Rhetorically Effective Persuasive Skills: Hills like White Elephants
Ernest Hemingway’s, Hills like White Elephants demonstrates the power of rhetoric as the two main characters, Jig and the American attempt to persuade each other in regards to Jig having/not having an operation. I will argue that through rhetorical analysis it is clear that the characters establish their goals and use persuasive tactics such as appealing to the other character’s emotions in order to rhetorically achieve their persuasive goals. At certain points during the story, their attempts at being persuasive through rhetoric fail, but in the end, one character is victorious in their persuasion. In essence, this story shows the strengths and weaknesses of both characters as they attempt use their wit and understanding to rhetorically persuade each other.
The American and Jig’s goals are demonstrated through the use of rhetoric during the course of the story. The American’s main desire is to not have any responsibility; this includes responsibility over the child if she chooses not to have the abortion or responsibility for making her want to have it. In essence he wants Jig to make the decision to have the abortion out of her own free will because this means he will not hold any responsibility for his demanding actions to make her have the abortion. During the story, he constantly wants to talk about the operation and although he may discourage her arguments, he never tells her to stop talking. His main rhetorically persuasive method is to continue the conversation about the operation until she fulfills his persuasive goals. The man’s goal to be free of the responsibility of the woman’s operation is also shown in the images he reflects upon in the story. At one point he looks at their suitcases and says, “There were labels on them form all the hotels where they had spent nights” (Booth 134). The man wants the freedom that he and Jig used to have before talk of this operation and the suitcases also “symbolize his desire to make her into a purely sexual object that would leave him unencumbered by the responsibility of love and family” (Lamb 8). In essence “he has no use for her in the new role she wants for herself, as mother and presumably wife” (Hashmi 76). Therefore, he wants her to want to have the operation so that he does not have to assume any of those roles.
However, the American’s goals differ from Jig’s goals which are to gain respect and understanding from the American. It is clear that he lacks respect for her; this is demonstrated at points in the story where he is disrespectful by not letting her express her opinion. One of the first places this is shown is when she talks about how “everything tastes like licorice” and his response to her expressing her opinion is “Oh cut it out” (Booth 132). In this situation, the American man sees her reference to licorice as getting off the topic of the operation and he wants to keep her focused on the operation in order to persuade her. She also feels that the American man does not understand the ‘operation’ and how she feels about the entire situation. Other goals that Jig has are depicted in the scene where she observes the hills that look like white elephants. “They [the elephants] appear to symbolize the glimmering hope, remote yet real like the hills themselves, that her sexual relationship with the man might change into a solid relationship of family and permanence” (Hashmi 75). Jig wants her and the American to understand her desire to have a permanent family but his lack of respect for her creates a persuasive challenge for her.
The persuasive concept of ethos is one of the three artistic proofs in the ancient art of persuasion that is demonstrated throughout this story. An ethical proof is defined as “arguments from the rector’s intelligence, good moral character, and goodwill toward the audience and arguments that establish the appropriate voice and distance for the rhetorical situation at hand” (Crowley 309). The American’s character’s ethos is shown as only looking out for himself and his interests, uninterested in other’s conversations and ‘always being right.’ In the story, the American is trying to persuade Jig to undergo an ‘operation’ but instead of looking out for her wellbeing he is only looking out for his own. He tries to persuade her by saying how happy they will be after she has the operation but he angles the conversation back to his needs by trying to get Jig to have sympathy for him. He expresses his concern for himself by saying “. . . I just can’t think about it. You know how I get when I worry” (Booth 132). Jig is the person who is carrying the baby and who will have to go through the operation but he is more concerned about the toll that the situation is having/will have on him.
The concept of the American always being right is demonstrated in the numerous times throughout the story where he tells Jig that he has a great understanding about the surgery and all it entails. He also demonstrates his knowledge of the operation by using strong rhetorical persuasive words such as “I know” and by saying “it is the best thing to do” (Crowley 132). The repetition of these words is a method of utilizing rhetorical persuasion in hopes that she will trust his knowledge. Another appeal to emotions is shown when he says, “You don’t have to be afraid. I’ve known lots of people that have done it” (Booth 133). The American believes that by using this persuasive technique of having a great understanding of the procedure, it will put Jig at ease and make her more willing to go through with the procedure. Ancient Rhetoric’s for Contemporary Students demonstrating understanding “by using language that suggests he is an insider, by sharing an anecdote that indicates he has experience or knowledge in a particular area, or by describing his qualifications” (203). It is evident throughout the story that the man feels that he is an ‘expert’ on the operation and this will him in persuading her.
The American’s persuasive tactic of having a great understanding of the surgery backfires on him when as Aristotle says “the rhetor doesn’t show evidence of having done his homework and as a result, his honesty can be questioned, as can his good will towards the audience” (Crowley 201). In the beginning of the story, the American tries to persuade her by saying it will be “an awfully simple operation” but as the story continues he says it is “not really an operation at all” (Booth 133,134). By using the words ‘awfully’ and ‘really’ “he grossly oversimplifies the issue, even to the point of self-contradiction” (Rankin 235). His lack of understanding show that he is trying every method possible to persuade her, but only for his personal gains. Thus, his honesty and good will can be called into question because he is essentially lies to her about how much understanding of the situation that he actually has. Therefore, this is an example of a failed rhetorically persuasive technique because he is not continually persuasive with presenting his understanding of the operation.
Aristotle says it is very important to know the “emotional state of mind” of the audience when forming a rhetorically persuasive argument (Crowley 252). Through the American’s rhetoric it is clear that he believes what Jig needs the most is support. He then uses her perceived need for support to rhetorically persuade her that she should have the operation, but only if she wants to. Three or four times throughout the story he repeats the phrase “But I don’t want you to do it if you don’t really want to” (Booth 133). Here, he is appealing to her emotions by showing her that he will support her if she has the abortion, and even says he will stay with her for the duration of the surgery. By using this tactic it is clear that he is trying to get her to want to have the surgery herself. This would mean that it was her decision and she could not say that he was being overly forceful in his actions to make her have the surgery. He demonstrates an emotional appeal again when he says “I’m perfectly willing to go through with it if it means anything to you” (Booth 134). Looking at the rhetoric that is used in that statement it is clear that he appeals to her emotions in the first half of the sentence by saying that he will go through the operation with her. Then he uses a form of persuasive emotional manipulation by saying the phrase “if it means anything to you” (Booth 134). The function of this portion of the sentence is two part because he is implying that him being there for her should mean something to her. He also asserts that being there for her means that he loves her a great deal and that if she loved him to, his actions would mean something to her. This method of persuasive rhetoric demonstrates how tapping into someone’s emotions may help to persuade them.
Another emotional appeal is displayed by Jig as she tries to make the American man feel sympathetic to her because she has to go through the operation. This persuasive technique is also a form of manipulation as shown in one of their conversations where she says “Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me” (Booth 134). The American has been pressuring her to go through the operation and she realizes that he wants her to take responsibility for wanting her to have the abortion. Therefore, she states that she does not care about herself in order to emotionally pull him into the situation and make him feel badly for pressuring her. In this circumstance, her rhetorical goal is for him to say that he does not want her to have the abortion which she succeeds in doing, exemplified when he says “I don’t want you to do it if you feel that way” (Booth 134). This shows that she has appealed to his emotions in an effort to rhetorically persuade him.
Expression of authority and control through rhetoric is one way that the man attempts to persuade Jig. This is exemplified in the beginning of the story when he says when he wants a beer. It is obvious that he wants a beer and is completely capable of asking for one him but tests his persuasive rhetorical skills by getting Jig to order the beers. He does this in an indirect way by using rhetoric and making a comment about how hot the weather is. This persuasive example demonstrates the dynamics of their relationship; he is the persuasive authority in the relationship and Jig is his faithful companion, who is always willing to meet his needs within reason. Another way the man’ persuasive rhetoric is established occurs in the opening paragraph, the nationality of the man is distinguished while the nationality of the girl is not. In this example, the narrator states, “the American and the girl with him sat at the table in the shade . . .” (Booth 132). The fact that his nationality is distinguished shows his overall authority because while she is a miscellaneous character named Jig of no mentioned nationality, he is the American.
The story takes place in Northern Spain however; Jig does not know how to speak Spanish. Without knowledge of the native language, it is difficult for her to function in everyday life; therefore she is dependent on the American to translate for her. If he was not with her, she would not even be able to do simple things such as order beers. She is the one to make the decision about drinking beer in the beginning of the story, but she is not able to order them. The American man is well versed in Spanish and therefore, he orders them for her. This demonstrates the control he has over her and the dependency she has on him. He exerted his control over her by making her chose for them to drink beer, but she exerted her dependency on him by not being able to order it because she does not speak Spanish. Her dependency on him for his Spanish speaking skills does not appear again until the end of the story where the barista tells them that the train is coming in five minutes. Jig does not understand what she has said and has to ask the American, “What did she say?” Her inability to speak Spanish is prevalent again when she is unable to thank the woman for telling them this information and instead she “smiled brightly at the woman to thank her” (135).
After the first time that the man asserts his authority by having full knowledge of Spanish, Jig changes the subject to white elephants. She says the hills look like white elephants but the American insists that he has never seen a white elephant before. Jig has firsthand knowledge of what white elephants look like and this shows her control over the situation. Asserting that she has knowledge and experience that the man does not possess threatens his authority, angering him. The man has just spoken in Spanish to the woman and felt inferior because she does not speak nor understand Spanish. Now she takes control of the conversation by shifting to a subject that she is knowledgeable about, white elephants. When he says he has never seen a white elephant she undermines his authority by saying “No you wouldn’t have” (Booth 134). This makes the American become very defensive and he says “Just because you say I wouldn’t have doesn’t mean anything” (Booth 132). Jig has just used the rhetorical skill of demonstrating knowledge in order to persuade the man that she has a better understanding of some subjects. She then takes subtle control of the conversation by changing the topic to the image that is painted on the beaded curtain.
Jig is constantly changing the subject by making observations about her surroundings and by doing this she “find ways to diffuse the man’s anger demonstrates her resourcefulness” (236 Explicator). This is a persuasive rhetorical tool that she uses to distract him from their current topic and stop his anger. She also demonstrates this use of persuasive rhetoric by asking the American what an “Anis del Toro” is because it is painted on the bamboo curtain in the bar. He explains that it is a drink and he orders them each one. He then asks her if she wants it with water and in a naïve manner she asks if it is good with water (Booth 134). At first glance it may seem that he has control over the conversation and that her dependency on him is prevalent. Still exemplifying her naïve nature, she says it “tastes like licorice” but when the man agrees with her she identifies one of the alcohol’s involved in the drink making, absinthe. This shows that her naiveté and inquisitiveness about the drink was motivated by her wanting to change the subject make him not talk/argue about the previous subject of white elephants. Jig has taken control of the conversation once again by using rhetoric to persuade the American to change the subject.
Jig’s persuasive control over the situation and the resistance to the American as well as his point of view only intensifies as the story continues. This is exemplified when she tells him “We could have everything and every day we make it more impossible” (Booth 134). This could be inferred as referencing how they could be happy and settled down like a family but he makes this impossible because he only wants her for sexual purposes. He agrees that they could have everything, but strangely she disagrees with him saying that they cannot have everything “and once they take it away, you never get it back” (Booth 135). This is strange because they could have the world together but while she insists that they cannot, he insists that they can. This is an example of Jig using persuasive rhetoric when she tries to prove that he does not understand her and her point of view. At the end of that argument he says “They haven’t take it away” (134). He believes that she is referencing their world together, the pregnancy and all it has brought. However, she is only trying to prove a point that he does not understand her and she succeeds in doing this. He then tells her to come out of the sun, changing the subject and accepting defeat in this persuasive argument.
Jig uses the persuasive rhetorical tool to shut down the conversation between both of them by being very straightforward. The man is trying to continue the conversation by changing the subject to focus on the “simple operation” (Booth 133) but she does not want to talk about the operation. She begins to persuade him to stop talking by saying “Can we maybe stop talking?’ (Booth 133). When he does not stop talking, she becomes more persistence in her persuasion and says “Would you please stop talking?” (Booth 133). However, in that question, she repeats the word ‘please’ seven times to persuasively emphasize her desire to end the conversation. Finally, when he still refuses to stop talking she threatens to scream and this threat makes him stop talking. This serves an example of her asserting her authority as she takes control over the conversation, persuading him through rhetoric.
In conclusion, many rhetorical tools are utilized in this story as both of the characters try to persuade each other. The end of the story shows a triumph for Jig as she admits to the man that she is ‘fine’ and there is ‘nothing wrong with her’ (Booth 134). This is an example of a successful use of Jig’s persuasive rhetoric as she shuts the conversation down completely. It is also a demonstration of Jig’s “cognitive intelligence, as well as her experience and scathing wit” (Rankin 234). Overall, the man’s techniques to rhetorically persuade Jig failed, however she was victorious in her ability to rhetorically persuade the American.
Works Cited
Booth, Alison, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 9th ed.
New York: W.W. Norton, 2005. Print.
Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetoric’s for Contemporary Students. 4th ed.
Harlow: Longman, 2009. Print.
Hashmi, Nilofer. “Hills like White Elephants: The Jilting of Jig.” The Hemingway Review 23.1
(2003): 72-78. Wilson Web. Web. 11 Nov. 2011.
Lamb, Robert P. “Hemingway and the Creation of Twentieth – Century Dialogue.” Twentieth
Century Literature 42 (1996): 453-63. Wilson Web. Web. 11 Nov. 2011.
Rankin, Paul. “Hemingway’s Hills like White Elephants.” Explicator 2005: 234-37. Wilson Web.
Web. 11 Nov. 2011.
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