and evaluated when looking at this

short story.  Each action can be very significant and telling in a story this short.  For example,

during their conversation Jig gets up and walks away from the man and towards the hills for a

better view it could suggest her desire to flee the situation and not go through with the planned

abortion.   Or when later when the man gets up to carry the luggage to the other side of the

station it’s on the assumption that Jig will go through with the abortion.  And then when the man

stops at the bar on his way back, from moving the luggage to the other side of the train station, to

Jig for a drink alone it suggests his happiness to be away from her if even for a moment.  He still

had his beer waiting for him at the table with Jig - so there was no real need for him to stop at the

bar except to enjoy a moment alone without bickering with Jig.  Even his thought of the other

people “waiting reasonably” (792) while he has his drink alone shows he is still unsympathetic to

the situation.  He is simply looking past the situation without realizing its’ implication on his

relationship with Jig.  All of this is used perfectly by Hemingway to make the reader sympathize

with Jig and her plight.   Their actions only seem to put more emphasis on the female plight of

abortion and make the male look more antagonistic.  This is not exactly what one would expect

from a man with misogynistic point of view.  In fact I would say it is exactly the opposite of

misogyny altogether. 

            Hemingway clearly used the males’ insensitive, unsympathetic and selfish behavior to

make the reader sympathize and identify with Jig and her plight as a woman in her situation. 

Although abortions may be fairly common even in 1927, when the story was first published, they

are not always an easy decision for a woman to make.  The male characters relentless pressure

and persistence was realistic and only served to help Hemingway in achieving his goal of making

the story more sympathetic to women.  In conclusion, I find the claims of Hemingway’s

misogyny described in other people’s reviews is completely unfounded and/or poorly interpreted.

The story is too inconsistent with the hatred of women definition of misogyny to support such a

claim.  It is not an expression of male dominance over women but more of an acceptance or

validation of the feminine point of view.

Works Cited

‘Surrendering to the Feminine’: Implied Author Compassion in ‘The...by  Stephen K. George.       John Steinbeck and His Contemporaries. Scarecrow, 2007.  p61-67.                                          Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Vol. 168.  Word Count: 3718.

Hemingway's 'Hills Like White Elephants.'.  Paul Rankin.  Explicator  63.4 (Summer 2005):  p234-237.    Rpt. in Short Story Criticism.  Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Vol. 117.  Detroit: Gale. Word Count: 1708.FromLiterature Resource Center.

'Hills Like White Elephants': Lean, Vintage Hemingway.  Kenneth G. Johnston.                   Studies in American Fiction  10.2 (Autumn 1982):  p233-238.                                                    Rpt. in Literature Resource Center.  Detroit: Gale. Word Count: 2097.FromLiterature Resource Center

Feminist Perspective: 'Actually, I Felt Sorry for the Lion.'.  Nina Baym.                                  New Critical Approaches to the Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. Ed. Jackson J. Benson. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1990.  p112-120.                                                             Rpt. in Short Story Criticism.  Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Vol. 137.  Detroit: Gale. Word Count: 4668.FromLiterature Resource Center

Hemingway’s Women’s Movement by  Charles J. Nolan, Jr. Save                                            Hemingway Review  3.2 (1984):  p14-22. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Vol. 190.  Word Count: 5519. From Short Story Criticism Online

Misogyny, Definition of misogyny by Merriam-Webster                                         http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misogyny

Hemingway, Ernest.  “Hills Like White Elephants”  The Norton Introduction to Literature  Ed.  Kelly J. Mays 11th ed.  New York:  Norton, 2013.  788-792 Print