Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

Thesis Statement

“Being pregnant and planning for a baby can drastically change one's lifestyle and people could be reluctant to have a baby because of this”

Introduction

The story “Hills like White Elephants” has been written by Ernest Hemingway and was published in 1972. The story is of a hot and dry day at the train station located in the valley of Spain in the Ebro River. The two main characters in the story are an American man and a girl who is referred by him in the story as “Jig”. The two wait for the train to Madrid at the station and have a conversation while drinking beer. Initially, they start with a boring conversation which quickly moves to the main subject that the girl is pregnant, and the man wanted her to get an abortion done.

Discussion

The two fall in an argument after which the girl retorts, “I do not care about me” but the American says “You've got to realize that I do not want you to do it if you do not want to”. He further adds that he is willing only if it means anything for her. However, during this time, the man is not too sure about the intentions and the mental state of the woman. Soon after this, the girl asks him to remain quiet and says, “Would you please please ... please stop talking?” after which he replies that he does not want her to get it done (Hemingway, pp. 1). After some time, the bar maid comes along with two glasses of beer and informs the two about the arrival of the train in five minutes. This distracted the girl, and she smiled to thank the barmaid. After this, the American carried the two bags to the platform opposite ...