Decoding Symbolism Exploring Abortion In Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants

Ernest Hemingway’s spare, deceptively simple short story, 'Hills Like White Elephants,' presents a charged conversation between an American man and a girl named Jig at a Spanish train station. While the word 'abortion' is never explicitly uttered, the subtext of the dialogue and the symbolic weight of the setting overwhelmingly point to this procedure as the central, unspoken conflict. Hemingway masterfully employs minimalist prose and potent symbolism to explore themes of communication breakdown, reproductive choice, and the erosion of intimacy within a relationship.

The story opens with Jig observing the distant landscape, remarking, 'They look like white elephants.' This initial observation, seemingly innocuous, immediately introduces a key symbol. White elephants, historically, have been considered sacred but burdensome gifts in Siamese culture, often given by monarchs to courtiers they wished to ruin. This association imbues the phrase with a sense of unwantedness and obligation, mirroring the couple's predicament. The man’s dismissive response, 'I've never seen one,' suggests his desire to avoid confronting the reality of their situation, preferring a detached, unengaged perspective. Jig’s subsequent retraction, 'No, of course not. I had no idea,' highlights her attempt to placate him, to steer the conversation away from the uncomfortable truth, yet the seed of the symbol has been planted.

The setting itself, a barren train station between two distinct landscapes, serves as a powerful metaphor for the couple’s liminal state. They are waiting, suspended between two potential futures: one where they continue their nomadic, carefree existence as a couple, and another where the introduction of a child would fundamentally alter their lives. The 'dry side' of the valley, described as barren and brown, reflects the man’s preference for their current lifestyle, a life devoid of the 'awful' and 'terrible' responsibility he associates with having a child. Conversely, the fertile, green side, with its trees and river, represents the potential for growth, life, and a different kind of future, a future Jig seems to contemplate with a mixture of apprehension and nascent desire. The man’s insistence that the operation is 'perfectly simple' and 'not really an operation at all' is a clear attempt to downplay its significance, to frame it as a minor inconvenience rather than a life-altering decision.

Dialogue in 'Hills Like White Elephants' is characterized by its obliqueness. The characters talk around the issue, using euphemisms and indirect language. The man repeatedly tries to persuade Jig that he wants her to have the procedure, framing it as being 'for us.' He claims he will love her afterwards and that they can continue their travels, but his words ring hollow. His insistence that 'I don't want you to do it if you don't really want to' is undermined by his constant pressure and his assertion that 'I know we'll be all right. Everything will be all right.' This contradiction reveals his self-deception and his prioritization of his own desires over Jig’s potential feelings or the sanctity of their relationship. Jig’s responses, often laced with weariness and sarcasm, expose the growing chasm between them. Her plea, 'And you think then we'll be all right and happy,' is met with his desperate affirmation, 'I know we will. I don't want anything but that.' Yet, the reader understands that his vision of happiness is contingent on Jig conforming to his wishes, effectively erasing the possibility of a shared future that includes a child.

The symbolism extends to the drinks they order. The man orders a beer, a straightforward, uncomplicated choice. Jig, however, orders an Anis del Toro, a licorice-flavored aperitif. The taste is described as 'like when you don't want anymore of it.' This sensory detail powerfully encapsulates her ambivalent feelings about the abortion. She is willing to go through with it, but she anticipates a lingering dissatisfaction, a sense that something essential has been lost or is no longer desired. The shared experience of drinking, meant to be a moment of connection, instead highlights their isolation. They are physically together, but emotionally miles apart, each trapped in their own perspective.

As the train approaches, the tension escalates. Jig’s final statement, 'I feel fine—' followed by a pause and the observation 'There's nothing wrong with me. I feel fine,' is a poignant expression of her internal conflict. She is asserting her physical well-being, perhaps as a way to regain control, but the underlying message is one of profound emotional distress. The story concludes not with resolution, but with an unnerving stillness. The man carries their bags to the station and returns, the train is coming, and Jig is left alone with her thoughts, the unspoken decision hanging heavy in the air. Hemingway leaves the reader to ponder the consequences of their conversation and the future of their relationship, demonstrating the enduring power of symbolism to convey complex human experiences with remarkable economy.