Is "It" a Gift or a Curse of the White Elephant? What is the use of symbolism in writing? Is it merely to confuse the reader or is its true intent to make the reader think about the meaning of the story? A symbol is a person, object, or event that suggests more than its literal meaning (Meyer 220). In Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants," Hemingway uses a plethora of symbols to convey …showed first 75 words of 1671 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1671 total…