The girl in the short story is undeniably nervous about having an abortion. The man in the story is trying to be persuasive but is growing impatient. He keeps telling her that “it isn’t a big deal and he knows people who have had it done and they are fine” (Clugston, 2010). Tone is very important in “Hills Like White Elephants.” The point of view in literature is how the story is told. Point of view is told in different ways to increase or decrease the dramatic effect (Clugston, 2010).
Hemingway uses some key elements to develop the theme of the story. The theme is about how Jig sees the possibility of keeping her unborn child and having a happy life, while the American man fails to see the possibilities and works to persuade her to go through the abortion. The author never names the topic of their discussion but as their dialogue progresses; it becomes obvious that Jig is pregnant. Of the many symbols from the story, some of the main ones are the hills, white elephants, and the railroad station. As the story continues to develop the scenery around them plays another role of symbolism.
She wonders if this will solve their problems and get the relationship back on track, where he argues that it is on track; but he is just worried about the pregnancy. Jig is telling the man that she is willing do it, but only because she doesn't care about herself. She is expressing that she is in despair over the issue, and feels like she will lose everything. He keeps telling her that he doesn't want her to do it if she doesn't want to, but at the same time she knows that he prefers that she have an abortion. At the end of the story there is no there is no clear answer on what will happen when they leave the train station, but it is apparent that Jig wants to keep the child, and is worried about the relationship changing
The two separate tracks personifies Jig and the American. It is two parallel lines that does not meet, meaning Jig’s and the American’s feelings towards the abortion. When he said “It’s really an awfully simple operation,Jig”, (296) he clearly stated that he wanted her to go through the abortion. Jig on the other hand, was unsure how she feels about it. When she said “[t]hey don't really look like white elephants….” (296) she is showing uncertainty of her decision.
Here the scenery could be seen as Jig’s creative and intelligent way of trying to overcome the communication difficulties faced by the couple towards the inevitable conversation of the abortion, because it represents a choice more than what they are actually seeing. Jig and the American start off in the first paragraph on the side of the railroad station where the land is barren and there is no sign of life. This symbolizes the way the American feels about the pregnancy, because he does not want to settle down and live a lifeless life when the baby is born. He feels as though they will be happy again when the operation takes place, as the pregnancy is ruining their relationship and any chance of them being able to live a careless life again. On the other side of the tracks the narrator describes the land to be full of lush, green vegetation with a river flowing through it.
So she ultimately makes the choice to ride out the horrible pain her pregnancy was giving her, not really believing the depth of the conspiracy, until the choice is actually made for her. By the time she tries to fight the cult, she is
Approximately 22% of infants were ‘insecure-avoidant’. This is when they ignored their mother and didn’t mind if she left the room as they were comfortable with the stranger comforting them. 66% were ‘securely attached’ which meant that they were happy with their mother being there, upset when she left and excited when she returned. Securely attached children also tried to avoid strangers. The final 12% were ‘insecure-resistant’.
They give these as a gift to someone else, like the unborn child in this story. The couple is conflicted whether to have or not to have the baby. Jig saying "you wouldn't have" to her American boyfriend is her way of telling him that she is sure he has not seen a baby and wanted to have one of your own. (Hemingway, 1927, para. 5) The "hills" are symbolic of the way woman's stomach looks while she is pregnant.
She told her husband and after his reaction she seemed to conclude the same as him, that the timing just was not right for either of them. They seemed to reassure themselves, and find ways to justify their decision. However once they went to the facility to have the procedure performed, they both were having much more difficulty with the decision. There were women there from many different situations but no one had been using any form of birth control.
Raising a child alone isn't as taboo as it was back then. But, she could choose for herself whether she wanted to have an abortion, or if she decided to keep the baby she would have many resources available to her. But this isn’t the case in this story. The American's shows a lack of concern for what she wants. I also get the impression that Jig is insecure about her relationship because she asks, “And if I do it you’ll be happy and