Sometimes a decision can be simple, such as studying for a test or watching a movie. Other decisions might take longer to answer, for instance, buying a new truck or buying a new minivan. People make decisions every day, and, while certain decisions have little impact on life overall, some decisions are more difficult to choose. In his short story, “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway writes a conversation between an American man and young girl with emphasis on an operation that leaves the reader questioning what the operation is, why the operation will have such a strong impact on their relationship, and, the meaning behind the metaphors and similes.
Evidence that the story is about an abortion is noted in several conversations the couple is having. During the story, the American man advises the young girl that he is “perfectly willing to go through with it if it means anything to you” (283). The narrator is symbolizing that if the girl were to keep the baby and refuse the abortion, the American is willing, but reluctant, to raise the child. Another clue occurs when the girl asks if it means anything to him where he proceeds to respond by saying “Of course it does. But I don’t want anybody but you” (283), with this, the narrator indicates that the American is not ready for a baby and is only concerned with the way his current relationship is.
Most of the remarks made by the American however, are ambiguous as he goes back and forth not giving a clear definitive answer to how he honestly feels about the baby. The narrator sees that the American is unsure of the right choice is and he fears the inevitable what if. Through metaphors and similes, the reader can gather a more detailed understanding that the conversation is referring to the decision to keep the baby or go through with the procedure.
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Before the American and the girl arrive at the train stop, the words “between the lines” (280) appear and could represent what is between the two, foreshadowing what will be discussed in their conversation. The most obvious simile, “Hills like White Elephants” (280), in the title of the story with white elephants referring to an unwanted burden and the hill as a metaphor for the baby in the womb provides the obvious explanation that the discussion is about the decision to keep the baby.
After the girl mentions “They don’t really look like white elephants” (281), she later proceeds to tell the American that she didn’t really mean they look like white elephants, rather “the coloring of their skin through the trees” (281) and the trees represent that the couple do not see a clear picture for what will come if the choice to continue the abortion is followed through.
Another metaphor, “Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe” (281) with absinthe meaning something bittersweet can be deciphered as something she has wanted for so long and is finally able to have, only to be taken away because of a man’s decision. The narrator has a firm grasp on where the girl stands but this is only realized later in the story as the girl is unsure of the effects it will have to their relationship.
When the American man and girl first arrived at the train stop where they sat inside a bar while waiting for the next train, the narrator is symbolizing an upcoming change while the train station itself can indicate that they are at a crossroads with a difficult decision ahead. Since the beginning of the story, the couple have been going back and forth in an argumentative discussion while using manipulative context signifying, they had already started arguing before the train made it to the station.
When they start drinking beer or “Two big ones” (280) as referred to in the story it might seem as if the woman isn’t concerned with the baby, or, the pregnancy had to be within the two-week timeframe when the consumption of alcohol has no effect. Because it’s rather hard to detect pregnancy at that time, this is a possible indication that this is a later pregnancy and that there is minimal concern for the baby’s well-being from both the girl and the American man.
Through further conversation is when it appears that the girl eventually comes to her own realization that she would rather have the baby when a possible and devastating thought is that she will have to agree to the abortion in order to satisfy the American mans want and at the same time understands how valuable life is when she says, “No, it isn’t. And once they take it away, you can never get it back” (283). At the end of the short story the American asks the girl “Do you feel better?” (284) and her response “I feel fine, there’s is nothing with me. I feel fine” (284) sounds sarcastic or dishonest and could represent how scared she is that the choice which lays ahead is a choice she would rather not make.
Hemingway does a great job at leaving clues throughout the story, but the more obvious comparisons of abortion noted by the narrator are mentioned. Looking at the operation, the relationship, the metaphors, and, similes, the reader can put these clues together and many more if they decide to read the short story. That decision, however, should be an easy one.
Works Cited
- Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and
- Sense, edited by Greg Johnson & Thomas R. Arp, Cengage Learning, 2018, 280-285.
