My main idea is to compare and contrast the following three literary elements: setting, symbols and theme of the two stories, read in class "The hills like white elephants" and "The nightingale and the rose". Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "Hills Like White Elephants" is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1927. The story is set in Spain, in the Ebro Valley, at a train station. Why do you set the story in a train station? Because he wants us to know that the relationship is at a turning point. This station is a stopping point between Barcelona and Madrid and when the train arrives the passenger will have to decide in which direction he wants to go, drawing similarity with the relationship. Furthermore, the difference between the two parts of the valley refers to the decision the girl faces whether or not to have the baby. "The Nightingale and the Rose" is a story written by Oscar Wilde, published in 1888. Almost the entire story takes place in three different places. The first place is the center of the meadow, where he sees the white rose. The second location occurs around the ancient sundial where the second rose, the yellow one, is located. And the third place is under the young student's window, so when the day comes, he opens the window and sees the beautiful red rose. Both "The Hills Like White Elephants" and "The Nightingale and the Rose" show the use of different symbolism with the purpose of representing something else. Because the best way to create different emotions and meanings is to use symbolism, also because thanks to symbolism readers can derive a deeper meaning from the story on their own. In both stories "The Hills Like White Elephants" and "The Nightingale and the Rose" we can find many different symbols which I will explain to you below. In "Hills like white elephants" the most characteristic symbols I found are; First of all we have the hills that play an important role in the story, because the hills that you represent as white elephants, in reality Hemingway wants to refer to the belly of a pregnant woman. According to the train. Why is the train symbolic? Since the train only goes in one direction, in this case Hemingway wants to represent the girl's choice, in other words, if she decides to have an abortion there is no going back. Thirdly, drinks as another symbol that refers to abortion. Because as we all know alcohol can have effects on the baby. And the last symbol I will talk about is white elephants, according to Dictionary.com the definition of white elephant is: "an unwanted possession by its owner", according to this meaning Hemingway refers to this meaning in the story it refers to the child as to the white elephant because, similarly, pregnancy is an unwanted thing like the white elephant. In "The Nightingale and the Rose" we can find many different symbolisms, Wilde's aim was to make us, the readers, derive a deeper meaning of the story for themselves. The most characteristic symbols that I found in the story are: First of all, the red rose, which has always been associated with love and romance. So if it's a romantic story, it's normal for Wilde to include it. The rose changes meaning by the end of the story. At first the rose represents the student's love for the girl, because she refuses to dance with him, until he brings a red rose. This suggests to us that neither the girl nor the nightingale understood the true symbolism of the red rose which has always represented love, they use the flower more than a sort of currency to buy someone's affection. As the story progresses, the meaning of the rose changes because, literally, he sacrifices his.