This symbol is overshadowed by the hills and elephants, but the bamboo curtain is still powerful. It sets us up to think about boundaries, thresholds, and separations – all the issues the couple is facing. As we emphasize throughout this guide, the social, legal, and informational boundaries the couple faces in terms of birth control, sex education, and stigmas about having children without being married, act as curtains that help limit the couple’s options, and their conversation. And because Jig wants the baby and the man doesn’t, the pregnancy itself acts as a curtain between them, through which only simple things (like what they want to drink) can be communicated clearly. By the end of the story the "curtain" between the man and Jig seems to have turned into a wall. But let’s backtrack a little and look at some passages where the curtain appears. The curtain is first mentioned in the opening paragraph of the story:Close against the side of the station there was the warm shadow of the building and a curtain, made of strings of bamboo beads, hung across the open door into the bar, to keep out flies.

At this moment we anticipate going through the curtain to the inside of the bar, but the narrator pulls us back to the table outside the bar. Right away we have this feeling of being kept out, stuck outside with the flies. On top of that, you could write an entire paper just on bamboo as a symbol in "Hills Like White Elephants." Some very old accounts claim that human life was born from a bamboo stem, among other interesting things. That could connect to Jig’s pregnancy for sure. If you want to dig deeper.Hemingway, a real humorist, is also using the curtain as a comedic prop. We see it in the first paragraph one, with the remark about the flies. His humor is even more evident here: "Dos cervezas," the man said into the curtain" (5).There is something subtly funny about the man talking into the curtain because we don’t know (though the man obviously does) that someone is waiting on the other side. This through-the-curtain conversation is a little uncomfortable, so much so that we almost miss the humor.

Maybe because, although they are communicating well through the curtain, this moment still foreshadows the figurative curtain between Jig and the man when they try to communicate.The curtain is also a comment on advertisement and communication, and an homage to the sport of bullfighting, which so fascinated Hemingway. social shower curtain comprarIt can also be seen as an homage to the other pastime that so fascinated him – drinking. eivor curtainsAnis del Toro (booze of the bull) is painted on the curtain, layering on a bit more symbolism. isinglass curtains for boatsAs we know from Hemingway’s A Sun Also Rises, Americans are often in Spain for the bullfighting. curtains tettenhall

It’s a major industry and part of Spain’s draw as a tourist destination. It’s only natural that a train station bar would advertise a drink that advertises bullfighting and appeals to people attracted to the sport.That said, it’s doubtful that an observant person like Jig could have avoided knowing that toro means bull. bed bath and beyond lancaster shower curtainLike she does with the hills in the distance, Jig draws this symbol into their personal story by pointing it out. velour thermal curtains ukAs we know from The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway's male characters who were in Spain for the bullfights weren't exactly inclined to get married and have children. curtains timperleyIf the man is anything like these other Hemingway characters, it seems unlikely that he would give Jig the kind of life she seems to want.

If the man is a bullfighting aficionado, then for Jig the bull might represent a major obstacle to her wishes. People who Shmooped this also Shmooped... Dragonwings - Learning Guide I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Learning Guide Rebecca - Learning Guide Find out what that little icon means...and why we're funny. Career Test and Advice Center Plan your future...or at least your next step. The who, what, where, when, and why of all your favorite quotes. Go behind the scenes on all your favorite films.You can find this storyboard in our teacher guide for Hills Like White Elephants. Themes, Symbols, and Motifs in Hills Like White Elephants Download Images / PowerPoint Download this Storyboard as an Image Pack or a Presentation Each cell in your storyboard will be exported as a standalone image in a zip file. Best For: Presentations, App Smashing Download one giant image of your entire storyboard. Best For: Blogs, Posters

Download an image optimized for Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest …). Best For: Social Media Download a PDF version of your storyboard. Best For: Large Format Printing, Adobe Illustrator Convert your storyboard into an amazing presentation! Works with Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, and Google Slides. <">Made with Storyboard That Make a Folding Card The elephant in the room is the abortion procedure that Jig and the man must decide to do or not to do. A white elephant gift is an outrageously ugly gift that is often given in jest, that no one really wants. At first, Jig compares the mountains to white elephants but then decides they they don’t really look like them. This seems to be a metaphor for the baby she seems to want to keep while the man wants it to be just the two of them again. The drinks are a distraction for Jig and the American man. Jig wants to have a beer, and then she wants to try the Anis del Toro. Jig remarks that everything tastes like licorice, especially the things she’s waited so long to try, like absinthe, and it’s always a disappointment.

This could also be a metaphor for the baby she is thinking about having, or for her hopes that the man would be more open to having a baby, and instead he lets Jig down by advocating for the abortion. Jig compares the hills to white elephants, but the American man is no longer dazzled by anything she says. He chalks it up to worrying about the pregnancy, which could be taken away if she has the operation. She seems compelled to do it because she wants to make him happy. As she looks at the hills again, though, she realizes that nothing can go back to the way it was before in their relationship. The beauty of the hills is like their happiness, and she knows they will never have that back-- not fully. The curtain keeps out the flies from the bar, and it holds Jig’s attention several times. It allows her a distraction from her tense conversation with the man as she realizes it is advertising Anis del Toro. She touches the beads as the man tells her he wants her to have the operation.