Literary Analysis Paper from a Feminist Perspective Hills Like White Elephants

In the story “Hills Like White Elephants” there are two main characters the American and Jig. The story takes place at a train station in 1927 in Spain. Jig is a young girl dealing with a woman’s choice. Although the word abortion is never used in the story, the reader is lead to that conclusion through the use of symbolism. There are many different ways in the story that are symbolically used to describe the abortion. For example, while drinking beer, Jig looks off at the line of hills and says. “They look like white elephants,” she said. “I’ve never seen one,” the man drank his beer. “No, you wouldn’t have.” “I might have,” the man said. (Hemingway, 2011, p 445) She is saying the hills look like a pregnant women. When the man says he has never seen one the women replies “No, you wouldn’t have.” I believe because he has not paid attention to a woman that are expecting and that’s why he replies he might have. From the lack of depth of their conversation both characters appear very superficial. Her lack of confidence is hinted at here. She merely accepts his comment, never bothering to expand on what she was saying. She is not led to expand more on what she was saying or why she was saying it. She just let it go as though she realized what she was thinking was not important to the American.
Hemingway uses the setting to further show a contrast between the man and girls perspective. The hills are symbolic for of the way woman’s stomach look while she is pregnant. They also symbolized fertility one hill was beautiful and full of life. Jig says, “And we could have all this,” she said. “And we could have everything and every day we make it more impossible.” “What did you say?” “I said we could have everything.” “We can have everything.” (Hemingway, 2011, p 445) The other hill is barren as she would be without this child. Jig views having the child as a blessing and a great gift, while the American sees it as an expense and burden obligation. Jig could be seeing the hills as a child bearing woman lying on her back with her belly and breasts swollen because of the pregnancy. Clearly, the man and the Jigs view the hills very differently, coinciding with their opposing thoughts about the abortion. Her desire to have more has to be squelched for his satisfaction. The sacrifice that she is willing to take has only one motive and that is to please her man at a great cost to herself and her unborn child. As a reader, her feelings are obvious. Yet, the American doesn’t seem to realize Jigs hurt or if he does, he certainly doesn’t care.
Jig, like most women of that time period and even of women today wanted to keep her relationship alive. She is willing to do anything at any cost. Jig would even have an abortion if that’s what it will take to please him. “And if I do it you’ll be happy and things will be like they were and you’ll love me?” (Hemingway, 2011, p 445) Jig would do anything for her man. It does not seem that Jig wants the abortion. She is seem afraid of losing the American if she goes with what she wants and keeps the pregnancy. In the era in which this was written an unmarried pregnant “girl” would not be accepted by society. A gentleman was expected to make it right and marry her. In general women had fewer options in the work place and society than they do now. Likely, Jig was going along with what the American wanted because she felt it was her only choice. She also seems to have her identity wrapped in the belief that if the American loves her then everything will be fine. Jig allowed him to be in charge. “Yes,” said the girl. “Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe.” (Hemingway, 2011, p 445) Jig was not an experienced drinker the man was calling all the shots for her as you can see. He was trying to get her drunk. . The American decided on what to drink and he did the ordering. Jig played the role of her place in society; she did what the man wanted. Hemingway further helps the reader see the difference in hierarchy since Jig is called a girl rather than a woman. Hills Like White Elephants continues to use symbolism to point out the difference in perspective between the two characters. Here the author describes the beads. One interpretation is that Jig is Catholic and the curtain is like the beads of a rosary, which she holds on to for some moral and religious support. “The girl looked at the bead curtain, put her hand out and took hold of two of the strings of beads.” (Hemingway, 2011, p 445) The beads could just represent a dividing structure, such as the pregnancy is dividing the couple. “They were all waiting reasonably for the train. He went out through the bead curtain. She was sitting at the table and smiled at him.” (Hemingway, 2011, p 445)
The American obviously believes that the abortion will free the couple from any responsibilities which is what they have been experiencing before this turn of events. This couple is at a critical point in their lives when they must decide whether or not to have an abortion. Reading a piece written from an era in which women had very few rights, I would want to tell her to run, leave, and escape the man who is keeping her down. I would want to tell her that she is worth so much more and that her unborn baby deserves a chance at life. I would want to tell her that life is too precious to live just to satisfy a cold-hearted man. It would be interesting to know how this piece was received by the women of Hemingway’s day. Hills Like White Elephants is a sad statement on the status of women in that era.

Reference
Acosta, David L. Pike and Ana (). Literature: A World of Writing Stories, Poems, Plays, and Essays VitalSource eBook for Education Management Corporation [1] (VitalSource Bookshelf), Retrieved from http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/9780558711825/id/pg445