The author does not give the reader all very many details in this story. We have to piece much of it together ourselves. But it helps to know that most readers and critics agree that the “operation” that the characters are discussing is an abortion. Still, we don’t know everything that’s going on in the story. What do you think is happening in the story? Where are the characters going?

Note on Video: To help save you some time, I embedded a Youtube video reading “Hills Like White Elephants” aloud. If the video link doesn’t work, you are still responsible for the material, which you can read in the Ebook (pages 665-668). A good approach would be to listen to the youtube video while you read the textbook and highlight things that you find important.
Instructions: (Read these instructions carefully.)
Read the short story in the Ebook or watch the embedded youtube video then answer the questions below, responding to each with a minimum of three to five thoughtful sentences.

The author does not give the reader all very many details in this story. We have to piece much of it together ourselves. But it helps to know that most readers and critics agree that the “operation” that the characters are discussing is an abortion. Still, we don’t know everything that’s going on in the story. What do you think is happening in the story? Where are the characters going? What is the characters’ relationship? Do we have clear answers to these questions? There is no right or wrong answer here. I just want you to give your interpretation.
This story was published almost one hundred years ago. Would you say that this story is still relevant today? Why or why not? Without even doing any research, do you think there are any similar cultural attitudes towards the topic of this story? Explain.

The Norton Introduction to Literature, Shorter Thirteenth Edition
Kelly J. Mays
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
ISBN: 978-0-393-66492-8

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