Valencia College Prof. Daniel Wilson
My thoughts on Hills Like White Elephants
In Hills Like White Elephants we can see the struggle of a couple with clashing mindsets regarding parenthood. At first the problem might not seem obvious but as the story unfolds it gets clear what the discussion is about. Jig, a young and optimistic woman is constantly persuading the man, his husband or lover, that having the child is not going to change their lives and that they could adapt to this new destination. In the opposite side of this character is “the man”, a pessimistic character dead set in the thought that having a child would mean the end of their world, their freedom. Even though he tells her that he would be contempt with her choice, having or not an abortion, he repeatedly reminds her that the procedure is perfectly simple. In my opinion he tries to subtlety manipulates her decision by assuring her that once the procedure is done they could go back to the happy life they had before. As these words are uttered she says that she would go through with the procedure because to her he’s the most important thing, she feels that by submitting to him, to his mindset he will love her and appreciate her enthusiasm like before, the time when they were truly happy. She goes, as far as to say that she doesn’t care about herself. Only a person too concerned or obsessed with something or someone would say.
After reading the