| Posted: 02 September 2005 at 4:03pm | IP Logged
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In 1927 Ernest Hemingway was struggling to complete a short story
collection which would later be published under the title "Men Without Women".
Two stories short, he decided to rework a sketch he had begun two years earlier
which revolved around a man and woman discussing her getting an abortion. 
With a fresh perspective and a deadline looming, Hemingway completed
the story and called it "Hills Like White Elephants." It would eventually
become one of his most famous and subtle stories, and would help solidify him as
a master of the genre. When it was first published though, it went relatively unnoticed,
much to the chagrin of Hemingway who always felt it was one of his best
stories.
In a 1933 letter to his famed editor Maxwell Perkins,
Hemingway responded to a lackluster marketing effort for his books by his
publisher Scribners, and took a shot at literary critics in the process. He
writes in his quick, non-punctuated letter writing style: "The one they pick
out as 'classic' Hills Like White Elephants not one damn critic thought
anything of when it came out. I always knew how good it was but I'll be
goddamned if I like to have to say how good my stuff is in order to give the
business office confidence enough to advertize it after they have read an
unfavorable review and think I'm through. So I won't. Ever
again."
Hemingway claimed "Hills Like White Elephants" was complete
invention, countering the accusation from many of his contemporary critics that
he was merely a great reporter,
documenting the events of his life with an artistic flair. This charge rankled
Hemingway and followed him throughout his career. He always tried to create a
level of truth and reality in his writing that would give it lasting power. To
be certain, there were stories he said were straight reporting, but there were
also stories that were complete fiction, and the fact that no one could tell the
difference was, to Hemingway, a validation of his craftsmanship and
talent.
Michael Reynolds, in his biography Hemingway: The American
Homecoming, compares "Hills Like White Elephants" with a passage from T.S.
Eliot's Waste Land:
It's them pills I took, to bring it off,
she
said.
(She's had five already, and nearly died of
Young
George.)
The chemist said it would be all right, but
I've never been the
same.
Hemingway liked the idea of writing a story
about abortion without actually mentioning it, and with "Hills Like White
Elephants" he broached the controversial subject with unmatched
subtlety.
__________________
Mark Wilson
Site Editor/Administrator
Hemingway Resource Center
http://www.lostgeneration.com
http://www.ehemingway.com
http://www.stickercafe.com
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Topic: Background on Hills Like White Elephants
