When Simple Is Not So Simple

Douglas A. Smith
Professor Johnson
Communications, Monday
April 21, 2003



When Simple Is Not So Simple


Thesis Statement: Simple words and observations can mean totally different things to two people.



Some people argue that there is too much language and the meaning could be bought about more quickly. In support on this idea, Ernest Hemingway tells a wonderful short story, Hills Like White Elephants, using simple words and observations. The symbolism and the deeper conflict of the tale start at the very beginning with the arrival of the couple at the train station and their first words to each other.
It is hot which already is not helping the characters’ tempers. The only cool oasis is the bar that sits between two lines of rail. By describing the landscape through the female character Jig’s eyes, Hemingway is already setting the mind in motion. The track neatly bisects the Ebro valley into two sides. One side is the fertile, green side with a...