“Hills like White Elephants” Guided Reading

1. Who are the characters? What do you know about the characters?

2. Describe the setting. Cite textual evidence.

3. Why do you think the main female character is called “girl”? What does this convey
about her?

4. What is the dynamic between the man and the girl at the beginning of the story? (What
is their relationship like?) Cite textual evidence.

5. Where does the conversation change topics? What is the change?

6. Why do you think the man brought up the “operation”?

7. How do the desires of the man and the girl differ? Cite textual evidence.
 8. How does the dynamic between the man and the girl change throughout the story? Cite
textual evidence.

9. Why do you think the girl is looking at the hills?

10. Why does the man say, “I don’t want anyone else”?

11. What do the “labels” on their bags represent? Why does the narrator mention them?

12. Why does the girl ask what the woman said?

13. Does the girl really “feel fine”? Explain your response using textual evidence.

Post-reading
14. What do you think the “simple operation” is? Why do you think this? Cite textual
evidence.
15. What is the girl’s attitude toward the operation? Why do you think she feels this way?

16. What do you think the hills symbolize?

17. What affect does the lack of narration have on the story?

18. Predict whether the girl has the operation or not. Explain why you think so with textual
evidence. Write a paragraph of 5-7 sentences. (Use back of page if necessary.)

19. Write a 5-7 sentence summary of this short story. (Use back of page if necessary.)

20. List three questions you have about the story that cannot be answered by reading it?