Hills Like White Elephants - Symbolism to Portray Theme
In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants the girl (Jig) and the American man are discussing the possibility of Jig, getting an abortion. Hemingway uses "Hills" as a pregnant woman's stomach and the "White Elephants" as unwanted gifts. The girl decides not to go through with the abortion in this story. This is shown through the choices they have to choose from, their feelings about the abortion, and the reactions of the American man in the end.
Jig and the American are at a train station during a short pause in their trip. The trip was not explained in the story, but the stop lasted only a few minutes. The train journey presents them with a decision that must be made. There are two things that they can do: they can continue with their trip or they can choose to go back home. The pregnancy can be looked at in a similar manner, an obstacle in their lives. One set of tracks leads to the abortion and the other set leads to the way things were. The decision has to be made now. There is no turning back once the decision is made. The train is stopping for only two minutes. But like a train ride they can only go in one of these two directions. As seen in the story Jig realizes that if she gets the abortion that she will never be able to get the baby back. Jig decides to go with her own feelings about what to do about the baby and to take the steps to lead the most rewarding life. One side of the station presents a land barren of life, which could represent abortion, while the other side presents a fertile field, an image that can be associated with life.
Jig and the American have very different feelings about having an abortion. According to the story, they are separated from the people that are inside the bar by the bamboo bead curtain. The curtain symbolizes the differences in Jig and the American; mainly the girl's desire to have the baby and the American's desire to have an abortion. When the girl reaches out and takes hold of two of the strings of beads, it is as if she has transformed, and is speaking as both herself and her fetus. This leads the reader to believe that the girl is leaning towards having the baby.
The inability to communicate throughout the story creates tension between the man and the girl. This is seen through the girl's sarcasm when talking about the licorice. When the girl says, "Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you've waited so long for" the reader feels the conversation is not at all about licorice. It just builds the gap between them. Jig does not say exactly what is on her mind. Instead, she hints about her frustration. The Man's thought of the relationship is one of a temporary state. Unlike Jig, he wants to do what ever it takes to keep this relationship from becoming permanent. This is exemplified from their actions; all they do is travel from place to place staying in hotel after hotel and drinking all the time. There is no sign of commitment in this relationship.
The American refers to the abortion as "the operation" as if taking importance off it. To him it's very simple, "just to let the air in." The American feels the baby is an obstacle in their lives. He feels that an abortion is a simple, quick remedy to a removable annoyance. That like their relationship and their geographical setting, the fetus is a temporary situation. The girl feels the natural bond between mother and unborn child. The man tries to convince her that the abortion is natural and simple, while Jig feels that motherhood is more natural. The feelings received by the girl are that she is bored with traveling from place to place and drinking all the time. She is ready to settle down and start a family. She is ready for a change and she does not want life to be the way it was. She does not want to have the abortion.
It seems as though the American is the strong one in the relationship in the begining. Jig is used to following along with whatever the American wants. But, in the second half we see the tables starting to turn. Jig is not comfortable with his decision this time and she starts to stand up for herself. She seems to know how to play him. Referring back to the story, Jig stood up and walked to the end of the station. "Across, on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Embro." According to Renner, the sentence, " Across, on the other side were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Embro" stands in pointed contrast to the story's second sentence: "On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun." " On this side" are the values associated with abortion: Sterility, the taste of licorice, and the pregnancy. "Across, on the other side" are the values associated with having the child: fertility, the water of life, and fruitfulness (29). Urgo states that the American's attempt to convince Jig to have the abortion comes too late that she has already made up her mind to have the baby (36). He feels that Jig will always resent him because, she would be getting the abortion to make him happy and she does not really want the abortion. According to Renner, he picks up the bags and carries them around the station to the other tracks. One set of tracks lead to the abortion and the other back to where they came from. They had come to the train station with the plans of taking the tracks that lead to the abortion, but he takes the bags around to the tracks that lead back to where they came from (39). Jig does not get the abortion. This story does not give everything to the reader. We only see the surface of what is happening. The reader is able to have his own ending and take part in the story. The reader feels the ending to this story is that due to the choices they have to choose from and the consequences, Jig's feeling about having the abortion and the American finally realizing her feelings that they decide not to have the abortion.
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