After first reading "Hills Like White Elephants" one may come to the conclusion that it is about a couple merely arguing as they wait for a train. After reading the story again to try and make sense of the underlying meaning, it will become apparent that the couple is arguing over an abortion of their unborn child. Reading the story for the third time will allow the reader to understand exactly why one comes to this interpretation. This final understanding of the story is made possible by Ernest Hemingway's simplistic style and careful word choice. To some, it may be difficult to draw a definite conclusion about the stories meaning because of the lack of information Hemingway offers the reader. However, the secret to interpreting the story on a deeper level lies within the ambiguity in the text. While some mistake the limited information given in the story as an open door for any interpretation, there are signs throughout the story that lead the reader to one ultimate meaning. Hemingway's unique style, diction, and description in "Hills Like White Elephants" further enforces one's interpretation of the story.

Due to the lack of information Hemingway gives in the story, some find it difficult to find the underlying message of the text. Alex Link suggests that "the story's ambiguity does not obfuscate a coherent reading, but enables one of a deeper profundity" (67). Because of the ambiguity in the story, Hemingway leaves a trail of stylistic elements that lead the reader to make sense of the couple's argument. Link claims that "Perhaps the most obvious means of foregrounding in "Hills Like White Elephants" is the repetition of sentences and lexical sets" (67). It is through this repetition that Hemingway can convey the meaning without having to use any keywords. By repeating phrases in such a short story, the reader gathers the importance of the repeated phrase. One of the strongest examples of this is the repetition of the word "it", which is repeated a total of 24 times (71). While not explicitly named in the text, "it" allows the reader to come to the conclusion that the couple is discussing a personal matter that they do not want others to hear. This one example shows the immediate impact of Hemingway's minimalistic style. By not exclusively saying what the couple is arguing over and referring to the topic as "it," the reader can come to the conclusion that the topic is of personal nature. 

Hemingway's style and use of description make it possible for one to build on the information gathered by interpreting his use of the word "it." An aspect of the lack of information that many dislike is that it leaves people guessing. Although it may seem like there is no source to refer to for the missing information, all of the information the reader needs is creatively intertwined in the text. Kenneth G. Johnston suggests "The description of the Ebro valley embodies the poles of the conflict too: It is both barren and fruitful" (235). This simple description makes a connection to life and death. By creatively describing the setting Hemingway has given another valuable piece of information without directly addressing the main issue. Johnston states that Hemingway's use of "omission" (233) offers enough information to make judgments throughout the text. Hemingway slyly gives bits and pieces of information in unsuspecting places in the story that provide valuable insight on the couple's discussion. The simple example Johnson points out further strengthens this idea. Instead of describing the setting alone, Hemingway finds a way to use this description as a part of his unique style. He is now able to mention life versus death creatively, but not when describing the couple. Hemingway puts the couple between life and death instead of directly telling the audience. 

Link and Johnston share the common argument that Hemingway's ambiguous style has an effective outcome. These two articles emphasize the importance of "omission" to gain a deeper meaning of the story. The creative description and diction compliment the unique style by adding a source of information to further develop an interpretation. Some may believe that the very simplistic style does not offer enough information to make generalizations throughout the text. Although it is true that Hemingway does leave out what seems to be valuable information, he includes it creatively in different aspects of the writing. The style of writing helps guide the reader to make discoveries about the text without directly addressing them. While the ambiguity may seem like an opportunity to interpret the story in many different ways, the style, diction and description help lead the reader to come to the determination that the couple's argument is regarding the abortion of their unborn baby. The use of these elements creatively throughout the text helps the reader find out information for themselves by not directly stating any of the issues discovered in the story.

The innovative use of stylistic elements throughout "Hills Like White Elephants" allows readers to all reach the same conclusion of the story. The infrequent use of keywords throughout the text is often intimidating; however, all of the necessary information is present in the text. Hemingway does a good job of disguising valuable information throughout the text and using vague words like "it" to help develop ideas without explicitly addressing them. Counterarguments to this style have arisen stating that not enough information is given to make a clear understanding of the text, including David Wyche’s. Wyche argues that in order to come to a conclusion regarding whether or not the couple keeps the child, the reader must make inferences based on their own knowledge and interpretation. He argues that this minimalistic use of key points causes controversy among readers because there are many different conclusions that could be made. Although some may struggle with identifying key pieces of information in the minimalistic style, upon a close reading of the text the style becomes known, and critical information becomes evident. If the style of the writing were different, the story would not hold the same meaning. Hemingway is famous for his iceberg writing, and "Hills Like White Elephants" is an example of how effective this technique can be. Even without using keywords throughout the story, like abortion, the reader can declare the meaning of the text based on the style of writing and creative word use and description. Hemingway's unique style, diction, and description can help further one's interpretation of the text.
