The story starts out with a man and his girlfriend sitting at a table waiting on a train. The girl looks at the hills in the distance and says they look like white elephants. The man has never seen an elephant before. They begin to bicker about the alcohol while the man suggests the girl, Jig, should have an operation. Jig asks what will happen after the operation and the man says they might find happiness while the girl disagrees with him. Jig walks to the end of the station and contemplates having the unknown operation. The story ends plainly with the man asking the girl if she is fine.
2. Analyze the statement
“The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building.”-The narrator describes the characters by these words instead of giving them names in the beginning. It takes the importance of minute details away from the story.
"All right. I was trying. I said the mountains looked like white elephants. Wasn't that bright?" –Jig feels flustered that the American didn’t appreciate her realization. She is mad he didn’t find that an intelligent comment. She responded with a sarcastic tone, which might have also been her making fun of the man.
"It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig," the man said.”-This sounds like the man is trying to convince himself of the operations simplistic aspect. He seems to be manipulative with this statement as well.
3. Style Features:
Imagery: the description of the hills as white elephants help give the reader
