Hills Like White Elephants Gender Roles Essay

The man, however, is not the sole contributor to the communication breakdown. Right away the girl begins to show her weakness and inability to express herself. When the man initially directs the conversation to the operation (abortion), her reaction is described: "The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on [and] . . . did not say anything" (275). Failure to state her conviction is illustrated in this example, and is further indicated by frail hints of her desire to keep the baby: "Once they take it away, you never get it back" (276). An obvious hint, yet she never clearly voices her hunger to have the baby. She continues to desire his will over hers in lines such as this one: "Then I?ll do it [have an abortion]. Because I don?t care about me" (275).

Her boyfriend, also the father of the baby, provides false feedback on the whole situation. “I’ll go with you and I’ll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural” (642) claims the boyfriend. The boyfriends makes the procedure seem like it is no big deal, it happens all the time. These words fight against what the woman might actually want. She knows it is not right to kill an unborn child but is still worried about her boyfriend’s thoughts. She asks her boyfriend, “If I do it you won’t every worry?” (643) Obviously, her decision is influenced by her boyfriend but she still doesn’t feel right about what he says. She knows it will change their or her life forever and contemplates if the boy will still be around if she decides to keep the baby. These choices will affect their life completely but what the girl decides in the end will hopefully turn out for the best. The woman replies to her boyfriend after he asks if she felt better after their long conversation “I feel fine,” she said. There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.” (644). This shows she is tired of talking about the whole situation as she realizes her boyfriend is not really listening to what she says. No one knows the outcome of the choice the couple was faced with, but just like any major decision in life, the final decision will ultimately determine how the rest of their life will

From the way they discuss the whole idea, the reader is able to tell that the man has a definite decision on going through with the operation, while the woman is still unsure and is questioning what she wants. “”We could have everything.” “No we can’t.” “We can have the whole world.” “No, we can’t.” “We can go everywhere.” “No we can’t.” “It isn’t ours any more.”(Hemingway 1). This excerpt can show the contrast between the couple in the story. The couple is not communicating well at all throughout the whole dialogue in the story, showing how the topic and issue of abortion is causing all sorts of stress and confusion deep within each character. ‘“It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig”, the man said. The girl looked at the ground the tables legs rested on. “It’s really not anything. It’s just to let the air in.” The girl did not say anything. “I’ll go with you and I’ll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural.””(Hemingway 1). This excerpt showcases the trouble that the operation is causing between the two, especially for the woman. One critic explains also how the decision is definitely two-sided. “The story opens indicating that the couple is seated facing the dry, barren side of the train station whereas when the girl gets up to look around, she sees that the opposite side of the station has wide open, fertile grain fields and a river.”

She is just trying to do what he wants to do, to please him, even though she does not like it. He says that, "It's really an awfully simple operation…not really an operation at all.'; He does not know the feelings and pressure that the girl is under, and not being the person who has to have the operation, he could say that easily. However, if he really cared about her, he should listen to her inner thoughts. There should be a more serious and honest conversation between these people. The girl should not compromise if it bothers her, and she should clearly state what she thinks. What the girl wants is not the sweet words such as, "I love you now,'; or "I care about you,'; but real action where he shows his caring and loving by truly understanding her.

The ending of the story is rather ambiguous as it is not completely obvious what decision the two end up making. The man could have talked the girl into undergoing the procedure, or not. At one point toward the end, Jig tells him to “please please please please please please please stop talking”, and when he doesn’t she threatens to scream. This probably means that she had made up her mind, but it could be in either direction. In the end, she smiles at him, and he asks her if she feels better; she says that she feels fine. That could mean that she had made peace with the decision to abort their child or that she was proud of herself for finally standing up to him and making her choice not to abort final. Either way, making this choice is harder on her as she would be the one to undergo the operation, and she very well knows that he most likely will not stay with her if she decides to keep the child. No matter what she chooses, however, their relationship will never be the same.

He wondered why she had not consulted with the pastor and hoped she would so that she would be convinced carrying the baby was not in her best interest. However, she does not. Sheri knew exactly what she wanted to do even though she hadn’t spoke of it yet. She also knew that their relationship would not continue with the decision she had made just as she knew he did not love her evidently with his continuous push for her to go through with the procedure even if they had to pray about it or postpone it. Sheri comes forward with her feelings stating she knows he no longer loves her or has a love for her, but she also knows that she will go through with the pregnancy and it doesn’t feel right not to. She did not care that I was not what he wanted or that it may bother her family. She did not know if it was something she could bear on her own, but she knew it was what she wanted, what was right, and what she needed to do therefore she would go through with it.

At first, I thought maybe Jig had gained weight, and the male character was suggesting she get liposuction or both characters were planning a heist. But after several re-reads, I concluded that the operation had to be a procedure that was more life-changing. Jig was too worried about their future for this to be a frivolous choice. The female character must determine if salvaging what is left of an already failing relationship was worth more to her than an unborn life. The subjectivity of morals results in there not necessarily being a right answer, but a solution that the character deems is best.

"Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway, is a great example of women's role in the last century. The story is told in a simple form of dialogue between a man and a young woman nicknamed Jig. Although there is an important decision to be made, nothing of much importance is talked about. In the story, Jig does not have much influence in her relationship with the man, even when it comes to an abortion.

The girl continues with “Then I'll do it. Because I don't care about me” (Hemingway 108). Saying she will do the operation in hopes of saving their relationship. “The girl stood up and walked to the end of the station”(Hemingway 108). She begins to look around at the scenery and wonder if they could really be happy after the operation. The man states that he does not want anyone but her, and he does not want anyone else because he knows it is perfectly simple (Hemingway 108), meaning that he does not want the baby, he only wants her. The girl then makes the American promise her to stop talking and changes the subject by ordering another beer. The waiter tells the couple that the train will be

The fearful mood conveys her fears about this relationship. However, she turns by herself and relaxes, implying that she is not physically being forced into sex. The sex is against her will not because it is rape but because she does not want to become pregnant. She reveals this when “he gets on [her]” and “[she] suddenly feel[s] [she] [is] fat” (200). Becoming fat is a consequence of pregnancy, implying that she dreads becoming pregnant with him and, consequently, does not want to have a family with him.

“She loves him, yeah, she don’t want to leave this way. She feeds him, yeah, that’s why she’ll be back again” illustrates the woman’s reluctance to leave the relationship despite the effects it is causing her.

in the Ebro. There are two sides which could represent the two options, abortion or keeping the baby. The girl is puzzled by what she wants to do, but when the man expresses that he doesn't want the baby the girl changes her mind. In line (50) the girl had asked the man if they would be happy if she aborts. Accordingly this says that the girl is basing her decision off of the man’s pleasure and that she only wants him shown in line (93).

Men and women have long been compared to one another since they have existed. Ernest Hemingway, the author of “Hills like White Elephants,” wrote this short story, in 1927, to illustrate how much men and women differ emotionally from each other when they are put in a certain type of situation. Gender roles over the years has changed very much, especially since the 1920’s. Both men and women may be raised similarly, but they were not taught the exact same values as each other. Certain expectations are expected from the two genders based on what their parents have taught them while growing up. Gender roles have also evolved so much as time passed, meaning the gender roles then are definitely different from the men and women today. Although men and women are diverse genders, a relationship between the two affects their expectations in society, thought processes, and their values during the 1920’s.

not a big deal at all. He even states that it really isn’t even an operation. The boyfriend keeps insisting that they will be happy after it is done and that the baby is making them unhappy. He states, “That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy.” (Hemingway 924) He was referring to the baby. The girl questions him asking if he thinks they will be happy afterward to which his reply is “I know we will.” (Hemingway 925) The girl is clearly torn on what to do, but the man has his mind made up that he does not want the baby or care about it. He does not even understand that when she

Real Lives of Most Men." He says to a friend of his "This must be a