In the early 1920’s, editors ignored Hemmingway’s story “Hills Like White Elephants” because, they felt it was not what the public wanted. Not until the 1990’s did it become one of Ernest Hemmingway’s most anthologized short stories. “Hills Like White Elephants” has a single storyline and it takes place in a single day. The male character “Man” appears to mirror Hemmingway’s own life with his not so wise way of handling difficult situations with the opposite sex, while the female character who is referred to as “Girl” appears to be seen as weak and unsure.
This Hemmingway story creatively and subtlety gives many implications and his two characters unfold these implications through their behavior and dialogue. The “Girl” or Jig as she is later called in the story seems to have something weighing on her, and when the “Man” starts talking to her and asking questions, it starts to become exceedingly clear why she is emotionally upset. The “Man” is encouraging her to have an abortion and states “ I know you wouldn’t mind it, Jig. It’s really not anything. Its just to let the air in. ”(401).
The “Man” is implying that an abortion would be no big deal and further states, “ I’ll go with you and stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural. That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy. ” The term “natural” used by man in this statement implies the abortion is a natural thing to do. This statement gives the impression that the “Man” is attempting to lure Jig into his way of thinking using their surroundings. Jig is disenchanted from nature and what it represents in the story and sees it from his “simple” solution to a clear problem.
Their unhappiness is seen in their drinking of alcoholic beverages to dull the pain and feel like nothing is wrong, and implies their inability to face reality. Gazing across the landscape the “Girl” expresses how the hills look like white elephants. This statement is used as a distraction for the so-called “white elephant in the room. ” or to put it simply, a diversion from their contentious conversation. Later on into the story she states “They’re lovely hills, they don’t really look like white elephants. I just mean the coloring of their skin through the trees. (401)
On the first reading one might think that the title comparison may merely be the color and contour of the hills that constitute part of the setting, a quite literal reference. This impression is reinforced by the first sentence. The subject of which is “ Long and white” hills. The second time they are mentioned they are contrasted with the countryside, which is brown and dry, suggesting of the limitations and aridity of the relationship of the man and woman, which begins to unfold and which is the basis of the conflict and meaning of the story. The beaded curtains in the story also represent implication.
The Girl looked at the beaded curtains. “They’ve painted something on it,” she said. “What does it say? ” “Anis del Toro. It’s a drink. ”(401) The “Girl” continues to ask to try the drink and they both enjoy their drinks. The beaded curtains continually come into play as the story goes on, again where it suggests that “The warm wind blew through the curtains against the table. ”(401 All of these statements are subtlety implying that there are boundaries, thresholds, and separation, all of which the couple is facing. The curtains also represent the tension felt between the “Man” and Jig.
One could say that since the woman wants the baby, but the man does not want the baby, that the pregnancy could be considered the curtain. By the end of the story, the tension between the couple is raging and the “curtain” which was once light and flexible has now become hard and rigid as a wall. Another implications in this story are weather the “Girl” and the “Man” are married. In the 1920’s to be pregnant and unmarried meant great shame and banishment. If the Man does not want to marry the woman after she becomes pregnant she has very few options.
Normally the woman would be sent off to a home for unwed mothers or distant relative until she has the baby. The child will then be placed for adoption. Another option is to abort the baby and forget it ever happened. In the story “Hills like White Elephants” the man is trying to get the woman to abort the baby. For the couple in the story it is assumed that they have few options for the pregnancy. The woman knows that if she aborts the baby there is a possibility that the “Man” could leave her and she is left without a child as well.
Another case is that she could choose to do what she wants to do, instead of making the “Man “ happy, and choose to keep the baby resulting with the “Man” leaving her. Unfortunately, the woman is put in a tight situation and her stress level shows during the story when the man keeps trying to talk to her about the procedure he wants her to have done. As the story goes on the “Man” brings up the issue of the operation to the “girl” multiple times, trying to get her to make a decision on what she wants to do after finding out she is pregnant.
He keeps trying saying, “You’ve got to realize”(402) with the girl replying “I realize”(403), “ Can’t we maybe stop talking? ”(402) The “Man” continually keeps talking to her, making her even angrier. Ultimately the conversation is cut short when the woman from the bar comes through the beaded curtains saying, “The train leaves in five minuets”. Jig smiles brightly at the woman, to thank her with the “Man” saying “I’d better take the bags over to the other side of the station,” she smiles at him again and then tells him to “Then come back and we’ll finish the beer. (403)
These statements imply that the Jig’s decision has come to the forefront and can longer be delayed. Jig sits alone as the “Man” delivers the bags during this time it appears that Jig makes her decision. She then seems resolved with her decision by her last comment of “I feel fine. There is nothing wrong with me. I feel fine. ”(403) The story ends with an unfinished conversation that shows no resolution, leaving the reader to question what Jig will ultimately decide. Will she keep the baby or abort the baby.
Hemingway’s use of implication and symbols in the story “Hills Like White Elephants” is remarkably in depth and intriguing to read. With the story ending with a question, the readers yearn for answers. Unfortunately, Hemingway wrote the story for everyone to have to think and ponder on what one might have thought the “Girl’s” decision ultimately is. The real question is why does the “Man” not want to keep the baby? Auspiciously for everyone it is for his or her own minds to figure out and have their own beliefs about what happened.
Hemmingway’s lack of description of his characters and the implications within the story allows the reader to personalize the story, and leads one to wonder if that was not his intent. The story “Hills Like White Elephants” is written with so many implications that one could continually see other implications with each reading. It greatly shows Earnest Hemmingway’s creativity and subtle ability to implicate through words and draw in his readers, not just to a story, but to thought.
