When it comes to writing, Ernest Hemingway makes no mistakes.  He is an iconic author because there is nothing accidental about his stories.  He puts purpose behind everything he does stylistically in his writings.  In his short story Hills Like White Elephants he benefits from choosing to write in a third person point of view opposed to the typical first person point of view that is usually found in short stories.  I have done a close reading of Hemingway’s use of third person in his story Hills Like White Elephants to identify the meaning behind this bold decision.  Hemingway chose to write in this third person point of view style to give him more freedom as a writer, to be able to present the reader with unbiased information so that they can form their own opinions, and to be able to leave unanswered questions throughout the short story.

By giving the story a narrator Hemingway allows himself to have  more freedom and more possibilities within the text.  This lets the reader come up with their own ideas of the specifics in the story.  For example, there are many possibilities of what Hemingway might mean at the end of the story when the man says “I’d better take the bags over to the other side of the station”(530).  Some people take this to mean that the American is moving the bags to the opposite side of the station where he and the woman, Jig, will depart to go back to where they came from and Jig will not get the abortion.  Another opinion might take this quote to believe that the separation that the man is creating from the woman, by taking the bags,  is symbolic of the space that is to come in their future relationship as they may go their separate ways.  However, the most common and basic meaning of the text is just simply that the American is moving the bags from where they came from to where they need to be in the train station for their next transit to Madrid.  By wording this phrase so vaguely, Hemingway allows freedom to the reader’s imagination, to come up with what they believe is the real conclusion to the story. 

Third person point of view also allows Hemingway to provide unbiased information about the text.  It only allows the reader to know the facts from the dialogue that is shared through the text.  Since the reader is unaware of either of the individual’s actual thoughts they will be limited to their own opinions on the scenario.  For example, the reader cannot be sure of the woman’s true feelings towards the procedure. They only know that the woman does not like talking about the situation but they do not know if she really wants the procedure or if she would rather keep the baby.  This means that the reader can make their own decision on whether or not they believe Jig wants to keep the baby.  The reader is also able to form their own opinion on the couple’s relationship.  The reader will make their own decision on if the couple has a healthy relationship or not.  An opinion may also form on if it is believed that the American man has the most control over the relationship or if they have equal roles in the relationship.  Of course, if the story had not have been written in third person, the reader will still have an opinion on the situations, however, the opinion will be biased because they will know the thoughts and feelings of either the woman or the American causing their own thoughts to be persuaded to have the same emotions as the narrating character.

Hills Like White Elephants leaves an infinite number of unanswered questions.  If it was written in first person point of view, the reader would be provided with more background information than they are when it is written in third person.  Similarly to how third person allows more freedom for the imagination of outcomes of the story, it also allows unanswered questions to be left to the imagination.  Some may see this as a disadvantage because not enough background information is provided so some parts may be unclear. However, it can also be seen as open-ended possibilities to let the reader answer the questions with what they think the answers are or even what they want the answers to be.  Some of the unanswered questions include: How did the couple meet?  Where is the woman, Jig, from?  Why are they going all the way to Madrid to have the procedure done when neither of the characters are from Spain?  How does the American feel about the abortion? How does Jig feel about the abortion?  Is there a future with the couple’s relationship?  Is the woman’s decision persuaded because of the man’s feelings towards the procedure?  What was ultimately decided about the abortion?  Although the answers for these questions are not certain, the reader may think that they know the correct answer.  However, there is no correct answers and there are also no wrong answers.  It is only a story and so no matter how much research is done on Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants no one can ever be certain of any outcomes.

If Hills Like White Elephants had not been written in third person, it would be a completely different story.  Its readers would interpret it in an entirely different manner that would change their feelings towards the characters and their actions.  Hemingway was a prodigious author who thought outside of the box and thought withQ! creativity.  His creative mind influenced him to write this story in third person, to allow the brain to wander as the story’s words are read.  Ernest Hemingway wanted his readers to approach his story with an imaginative, open, and unbiased mind, that would result in confusion due to so many unanswered questions.