Abortion In Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway

Hills like white elephants by Ernest Hemingway is a short story that indirectly talks about abortion. In the story, an American man and his girlfriend jig are waiting for a train while talking about their unwanted pregnancy and what they are going to do about. While she is unsure of what she wants, he is very adamant and being very pushy about getting an abortion. This shows that because of their opposing views and potential outcomes, the theme of the story is due to the unwanted pregnancy, nothing will ever be the same between the couple. In the story jig is flirting with the idea of having the baby and them settling down together. She says “ the hills, they look like white elephants, they’re lovely”(Hemingway,2013,page 1). To which his response was “ I’ve never seen one.”

Jig is indirectly hinting that babies are lovely but the Americans response shuts the idea down completely indirectly saying that he has never seen a lovely baby. In an attempt to convince his girlfriend to have an abortion the American tells jig that the process is awfully simple. She eventually asks him to stop talking which shows that she resents him for not wanting to have the baby with her and trying to coerce into having an abortion. When they are talking at the train station jig makes the comment of “ that’s all we do isn’t it- look at things and try new drinks?”(Hemingway, 2013,page 2). Her tone of voice and attitude suggest that she is bored and irritated with a life that only consists of traveling, drinking and partying, which silently implies that she is ready to settle down. While jig and the American are talking, she eventually walks away from him to admire the nature in front of them. While she is admiring the nature and collecting her thoughts she comes to the realization that if she keeps her baby the life that she is thinking about