Liam Hanson Ms. Gommermann Honors English 10 3 February 2023 Manipulation in a Relationship Through his use of dialogue and conversations in the short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway promotes the idea that a person’s reliance on someone else could cause manipulative behavior. First, in the story the American man and Jig talk in a bar. The American orders “Dos cervezas” (1). From this, it is inferred that the American speaks Spanish. However, the girl, Jig, does not know Spanish. Mentioning a painting on a bead curtain, the girl wants to know what “They’ve painted … on it” (1) asking “What does it say?” (1). The American translates the writing to “Aruis del Toro” (1) commenting that it is “a drink” (1). Because of the language …show more content…
This means that the man could lie about anything they see or hear in the Spanish language, such as conversations or writings. Ultimately the girl is in a vulnerable position to be lied to because she relies on the American man for translation. To continue when the girl and the Man talk about what we can assume to be an abortion, the man attempts to persuade the girl. He believes that the baby is “the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that makes us unhappy” (2). The man tells the girl that they “could have everything” (3). The girl “know[s]” but she “[wants to] have another beer” (3). It is clear that the man wants to be happy, but will not achieve this happiness if the child were to be born. The man relies on the girl to be happy. Instead of talking or discussing about his happiness the girl uses his reliance to get a beer. Therefore, because of the man’s reliance on the girl for happiness, the girl manipulates the man to get what she wants, in this case, another beer. Continuing in the conversation about abortion, the man and girl talk about themselves. The girl believes if she does “it, then [their relationship] will be nice