How does Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway depict the changing social mores of the 1920s, and in what ways are those shifts reflected in the narrative, characters, and setting of the story?
Answer (Direct Response):
In Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway portrays the changing social mores of the 1920s through the couple’s conversation, the female character’s dilemma, and the landscape of the story. The story depicts a society moving from traditional family-centred values toward a more transient, liberated lifestyle: the female character (“the girl” or Jig) contemplates an unwanted pregnancy and the associated abortion, an issue that reflects changing attitudes toward women’s roles, bodily autonomy, and sexual freedom in the 1920s (Sustana). Meanwhile the male character (the American) embodies the freedom-seeking, rootless expatriate typical of the “Lost Generation” and the era of the Roaring Twenties (Encyclopedia.com). The setting—at a train station in Spain between two contrasting landscapes (barren and fertile)—symbolises choice and transition, mirroring the shift in social mores from settled domesticity to itinerant individualism (LitCharts). Thus, the narrative encapsulates how social norms were in flux in the 1920s and how individuals navigated that shift through personal decisions, especially regarding gender, sexuality and responsibility.
Introduction
MARTIN MUNYAO MUINDE – Ephantusmartin@gmail.com
The short story Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway, first published in 1927, is set in an era characterised by rapid change: the post–World War I environment, the “Roaring Twenties,” shifting gender roles, sexual liberation, and the rise of modernism in both literature and life. The narrative focuses on a single conversation between “the American” and “the girl” (Jig) at a train station in Spain, as they discuss — without explicitly naming it — the decision of whether the girl should have an “operation,” widely understood as an abortion. Those surface-dialogue details serve as a vehicle for exploring deeper issues of freedom, responsibility, gender dynamics, and social transition.
In this paper I argue that Hemingway uses setting, dialogue, symbolism and character dynamics to depict how the social mores of the 1920s—especially regarding women’s autonomy, sexual behaviour, and relationship expectations—are changing, and how these changes create tension in individual lives. The discussion unfolds in sub-topics: the historical context of the 1920s, gender roles and power dynamics, the symbolism of setting and landscape, the theme of freedom versus responsibility, and the implications of the ending. In each section I show how the story reflects 1920s social mores and the anxieties of that era.
Historical Context: The 1920s and Social Change
The 1920s were a decade often labelled the “Roaring Twenties,” marked by economic growth (in some regions), technological change, leisure culture, sexual liberation and a loosening of many traditional norms. Wikipedia+2Encyclopedia.com+2 Women in many western societies gained greater political and social rights, including the vote. The flapper phenomenon—young women adopting short hair, smoking, drinking, and more visible sexual freedom—challenged the Victorian-era prescriptions of femininity. GradesFixer+1 At the same time, the generation coming of age after the war felt rootless, questioning old values and seeking new forms of life and identity. Hemingway himself was part of this expatriate “Lost Generation,” and his portrayal of characters who drift rather than settle resonates with that mood. Encyclopedia.com+1
Within literary culture the modernist movement emphasised fragmentation, ambiguity, and subtext — all hallmarks of the story. Hemingway’s minimalist style and “iceberg theory” reflect this modernist approach. Medium+1
In Hills Like White Elephants, these macro-social changes manifest in microcosm: a young woman facing a decision about pregnancy and her partner seeking freedom, both removed from stable domestic roots and engaged in a conversation of avoidance. The story’s temporal setting—between the world wars, in Europe—is consequential: it situates the characters in a zone of transition, both geographical and social. 2010hemingwayproject.wordpress.com+1
This historical backdrop is vital for understanding how the narrative channels changing social mores: what once might have been taboo (pregnancy out of wedlock, abortion, female sexual autonomy) is now being confronted or skirted; what once might have been unquestioned (male dominance, female compliance) is being contested. Hemingway’s story uses its spare dialogue and tension to reflect these shifts rather than to overtly describe them.
Gender Roles, Power Dynamics, and the Woman’s Dilemma
One of the most salient ways the story depicts changing social mores is in its exploration of gender roles and power dynamics. The male character (the American) represents a traditional or socially dominant stance: he urges the girl to have the surgery, claiming it will restore their freedom — his freedom more than hers — and he frames the decision as simple. He says: “It’s really an awfully simple operation… It’s not really an operation at all.” study.com+1
In contrast, the girl (Jig) is more ambivalent and sensitive to the broader implications—emotional, relational, existential—of the decision. Her earlier remark that the hills “look like white elephants” signals her nascent awareness of burden, cost, possibility. SparkNotes The dynamic here mirrors shifting mores of the 1920s: women increasingly had a voice and agency, even if constrained, and the traditional expectation of female compliance was being eroded. Literary critics note that the man wishes to maintain his freedom and avoid responsibility (for a child), while the girl contemplates how the choice will change their relationship. Literariness+1
Furthermore, the uneven power in their conversation signals the persistence of older norms: the man orders, the girl asks, but the more subtle reality is that the girl is expected to decide for the man’s comfort. The story thus captures the transitional social moment: women had more autonomy than before, but still operated in a gender structure that limited full equality. In one sense, the girl’s hesitation and the man’s controlling tone exemplify the tension between progressive mores and entrenched patriarchal structures. As one scholar writes, “the man makes the decisions and the female complies… however … such a power dynamic is fundamentally flawed and destructive.” LitCharts
Thus the narrative reflects 1920s changes: increasing questions about gender, women’s rights, sexual freedom and decision-making. At the same time, it shows how those changes generate conflict and ambiguity when embedded in personal relationships.
Setting, Landscape and Symbolism: The Narrative Reflection of Social Shifts
Hemingway’s use of setting and symbolism powerfully conveys the story’s engagement with changing social mores. The plot takes place in a train station bar in the Ebro Valley of Spain. According to the summary, one side of the rails is bare, no shade and no trees, while the other side is fertile, with trees and fields. LitCharts+1 This contrast symbolises the choice the girl faces and the broader social shift from one set of values (fertility, rootedness, conventional family) to another (barrenness, freedom, transience).
The title itself — Hills Like White Elephants — is symbolic. The white elephant may represent a burdensome or unwanted possession (the unborn child) and also evokes something valuable yet unwanted. SparkNotes+1 The hills “like white elephants” stand in the distance, representing possibility, change, or the weight of decision. In turn, the physical landscape becomes a metaphor for the shifting mores: the fertility of the land suggests potential motherhood or rooted domesticity; the barren side suggests freedom or emptiness. Critics note that the story emphasises that their conversation revolves around what is left unsaid — the abortion decision — and that the setting underscores the unsaid message. study.com+1
In relation to social change in the 1920s, the setting’s transitory nature (waiting at a train station) echoes the itinerant lifestyles of many young people then: expatriates, travellers, people untethered by tradition. The man and the girl are not firmly rooted; they are in flux. This reflects the broader zeitgeist of the decade: young people rejecting settled domestic life in favour of freedom, experimentation or escape. Thus, the landscape and symbolism in the story deepen the portrayal of changing mores and show how those changes manifest at the level of environment, travel, liminality and decision-making.
Freedom, Responsibility and the Social Dilemma
Another central axis of the story is the tension between freedom and responsibility—both personal and social. The 1920s opened up new freedoms, especially in urban life: sexual freedom, travel, consumerism, non-traditional relationships. Yet these freedoms came with new anxieties about identity, responsibility and meaning. In the story, the man emphasises freedom: he assures the girl that after the operation they “will be all right” and that they will be free again. He perceives the unborn child as an obstacle to their freedom. Meanwhile, the girl senses that a decision either way will change her and their relationship fundamentally.
This reflects changing mores: in previous eras, the assumption may have been that marriage, children, domesticity were automatic; but in the 1920s, new models and choices emerged. The story illustrates that shift and the cost of choosing or rejecting tradition. The girl must weigh not only what she personally wants, but also what social expectation she faces and what kind of life she envisions. Critics argue that the story’s refusal to name the “operation” directly underscores how society was shifting but still constrained by taboos — new freedoms existed, but within frameworks of negotiation and power imbalance. ThoughtCo+1
In this respect the story becomes a commentary on the era’s shifting mores: women now had more say, men still sought freedom, relationships were more precarious, and the boundary between tradition and modernity was active and contested. The social dilemma of whether to embrace freedom or settle into conventional responsibility is central to the narrative and reflects the broader cultural landscape of the 1920s.
Implications of the Ending and Reflection of 1920s Anxiety
The ending of Hills Like White Elephants is unresolved: the couple does not reach a clear decision, and the dialogue ends with the girl saying “I feel fine” though ambiguity remains. This lack of closure is characteristic of the modernist era and the social shifts of the 1920s — in a sense, society itself was in transition, without clear guidelines or established outcomes. Critics emphasise that the story’s unresolved nature mirrors the era’s uncertainty: the old norms were weakening, the new ones were not yet settled. Literariness
In terms of changing social mores, the unresolved ending shows that individuals could not rely on traditional scripts (marriage → children → stable home) nor fully embrace new ones without cost. The girl’s response indicates suppression of her own feelings, reflecting how women in the era were still negotiating their autonomy. The man’s insistence on freedom reflects how men in the 1920s could pursue individualism, but relationships, traditions and norms still held sway. Thus, Hemingway’s narrative captures the anxiety, instability and ambivalence of a decade of change.
Moreover, the fact that the story is largely about avoidance—about what the characters do not say—signals how much of the social change was happening beneath the surface. People were travelling, drinking, experimenting—but also carrying guilt, confusion, conflict. The story mirrors the 1920s in showing how changing mores bred both liberation and alienation.
Conclusion
In Hills Like White Elephants, Ernest Hemingway offers a succinct but profoundly layered depiction of how the social mores of the 1920s—particularly concerning gender roles, sexuality, freedom, and responsibility—are in flux. Through setting, dialogue, symbolism and character dynamics, the narrative reflects a society transitioning from settled domestic traditions to more mobile, experimental, and ambiguous forms of life. The female character’s dilemma over an abortion and the male character’s insistence on freedom serve as microcosms for broader cultural shifts: women’s autonomy was growing, men’s expectations of freedom were rising, and traditional relationship structures were under strain. The story’s unresolved ending underscores the instability of the era and the negotiation required by individuals living through it.
By placing the narrative in a liminal physical and social space—a train station in Spain between two landscapes—Hemingway symbolises the liminality of the 1920s themselves. The story thus remains a compelling reflection of its historical moment and a finely crafted literary portrayal of social change.
References
Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants. In Men Without Women. Scribner, 1927.
Sustana, Catherine. “Analysis of ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ by Ernest Hemingway.” ThoughtCo., 2024. ThoughtCo
“Men, Women, and Relationships Theme in Hills Like White Elephants.” LitCharts. LitCharts
“Historical Context | ‘Hills Like White Elephants’.” 2010 Hemingway Project Blog. 2010hemingwayproject.wordpress.com
“Analysis of Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants.” Literariness, 2021. Literariness
“An Analysis of Gender and Cultural Bias in Hemingway’s ‘Hills Like White Elephants’.” Nicholls State University. nicholls.edu
“Hills Like White Elephants | Summary & Analysis.” LitCharts. LitCharts