Hemingway presents several literary styles to present this short story. Hemingway's use of foreshadowing, pathos, imagery, and personification allows the reader to enter into the true context of the frustration and struggle couples face. Although written in the 1920s, it presents a modern communication conflict that millions of couples face. At first glance, the beautiful Barcelona hillside landscape that Jig frequently refers to throughout the text appears to have taken the form of white elephants. The American response to Jigs' observation was less than enthusiastic: he provided a brief comment and continued his cerveza. This was only the first of many verbal jousts that took place between Jig and the American. The metaphorical inferences from these verbal confrontations slowly reveal the couple's dilemma and why they may be waiting for the train to Madrid. There are a few characters in this short story. Jig is the protagonist and the antagonist is the American. The waitress supports the story with quick appearances as she delivers cervezas to the couple. Although these characters have not been described in great detail, they leave in the mind a strong image of a young couple in difficulty. Hemingway describing the couple as the American and Jig was helpful in that it allows the reader to place anyone in that scenario. However, the landscape was described in more detail to acclimate the reader to the metaphorical inferences and comparisons that would be exchanged between the American and Jig. The first conclusion "they look like white elephants" was made by Jig when she described the hillside beyond the valley as white elephants. The white could symbolize p...... middle of paper ......e in part, he waited 25 years to return a pack of cigarettes but he kept the photo that he had hidden from his wife . The Viet Cong soldier had this astonishing realization: “I suddenly understand that there is a secret space in the word, not Salem but sa and lem, Vietnamese words, one meaning to fall and the other gets confused, and that's the moment. it comes to all of us and this is the moment” that would allow him to turn the page on what he had done to an American soldier separated from his regiment some 25 years earlier. Salem features many images that linger long after the reader has read the last word. The author broke the mold by telling the story from the perspective of an American fighter rather than the American hero. This storytelling direction was risky, but the effective storytelling and visual cues taken from this story are stunning and enduring..