Instead of calling the unborn child a baby or saying the Jig is getting an abortion, Hawthorne uses “it” to explicate the unimportance of the baby and how effortless the operation can be. The man does not what to make the decision of whether or not Jig has the abortion by indirectly telling her he doesn’t want the baby he says “I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to. But I know it’s perfectly simple” (337). The man says the operation is “simple” so Jig would think the abortion would be effortless
Hawthorne uses symbolism of "it" to signify the abortion the couple is deciding to have or not. Through the vagueness of the conversation, the man tries to persuade the girl to get the abortion by saying " I wouldn't have you do it if you didn't want to. But I know it's perfectly simple" (337). The man is trying to say that it is the girls decision whether or not she wants the abortion, by saying the phrase this way, the girl can be left with the decision and cannot blame the man if she regrets it. The man is sort of saving himself, but by says "it's perfectly simple" he makes it seem the abortion will be easy so she should go on with the operation. Hawthorne uses symbolism of "it", but in different contexts, to exemplify the unborn child. After the girl had decided to have the abortion to keep her guy happy, she starts to question the abortion when she says "I love it now but I just can’t think about it" (337). Calling the baby "it" signifies the un-importance of the child. When people refer something to "it", they usually