"Hills Like White Elephants" － Reason and Intuition

Generally speaking, good stories give us good lessons. “Hills Like White Elephants” written by Ernest Hemingway is such kind of story. In this tale, readers can see one interesting contrast ― intuition and reason. This tale shows us a battle of Jig’s intuition verses the man’s reason. With the reference to the two, it is obvious that people should put more emphasis on intuition than reason.

First, there are certain things to which reason can never find the solution. One thing which makes people convinced that reasonable thought is very useless is as to savoring literature. When reading classical literature like works made by Shakespeare, Tacitus, Murasakisikibu, and so on, we are required to read between the lines and grasp implied meanings. To carry out this task, we must imagine as much as possible what scene is produced and how the character feels. Needless to say, reasonable or rational thought is good for nothing in this case. In addition, anyone will agree that computers depend most on reasonable and logical thought in the world. However, there is one thing no computer accomplishes well due to this seemingly fine feature. This is computers translation, another reason we can conclude reason is useless in some cases. When we try to translate some sentences from other language into our own tongue by using Internet Webb sites such as Google and Yahoo, we can never get satisfying results, and always feel a sense of incongruity. This is because computers can only put the meaning of the word written on the paper into the one of foreign language version. In order to carry out smooth translation, we must cut some words and add new words for ourselves, if necessary. This task forces us into using our own feeling, opinion, and of course intuition. Moreover, reason cannot find the solution as to how to cradle our baby well. Babies or kindergarten children have no or little reasonable thought, so it is quite national that they don’t understand what you say however rationally you try to persuade them into doing something or convey your feeling and opinion. In order to have friendly kin ships with children, we should always communicate with them in an intuitive way, not a reasonable one. This means we have only to behave naturally and speak to children plainly.

Second, intuition is the key to creating a happy home. To start with, couples whose first meeting with each other triggered off the love at the first sight, which is led to by one’s intuition, are likely to have a happy end of marriage. This is because love at the first sight makes every couple feel romantic and therefore assume that the partner is the only person with whom he or she can lead his/her life forever. As a result, they can also make an eternally warm home. Moreover, as for the relationship between the male and female, it is often said that men are rational and women are intuitive, and this is totally true. It is very important for men to appreciate the fact that women often do what seems bizarre to men in daily lives because women decides what to do according to their intuition. When men accomplish this difficult matter, both men and women will certainly get along with each other forever without feeling any sense of hatred. Moreover, there is one more thing men should keep in their mind to make a home peaceful. This is that women’s intuition is amazingly sharp. Women often ask their own boyfriend or husband why his cell phone is locked as if he was afraid of her discovering the presence of his another girlfriend, or why he is so careful about his dress and appearance although he is usually not, as if he was planning to meet other girls that night. Such interrogation makes most men feel a sense of crisis, but men must accept this unfavorable fact and realize that is the way women are. This is because once men carry these out, they are guaranteed to create a happy home.

Last, and perhaps most important, intuition is a mirror of our own emotion or opinions, and therefore it is worth completely trusting. For example, you have only to watch some sports games in TV to see how famous athletes trust their own intuition. When athletes are driven into the brink of victory or defeat, the only thing they can consult is their own intuition because they are occupied in dealing with the immediate situation and therefore cannot use rational thought. Their own experience, six senses, and eye-contacts, all of which belong to an intuitional field and reflect directly their own subconscious, tell them what to do on the spot. Furthermore, people will be convinced that intuition is worth completely trusting by the fact that animal’s strange behavior is a sure sign of a big earthquake being about to happen. For example, it is reported that the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake broke out just after elephants suddenly began to act up and run into the highlands although they are usually very quiet. Some scholars think that such kinds of animal's strange behaviors are due to their intuition’s sensing danger on advance, and also are manifestations of their own sense of crisis. In near future, we can see the day come when animal’s intuition will acquire all scientists’ faith and be proven completely useful for prevention of earthquakes. We can see how people trust their own intuition in the story “Hills Like White Elephants” too. In the story, Jig, a pregnant girl, hopes strongly that she gives birth and becomes mother, although the man, who drove her into the situation, tries to persuade her into having an abortion. Jig’s intuition tells her that the decision was correct that she had a sex with the man, and therefore she is confident of delivery. On the other hand, since the man has a reasonable thought, he predicts in detail his near future in which he might be a husband and even a father, and as a result, he feels nervous. Now, in terms of future, we can safely say that Jig regards her own future in which she might be a mother as pleasant, not to say hopeful, although the man is not so. This is a proof showing us that intuition is worth trusting.

Therefore, intuition deserves attaching more importance to than reason. Jig is sure to have her rest life filled with happiness because she is honest about her intuition. Listen carefully to your inner voice when you are in trouble, and it tells you what your intuition says.


Work Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” The story and Its Writer.
Ed. Ann Charters. Boston : Bedford / St. Martins, 1999. 653 ― 656.