Essay Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

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"The Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway is a short story about an American man and a girl named Jig. In the story the man and the woman are sitting in a rail station waiting for the train to Madrid. While they are waiting, they have a powerful discussion over whether or not Jig will get an abortion. At the end of the story, the train is about to arrive and the man carries the baggage to the tracks as they get ready to depart. The outcome at the ending of the story is unclear regarding her decision. Her happiness is a central theme of the story, but we are left wondering if she under goes the operation.
Of the many symbols from the story, I feel that the main three are the hills, white elephants, and the railroad station. The theme is about how Jig sees the opportunity of keeping her child and having a happy life. The man in the story fails to see the possibilities and encourages her to go through with the abortion.
The hills symbolize obstacles that we must overcome, but they are not colossal mountains. This represents the fact that the girl's baby is a major complication in her life, but it is not the end and she will make it through. The hills are also permanent, this shows how settling down would be a must with a baby.
The element of white elephants is symbolic of the baby. The man said that he had never seen a white elephant before. This is because he is not open to considering the possibility of keeping the child and wants the girl to have the abortion.
The element of the railroad station is representational of being at the crossroads of life during a time of crisis. The American man and the girl cannot stay at the station indefinitely. They must make a decision of where to go
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