Hills Like White Elephants Essay

“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway is a short story made up of a conversation between a couple. The tension between the couple can be felt with each word, which is easily understandable under the given circumstances on the topic of abortion. The male character wants the woman, or “Jig, as he calls her, to go through with the abortion. Although he never clearly states his motives, his unspoken motivation is understood by his actions throughout the story. The couple is waiting for the next train to Madrid at a train station along the Ebro, a river in northern Spain. They sit at a table in the shade drinking drink after drink and converse. One can tell that the beginning babbling throughout lines one to forty is just a method of distraction from the topic of discussion. On line forty-two the male character says “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig. It’s really not an operation at all”. He is suggesting the simplicity of the whole operation and giving her insight on how easy the process is without telling her he wants her to go through with it. On line forty-six, he says “I’ll go with you and I’ll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural” to continue his discrete persuasion. Adding to the male character’s sly attitude, he tries to ensure her that nothing will change between them no matter what her decision may be. On line fifty-eight, Jig asks “and if I do it you’ll be happy and things will be like they were and you’ll love me”. The male character responds with “I love you now. You know I love you”. His response shows how he sees their relationship as a short-term commitment. He uses “now” and refrains from using words that suggest their future. Jig then says “If I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and you’ll like it?”. He says “I’ll love it. I love it now but I just can’t think about it. You know how I get when I worry”. Once again, his response shows his views on the relationship as something not to be taken seriously. It is as if he wants her to get an abortion so they are not linked because the relationship is not as serious to him as it is to her. She talks about the future and life after her decision versus the male character who talks only in the

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