Hills Like White Elephants

By Ernest Hemingway
The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this
siode there was no shade and no trees and the station was between
two lines of rails in the sun. Close against the side of the station there
was the warm shadow of the building and a curtain, made of strings of
bamboo beads, hung across the open door into the bar, to keep out
flies. The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade,
outside the building. It was very hot and the epress from !arcelona
would come in forty minutes. It stopped at this "unction for two minutes
and went to #adrid.
$%hat should we drink&$ the girl asked. 'he had taken off her hat
and put it on the table.
'It's pretty hot,' the man said.
'Let's drink beer.'
'Dos cervezas,' the man said into the curtain.
'Big ones?' a woman asked from the doorway.
'es. !wo big ones.'
!he woman brought two g"asses of beer and two fe"t pads. #he put the fe"t pads
and the beer g"ass on the tab"e and "ooked at the man and the gir". !he gir" was "ooking
off at the "ine of hi""s. !hey were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry.
'!hey "ook "ike white e"ephants,' she said.
'I've never seen one,' the man drank his beer.
'$o, you wou"dn't have.'
'I might have,' the man said. '%ust because you say I wou"dn't have doesn't prove
anything.'
!he gir" "ooked at the bead curtain. '!hey've painted something on it,' she said.
'&hat does it say?'
''nis de" !oro. It's a drink.'
'(ou"d we try it?'
!he man ca""ed 'Listen' through the curtain. !he woman came out from the bar.
')our rea"es.' '&e want two 'nis de" !oro.'
'&ith water?'
'Do you want it with water?'
'I don't know,' the gir" said. 'Is it good with water?'
'It's a"" right.'
'ou want them with water?' asked the woman.
'es, with water.'
'It tastes "ike "i*uorice,' the gir" said and put the g"ass down.
'!hat's the way with everything.'
'es,' said the gir". '+verything tastes of "i*uorice. +specia""y a"" the things you've
waited so "ong for, "ike absinthe.'
',h, cut it out.'
'ou started it,' the gir" said. 'I was being amused. I was having a fine time.'
'&e"", "et's try and have a fine time.'
''"" right. I was trying. I said the mountains "ooked "ike white e"ephants. &asn't
that bright?'
'!hat was bright.'
'I wanted to try this new drink. !hat's a"" we do, isn't it - "ook at things and try new
drinks?'
'I guess so.'
!he gir" "ooked across at the hi""s.
'!hey're "ove"y hi""s,' she said. '!hey don't rea""y "ook "ike white e"ephants. I .ust
meant the co"ouring of their skin through the trees.'
'#hou"d we have another drink?'
''"" right.'
!he warm wind b"ew the bead curtain against the tab"e.
'!he beer's nice and coo",' the man said.
'It's "ove"y,' the gir" said.
'It's rea""y an awfu""y simp"e operation, %ig,' the man said. 'It's not rea""y an
operation at a"".'
!he gir" "ooked at the ground the tab"e "egs rested on.
'I know you wou"dn't mind it, %ig. It's rea""y not anything. It's .ust to "et the air in.'
!he gir" did not say anything.
'I'"" go with you and I'"" stay with you a"" the time. !hey .ust "et the air in and then
it's a"" perfect"y natura".'
'!hen what wi"" we do afterwards?'
'&e'"" be fine afterwards. %ust "ike we were before.'
'&hat makes you think so?'
'!hat's the on"y thing that bothers us. It's the on"y thing that's made us unhappy.'
!he gir" "ooked at the bead curtain, put her hand out and took ho"d of two of the
strings of beads.
''nd you think then we'"" be a"" right and be happy.'
'I know we wi"". on don't have to be afraid. I've known "ots of peop"e that have
done it.'
'#o have I,' said the gir". ''nd afterwards they were a"" so happy.'
'&e"",' the man said, 'if you don't want to you don't have to. I wou"dn't have you
do it if you didn't want to. But I know it's perfect"y simp"e.'
''nd you rea""y want to?'
'I think it's the best thing to do. But I don't want you to do it if you don't rea""y
want to.'
''nd if I do it you'"" be happy and things wi"" be "ike they were and you'"" "ove
me?'
'I "ove you now. ou know I "ove you.'
'I know. But if I do it, then it wi"" be nice again if I say things are "ike white
e"ephants, and you'"" "ike it?'
'I'"" "ove it. I "ove it now but I .ust can't think about it. ou know how I get when I
worry.'
'If I do it you won't ever worry?'
'I won't worry about that because it's perfect"y simp"e.'
'!hen I'"" do it. Because I don't care about me.'
'&hat do you mean?'
'I don't care about me.'
'&e"", I care about you.'
',h, yes. But I don't care about me. 'nd I'"" do it and then everything wi"" be fine.'
'I don't want you to do it if you fee" that way.'
!he gir" stood up and wa"ked to the end of the station. 'cross, on the other side,
were fie"ds of grain and trees a"ong the banks of the +bro. )ar away, beyond the river,
were mountains. !he shadow of a c"oud moved across the fie"d of grain and she saw the
river through the trees.
''nd we cou"d have a"" this,' she said. ''nd we cou"d have everything and every
day we make it more impossib"e.'
'&hat did you say?'
'I said we cou"d have everything.'
'$o, we can't.'
'&e can have the who"e wor"d.'
'$o, we can't.'
'&e can go everywhere.'
'$o, we can't. It isn't ours any more.'
'It's ours.'
'$o, it isn't. 'nd once they take it away, you never get it back.'
'But they haven't taken it away.'
'&e'"" wait and see.'
'(ome on back in the shade,' he said. 'ou mustn't fee" that way.'
'I don't fee" any way,' the gir" said. 'I .ust know things.'
'I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to do -'
'$or that isn't good for me,' she said. 'I know. (ou"d we have another beer?'
''"" right. But you've got to rea"ize - '
'I rea"ize,' the gir" said. '(an't we maybe stop ta"king?'
!hey sat down at the tab"e and the gir" "ooked across at the hi""s on the dry side of
the va""ey and the man "ooked at her and at the tab"e.
'ou've got to rea"ize,' he said, ' that I don't want you to do it if you don't want to.
I'm perfect"y wi""ing to go through with it if it means anything to you.'
'Doesn't it mean anything to you? &e cou"d get a"ong.'
',f course it does. But I don't want anybody but you. I don't want anyone e"se.
'nd I know it's perfect"y simp"e.'
'es, you know it's perfect"y simp"e.'
'It's a"" right for you to say that, but I do know it.'
'&ou"d you do something for me now?'
'I'd do anything for you.'
'&ou"d you p"ease p"ease p"ease p"ease p"ease p"ease p"ease stop ta"king?'
/e did not say anything but "ooked at the bags against the wa"" of the station.
!here were "abe"s on them from a"" the hote"s where they had spent nights.
'But I don't want you to,' he said, 'I don't care anything about it.'
'I'"" scream,' the gir" siad.
!he woman came out through the curtains with two g"asses of beer and put them
down on the damp fe"t pads. '!he train comes in five minutes,' she said.
'&hat did she say?' asked the gir".
'!hat the train is coming in five minutes.'
!he gir" smi"ed bright"y at the woman, to thank her.
'I'd better take the bags over to the other side of the station,' the man said. #he
smi"ed at him.
''"" right. !hen come back and we'"" finish the beer.'
/e picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other
tracks. /e "ooked up the tracks but cou"d not see the train. (oming back, he wa"ked
through the bar-room, where peop"e waiting for the train were drinking. /e drank an 'nis
at the bar and "ooked at the peop"e. !hey were a"" waiting reasonab"y for the train. /e
went out through the bead curtain. #he was sitting at the tab"e and smi"ed at him.
'Do you fee" better?' he asked.
'I fee" fine,' she said. '!here's nothing wrong with me. I fee" fine.'