Summary: The Hills Like White Elephants
“The Hills Like White Elephants”
As I started to read through the poem I felt like I easily understood the setting. It was very easy for me to picture this man and woman having a conversation and sharing drinks. I did not easily understand what the subject of their conversation was the first time I read through the poem but I did recognize it was affecting the young girl named Jig. I first realized something was going on when the man kept repeating that everything will be okay and he kept repeating the words “perfectly simple” and she would repeatedly say that she will be “fine”. In the poem the man says “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig” (line 42 ). To me I knew that this girl Jig had to make a decision but I did not
yet know what it was for. Throughout the poem the man kept saying he would support the young girl in any decision that Jig would make but I still felt as if he would back track when he would say other things. In one part of the poem the man says, “We can have the whole world” (lines 76) and he continues with, “We can go everywhere.” ( line 78). To me I feel like he is trying to convince the young lady that she can have anything and everything but if she were to not go through with this operation then that would not be possible. The young girl says, “No, it isn’t. And once they take it away, you never get it back.” (line 81). After I read through these lines a few more times I came to the realization that the operation had to do with something that can affect both of their lives dramatically and that it may become more difficult to do the things that they love to do like travel the world. I came to the conclusion that the operation had to be an abortion. In the poem the young girl Jig uses the mountains to symbolize the rough road ahead. As they are only hills they have to overcome and not mountains she still has hope that the two of them will get through this difficult time. In the poem she wants him to reassure her that they will stay together after she makes her decision. He continues to console her and she effortlessly says that she is okay. At the end of the poem we still don’t know what her final desicion was and the author ends the poem with Jig saying, “I feel fine” and continues with, “There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine” ( line 110). This ending was very open and very broad. The story ended with little knowledge of what happened next and we are left puzzled.
As I started to read through the poem I felt like I easily understood the setting. It was very easy for me to picture this man and woman having a conversation and sharing drinks. I did not easily understand what the subject of their conversation was the first time I read through the poem but I did recognize it was affecting the young girl named Jig. I first realized something was going on when the man kept repeating that everything will be okay and he kept repeating the words “perfectly simple” and she would repeatedly say that she will be “fine”. In the poem the man says “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig” (line 42 ). To me I knew that this girl Jig had to make a decision but I did not
yet know what it was for. Throughout the poem the man kept saying he would support the young girl in any decision that Jig would make but I still felt as if he would back track when he would say other things. In one part of the poem the man says, “We can have the whole world” (lines 76) and he continues with, “We can go everywhere.” ( line 78). To me I feel like he is trying to convince the young lady that she can have anything and everything but if she were to not go through with this operation then that would not be possible. The young girl says, “No, it isn’t. And once they take it away, you never get it back.” (line 81). After I read through these lines a few more times I came to the realization that the operation had to do with something that can affect both of their lives dramatically and that it may become more difficult to do the things that they love to do like travel the world. I came to the conclusion that the operation had to be an abortion. In the poem the young girl Jig uses the mountains to symbolize the rough road ahead. As they are only hills they have to overcome and not mountains she still has hope that the two of them will get through this difficult time. In the poem she wants him to reassure her that they will stay together after she makes her decision. He continues to console her and she effortlessly says that she is okay. At the end of the poem we still don’t know what her final desicion was and the author ends the poem with Jig saying, “I feel fine” and continues with, “There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine” ( line 110). This ending was very open and very broad. The story ended with little knowledge of what happened next and we are left puzzled.