Earnest Hemmingway’s short story Hills Like White Elephants is one that is unique for its time. In 1927, when it was first published it wasn’t very well understood. The story takes place at a bar within a Spanish railway station. Unlike the norm for most stories of the time, Hemmingway was very vague when describing his characters. The two main characters are simply referred to as “the man” and “the girl”. They a having a conversation over a few beers pertaining to the girl having a “simple operation”.
They have only two choices, these choices are symbolized by the two rail tracks which travel in opposite directions. It’s also very hot, which adds more tension to the situation. The very first sentence of the story is describing the setting. When describing the scenery, Hemmingway first mentions the hills across the Ebro, saying they “were long and white, on this side there was no shade and no trees… ” Hemmingway’s use of imagery here, though as a reader we don’t yet know it, is foreshadowing a particularly important statement.
When the main characters are first introduced once they arrive at the station, they are first referred to as “the American” and “the girl” and we also are informed that they are on their way to Madrid, however we are unaware as to the reason why. Just by their initial introduction we can conclude that the man is of course an American, and maybe a bit older than his non-American female companion. The first one to speak is the girl. She asked what they should drink while taking off her hat and placing it on the table.
The an mentions it was quite warm at the time, and orders two beers in Spanish, the girl then follows with “big ones? ” questioning what it was he had ordered. In such few words Hemmingway manages to convey to the reader that the man and girl have possibly been traveling for quite some time, and have a long road ahead of them. By having the girl quest the man when he speaks in Spanish, we can assume that even though the girl is not American, she speaks no Spanish. While enjoying their beer the girl look off into the horizon, at the white hills over the brown and dry country (Hemmingway).
This is where the title is mentioned and tone of the story changes. The girl comment on the hills, saying they look like white elephants. The man doesn’t even entertain the comment, he simply says “I have never seen one,” and then sips his beer. A white elephant in its most traditional sense is something that is said to be troublesome, expensive and difficult to maintain. The white elephant in this situation would be their unborn baby. The girl then looks at the bamboo beads covering the door from which they walked in.
She senses the man is somewhat upset about her previous statement, she notices the Spanish writing, and asks the man what it says in hopes of easing the tension. They then order the drinks being advertised on the beads. The girl was somewhat disappointed with the taste of the beer, stating it tasted like licorice, much like “all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe”. The she is speaking about the drink it is ironic because as a reader we can assume she is really referring to her baby. She has longed to become a mother, and it is not what she was expecting.
What is supposed to be happy moment in her life is anything but. Instead of planning what could be a beautiful family, she is contemplating an abortion. The man notices she herself is now unhappy, and makes his best effort to cheer her up given their current situation, but it doesn’t work. The girl then again mentions the “lovely hills” and clarifies what she meant by her earlier statement, mentioning “they don’t really look like white elephants”. As they have their third beer, the tension seems to fade for just a short period of time.
The quick changes in mood through ought the story really speaks to the characteristics of both the man and girl. The reader can sense they are both at a troubled time in their life, however they are doing their best to remains levelheaded, even though at times they are frustrated. “The beers nice and cool” says the man. “It’s lovely” the girl replies. In an instant the mood changes once again. It almost as if the man thinks to himself”enough with the small talk,” he is no longer amused nor satisfied with simple conversation.
Tired of beating around the bush, he says as nonchalantly as the situation would allow without sounding overly anxious “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig. It’s not really an operation at all”. This is the first time throughout the story when the girl is referred to as anything other than “the girl”. It’s as if her name were almost mentioned by slip of tongue, or out of frustration, the way a parent would refer to a stubborn child. Jig says nothing, and stares at the ground the way a stubborn child would as the man continues.
While the man is talking, it’s clear to the audience that his future is hit top priority, and rather than Jig being “the girl” he cares about most, she is his own white elephant. He continues trying to convince her as well as himself that she wouldn’t mind the operation. He reassures her that they will be fine once it is over and things will be back to the way they once were. But if he really believed things were going to be fine, there is no need to reassure, the girl may be thinking at this point considering she asks the question “what will we do afterwards”.
Though it seems obvious Jig was not happy with the way things were before the pregnancy, the man assures her that after the operation things will go back to the way they were before. “And you think then we will be all right and be happy? ” she questions the man. Jig knows that after the operation she most definitely will not be happy, but she cares so deeply about the man an abortion is worth considering. The man pushes on, making sure he has made clear what he believes is the best decision he assures her that he will support any decision she makes. Jig then begins to question the amount of love the man has for her.
She wonders if he will love her any more or less depending on decision she makes. She wants to be happy with him and her baby, yet the man only wants her. He doesn’t want the burden of a child, and Jig is upset that he sees the child as a burden. She mentions that she will do whatever makes him happy, and this somewhat upsets him. He is very adamant about the fact he doesn’t want her to do anything she doesn’t feel comfortable, and he truly believes this is what would be best for the both of them. Frustrated and tired of thinking about the situation, Jig asks the man to drop the subject.
The bartender brings them a few more beers and informs them the train would be arriving in five minutes. Feeling badly about having to ask the man to be quite she forces a smile, and encourages him to finish his beer after he brings the bags across the station. In hopes of expressing his main concern is for her and her alone, he asks her if she is alright. And of course Jig being the kind of girl she is, the kind of girl who want nothing more than for the man to be happy says “I am fine, there’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine,” although the audience can see this is clearly not the case.