The story begins with a man known as the “American” and his girlfriend sitting at a table outside of a train station. The station is surrounded by hills, trees, and fields in Spain. The couple is waiting for the next train to Madrid. Throughout the story, there is an inner conflict with the girl as well as an external conflict between the girl and the American. They speak of an operation that must be done for them to be happy together. This couple is at a critical point in their lives when they must decide whether or not to have an abortion.
The train they are waiting for is an express train, which means once she gets on it there is no turning back. The girl views having the child as a blessing and a great gift, while the American sees it as an expensive and burdensome obligation. The use of imagery associated with these hills concerns the shape of a pregnant woman. The jig could be seeing the hills as a childbearing woman lying on her back with her belly and breasts swollen because of the pregnancy (Weeks 76). Although the man tries to convince Jig that he knows the operation is safe, he may not know much about the operation (Short Stories for Students 158).
Certainly, the fact that abortions are not legal at this time in Spain is also playing on the girl’s mind (Short Stories for Students). With that said, the only way for her to get an abortion is to do it herself or have the American do it. This is not only illegal but very dangerous and can cause a serious infection meanwhile the American makes it seem like it is just a simple procedure. “They look like white elephants” (Hemingway 107). The girl states that the hills behind the trees look like white elephants.
A white elephant symbolizes something that no one wants, such as an unborn child. The girl asks to order a beer in an attempt to change the subject. The number two is also playing a big role in the story because it is symbolizing that in the end it will be him and her, or her and the baby. For example, they order two beers. The American does not want to share the girl with anyone, especially a baby. After the beers, Jig asks to try a different drink. This time it is absynthe. The drinks start flowing, and they begin to argue about the taste of the bitter alcohol they are drinking.
The girl says it tastes like licorice she says, “Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe” (Hemingway 106). The taste of licorice is bittersweet, just like the decision that the girl has to make. The American is frustrated by her statement of alcohol and tells her to stop. They continue to argue, and the girl has a sudden change of heart and says, “They don’t really look like white elephants”(Hemingway 107). This is when the girl begins to think about keeping the baby.
The beads are also very symbolic of the short story. 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 (Renner 28). Also, the beads could just simply represent a dividing structure, such as the pregnancy is dividing the couple. All of these uses of symbolism reinforce the thoughts and feelings of the American and Jig in the story. The girl and the American are enjoying their beers, and the American decides to get right to the point. “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig. “It’s not really an operation at all” (Hemingway 107). His belief is that the choice for abortion will free them to return to the lives they had lived before the pregnancy(Short Stories for Students). The man is trying to persuade her to not only have an abortion but to perform the action herself. Although the American never actually states what the operation is, it can be inferred that it is an abortion. The girl questions what will happen after she has had the operation, and the American replies with “We’ll be fine afterward.
Just like we were before” (Hemingway 107). The American tries to convince the girl that this situation is the only thing that is making them unhappy, and if she has the operation, everything will be okay. He tells her that she does not have to have the operation, but tells her it is the best thing to do. The girl begins to think, “And if I do it you’ll be happy and things will be okay like they were and you’ll love me” (Hemingway 107)? He reassures her that he loves her now. The jig is more realistic about the situation and the consequences in front of her.
She knows that she is going to make the ultimate decision, although she is asking for reassurance from the American(Short Stories for Students). The girl also knows that regardless of her situation, their relationship might not work out anyway. The choice to abort or not abort the baby ultimately leaves her with the same consequence: life without the American. The girl continues with “Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me” (Hemingway 108). Saying she will do the operation in hopes of saving their relationship. “The girl stood up and walked to the end of the station”(Hemingway 108).
She begins to look around at the scenery and wonder if they could really be happy after the operation. The man states that he does not want anyone but her, and he does not want anyone else because he knows it is perfectly simple (Hemingway 108), meaning that he does not want the baby, he only wants her. The girl then makes the American promise her to stop talking and change the subject by ordering another beer. The waiter tells the couple that the train will be arriving at the station in five minutes. The Americans took their bags to the other side of the station.
On one side of the station, there is vegetation and fields of grain, while the other side is dry and barren (Short Stories for Students 159). The fact that the station divides these contrasts of environments is a symbol of the couple’s decision. The choice to have the abortion symbolizes sterility, which goes along with the barren and desolate scenery, while the fertility of having the baby is seen in the lush forests and river on the other side of the valley (Short Stories for Students 159). The American came back to ask the girl if she was feeling better.
The girl replied with “I feel fine, there’s nothing wrong with me” (Hemingway 109). Meaning that she is going to keep her baby aside from what the man thinks because it is a gift and not a burden. The most obvious theme recognized early in this short story is that of choices and consequences. The couple is unmarried and the girl has become pregnant, but the man wants her to have an abortion. The American man obviously believes that abortion will free the couple from any responsibilities, which is what they have been experiencing before this turn of events (Short Stories for Students 158).
The man also feels that pregnancy is the only thing that has caused them to have arguments and become unhappy with each other in the relationship. Clearly, the girl is reluctant in her decision to have an abortion. She feels that either choice she makes will not have much of an effect on their long-term relationship and hopes of finding true love and happiness (Short Stories for Students 158). Throughout the story, there is a constant battle between the man and the girl but, most importantly, an inner conflict with the girl.
She is forced to choose between her boyfriend and her unborn child. The American does not make it easy for her in any way, but for him, it is so simple. He puts the ideas in her head that it is so simple, and even he would be able to do it for her. Even though they did not even have that great of a relationship previously, he seems to think that if she has this operation everything will be just fine, like nothing ever happened. By the end, the girl is only relying on the American for the language barrier because she is in a foreign country.
As her attitude changes, she becomes more resourceful and makes the transition from the “girl” to a mother-to-be. She realizes that she is carrying an unborn child and needs to do what is going to be best for her and the child. The American thinks that things can be perfect and they can go on with their lives and be completely happy, without ever thinking about it again. We assume that the girl decides to keep the baby instead of her boyfriend because she states that she is fine and nothing is wrong with her at the end of the short story.
