Hills Like White Elephants Essay

The story “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway, is about an American man Jig, the girl, that are waiting in a station in Barcelona for the express train to take them to Madrid. While they wait, they drink beer discussing the simple operation the American wants her to make. I think that if the story had a resolved outcome, it would be that the girl will not have the abortion and the couple will part.
I think the couple will part and the girl will not have the abortion, because at the beginning when the girl points out that “the hills look like white elephants,” it reveals that she is actually saying that she does not really want the baby, because “white elephants” is really more like a symbolism that means something that is useless, …show more content…
When they arrive at the station, they order two beers just to simply avoid conversation and their problems in their relationship. Then, as soon as they start talking, the girl makes the comment of the hills looking like white elephants, which instantly makes the American mad, so she orders more drinks to put off the inevitable conversation about the baby. When the girl tells the American, “I wanted to try this new drink. That’s all we do, isn’t it – look at things and try new drinks?” Jig uses the word “all” in a desperate attempt to show that she is bored of life that consists of nothing but alcohol, hotels and looking at things. The issue she is now facing is if that is what she really wants and if that is what actually makes her happy.
Throughout the story, the girl appears confused and indecisive. The girl can not even order drinks from the waitress on her own without having to rely on the American’s ability to speak Spanish. Ironically, the girl seems to understand that her relationship with the American has ended, despite her desire to make him happy. She knows that even if she has the abortion, their relationship will not be as it used to be. In many ways, her realization over this, gives the girl power over the American, who never really understands why they still can’t have “the whole world” like they once

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