Hills Like White Elephants

Hills Like White Elephants In a rail station, as the crossroads a life choice merge, the American and a girl have the necessary conversation that no one would like to discuss. Ernest Hemingway, in the story “Hills Like White Elephants,” describes the words between two people who have a different idea of how to deal with the girl’s pregnancy. The American man is attempting to convince Jig, the girl, to have an abortion, but the girl does not seem to have the same outlook as the story begins. Will Jig have the operation and move on with her life always wondering what if, or will she keep the baby? With the man’s consistent influence, the girl will most likely join his side and have the abortion. In the beginning, the girl does not seem to want to go through with the operation. The American man is doing his best not to upset her yet making sure to get his point across. He obviously wants her to go through with the operation for him and is trying to let her understand how easy it would be for her by saying “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,’ the man said” (Hemingway 2). This seems to be only the beginning of persuasion that will ultimately influence the girl’s decision. As the story goes on, there is much back in forth with word play to argue each of their own beliefs. “I’ll go with you and I’ll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural. ‘Then what will we do afterwards? ‘We’ll be fine afterwards. Just like we were before” (Hemingway 2). This continues a while throughout the story. The man puts up a good argument to easily persuade the girl away from her own moral issues of having an abortion and giving up her unborn baby. She has received a gift which, in this time of her life, is useless to her. It is bittersweet to her that she may give up something that could mean more to her in a different time of her life. In the conclusion of the story, the tension has completed with the man