Abortion In Ernest Hemingway's The White Elephants

Jig appears to be unsatisfied with her life. In the opening scene, she is imagining white elephants as she looks onto the Ebro hills. The white elephants refer to an unwanted gift. She wants the gift of a child but knows she can't have it because the man doesn't want it. This makes her unhappy and makes her look for an "imaginary life." She drinks a lot and never settles down in one place. As she looks at the hills, she sees that there is no shade and no trees on their side. Later in the story, she sees that the other side of the hills is very fertile with a river, a field of grains, and many trees. Jig imagines her life as it could be if she becomes a mother and changes her lifestyle. Her life would be as happy as that little scene. Jig is also unhappy because she can not express her true feelings. She tries to tell the

“Perfectly simple” is restated a couple of times in the conversation which tells us that out of the two only one wants the child and the other doesn’t want the child (Hemingway). The American man thoughts are not more important than Jig’s. Even if the American man is supporting her to get an abortion it’s still Jigs decision. His opinion does matter to her because she wants his thoughts about what’s best for them and their unborn child. Jig is torn between remaining reckless and carefree and making a family with the man she loves. “‘Because I don’t care about me’” states that she is willing to do almost anything for the American man but is blocked by her mother instinct to protect her child (Hemingway). Jig is indecisive in what she wants because she questions herself and the American man what if questions. “‘I realize…can’t we maybe stop talking’” this tells us Jig finally realizes that by asking a lot of rhetorical questions to the American man she has the answer she needs even if it’s not the answer that she wants (Hemingway).

Although Jig and Sheri were both dealing with the same issue of not wanting to have an abortion, they both interacted with their partners differently. While the American spoke with Jig over some alcohol, he downplayed the seriousness of the procedure. Jig was easily influenced by what the American was telling her and she even said, “Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me” (Hemingway 637). While Jig did not want to have the procedure done, the way she interacted with her partner shows she cares more about his approval than she cares about herself. Also, it shows that when Jig interacts with her boyfriend, she is not willing to communicate her true feelings. Unlike Jig, Sheri is sure of herself and was not seeking her boyfriend’s approval. While Sheri did not speak in the short story, Lane had a vision of her saying, “This is her own decision and obliges him to nothing” (Wallace 258). Lane’s vision of their interaction shows that Sheri is not afraid to

The pregnancy or baby can be seen as the “elephant” in the room. This couple is trying to decide whether or not to get an abortion. The antagonist in this short story is the male the main character (Jig) is taking to at a bar in a train station. In the story this male character is simply referred to as the American. The American does many things that make us believe he is mainly the decision maker in their relationship. He is in charge of their luggage as well as the destination of their travels. This implies a sense of control and dominance. The American is very supportive saying, “If you don’t want to you don’t have to. I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to” (227). Despite the support he shows, throughout the story the reader can see that the decision of the women depends greatly on the American’s feelings and views.

As the conversation escalates, Jig herself hides her true thoughts and instead, says the opposite: “Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me.” (477). It may seems like she agrees to do the operation; but in fact, she is trying to ascertain the American man’s love for her. These implications and hints in the conversation keep them away from understanding each other and contributed to the failure of their relationship. Summing up, relationships in both stories show that communication problems are what tear them apart. Importantly, it is selfishness in the characters that initiate these problems; as they mostly speak from their view and for themselves, which then avert them from understanding their partner, and finally, a broken relationship is inevitable.

In the short story "Hills Like White Elephant" by Ernest Hemingway readers are introduced to a couple who's relationship is in trouble. A baby in their case seems to be the real reason why they're having difficulties in their relationship. The issues and concerns are becoming hard for them to understanding. The man dose not want to have this baby so he says "that's the only thing that bothers us It's the only thing that made us unhappy’’(Hemingway 115).The man really feels as if this was a big mistake and just getting rid of it would make it " the baby" will make them all better. Throughout the entire short story Jig the "women" and the man "the American", seem to have a lack of understanding for each other. It seems to be that having an abortion is what the solution should be to their problem, but this was suggested by the man.

In the dialogue between Jig and the American it talks about their relationship and choices toward pregnancy. While staring off into the distance, Jig remarks that the hills “look like white elephants (Hemingway)” to which the American responds, “I’ve never seen one (Hemingway)”. Jig views the hills as white elephants, as entities so large and powerful that they require attention and disallow negotiation, much like the baby within her womb (Yirinec, 2011). The man tries to persuade the girl that there is no harm in having an abortion; furthermore, it will help their relationship go on. He tries to manipulate her and he succeeds in imposing his will but not in convincing her over the benefits of abortion. The man does not directly open the

After ordering more drinks, the American tells “Jig” that he wants her to have an operation. He becomes agitated and down plays the operation by insisting that it is not even an operation. “Jig”, being completely dependent on the American, questions what will happen to them after the operation. “Jig” wants to know if he will love her and if they will be happy after the operation. The American, avoiding conflict and willingness to say anything, tells “Jig” all of their problems will go away and they will go back to normal. He tells “Jig” they he won’t force her to have the operation but it’s the best thing for the couple. “Jig” agrees to the operation as long as the American will still love her and they will live happily afterwards. The American then tells her that he does love her and he goes back to being more interested in his drink.

From the beginning, the reader observes the couple struggling to engage in any deep discussion; their interaction is made up of small talk, and a hint of rigidity. Although there is a cumbersome elephant in the room, not once does the couple directly acknowledge, nor does their conversation reveal the subject of their discussion: abortion. Eventually, through subtle references and an awkward strain on the conversation, the reader detects the topic. Jig tries to dance around the issue, talking about irrelevant matters such as the assortment of drinks she wants to try, and the scenery around them. When the American tries to confront the idea, Jig expresses a clear discomfort with discussing her pregnancy, or the possibility of an abortion. She begs the American: “Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?” (203). Jig, in an effort to permanently end this strenuous conversation, says “There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine” (204), although she is still disgruntled. Their inability to partake in critical conversation, or address the elephant in the room, reflects the general nature of their relationship: uncommunicative, artificial, and

“Will Jig have the abortion and stay with the man; will Jig have the abortion and leave the man; or will Jig not have the abortion and win the man over to her point of view?” (Hashmi, N, 2003). These are the three different scenarios that have been seriously considered in Ernest Hemingway’s short story, “Hills like White Elephants”.

Hemingway provides insight by using the title “Hills Like White Elephants;” the symbol of a white elephant has a negative connotation in the story. The term means something that is useless or causes trouble especially if it is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of. By Hemingway implying this, he reveals the idea of abortion to Jig’s situation in the short story. An abortion is an easy fix to get rid of a responsibility of becoming a parent. The boyfriend has this mentality of having an easy fix to the problem they are discussing. From the start, he agrees with going through with the abortion because of he does not want to become a father or start a family with Jig. As the story begins, Hemingway describes the hills and fields surrounding the train station. The hills off in the distance symbolize the growing belly of Jig but also imply the strain of obstacles in Jig and her boyfriend’s relationship. The scene Hemingway describes tells the reader about the decision they are making. Jig’s boyfriend is entirely against the idea of having the baby and dissociates the idea of the fetus. “It’s really not anything,”(Hemingway 2). Jig’s boyfriend

The curtain made of beads is symbolic of the couple’s attitudes toward each other and toward the abortion. It is as if there is something between them, preventing them from sharing their ideas.  The beaded curtain acts as a cover that keeps the actual topic the characters must discuss covered up.  For the first part of the stop at the station, Hemingway’s characters seem to engage only in small talk. They reference the landscape and drinks they have had during their travels. The curtain never completely opens but the wind does blow it open slightly.  When the wind blows the curtain, the American begins talking about the “operation”.  The opening of the curtain corresponds to the pressing topic being revealed to the reader.

The topic of "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway continues to be a hot button issue, even 90 years after the story's publication. Though not as scandalous as it must have been in 1927, it remains the subject of great debate. Two lovers are awaiting a train that will whisk them away to Madrid for the purpose of an abortion. Even though the decision was made before arriving at the station, they continue to debate whether she will go through with it. The American's persuasive dialogue makes it apparent that he wants Jig to have the abortion and is concerned that she will change her mind, however she is more concerned with the fate of her relationship with the man and the effects an abortion may have on her.

The conversation between them was rough and no one was listening to the other, which is the other theme of the story, despite the fact that "Hills like White Elephants" is basically a discussion between the American man and his better half, neither of the speakers really corresponds with the other, highlighting the break between the two. Both talk, yet neither listens or comprehends the other's perspective. Frustrated and assuaging, the American man will say nearly anything to persuade his girlfriend to have the operation, which, although never specified by name, is comprehended to be an abortion. He advises her he cherishes her, for instance, and that everything between them will do a reversal to the way it used to

Following a short introduction that establishes the scene in Spain, the story opens with two main characters in a bar. Hemingway describes the surrounding landscape as “long and white” with “no shade and no trees” (1). After ordering drinks, the female character looks off into this “brown and dry” terrain and notes that the contrastingly pale hills look like “white elephants” (1). The man quickly responds “I’ve never seen one,” to which she answers “No, you wouldn’t have” (1). From this exchange, it can be inferred that the white hills represent something beyond face-value, something that only the woman can understand and interpret. As the story progresses, their conversation begins to revolve around “an operation” (3), and suddenly a possible symbolism of the hills appears: the representation of the emotional and physicals repercussions of abortion. The hills convey the fear that women have following the procedure about infertility, death, and loss. These hills are so important,