Media Outake #2: The hills have decisions to make

In Ernest Hemingway's Hills like White Elephants, a couple in the middle of Europe is in a bar having a conversation that appears to be of importance. However, neither of the characters are paying much attention to the topic that is at hand. They continue to persistently ask the bartender to serve them more alcohol.  Their constant drinking is a symbol that serves as a distraction for their inability to communicate. It is quite interesting that communication stresses are being faced by the pair, and these issues can be found in today’s popular culture.

                            

The issues faced in Ernest Hemingway's Hills like White Elephants can be compared to those seen in MTV's 16 and pregnant. This is so because in Hills like White Elephants, a distinct lack of communication can be seen;  in 16 and Pregnant not only are the characters young and naïve, but similar to the two main characters in Hills Like White Elephants, they are faced with the issues of communicating in a relationship. For example, Farrah, one of the shows most infamous teen moms, had trouble communicating with her baby’s father. With her baby’s father, she was constantly having issues because the both of them were indecisive on whether or not they wanted to keep their child.  This same topic was seen in Hemingway’s piece. The couple couldn’t come to a consensus on whether or not the “operation” mentioned in the story would be carried out, because they were going back and forth on how much they care for each other. At the end of the short story, there is a train, and there are also two railroad tracks. The railroad tracks represent two separate directions. The different directions represent the separation that can be brought about if a piece of the communication puzzle is missing. Decisions must be made in successful relationships.