John Gabriel B.

Capitulo
BSEd English 2-B 
 
Hills Like White Elephants 
 by Ernest Hemingway 
 
Characters 

The American
The male protagonist of the story. The American never reveals his name, nor does the girl ever directly
address him by name. He is determined to convince the girl to have the operation but tries to appear as
though he doesn’t care what she does. He remains disconnected from his surroundings, not really
understanding or even listening to what the girl has to say.

The Girl
The female protagonist of the story. The American calls the girl “Jig” at one point in the story but never
mentions her real name. Unlike the American, the girl is less sure of what she wants and appears reluctant
to have the operation in question. She alternates between wanting to talk about the operation and wanting
to avoid the topic altogether.

Themes 

Talking versus Communicating

Although “Hills Like White Elephants” is primarily a conversation between the American man and his
girlfriend, neither of the speakers truly communicates with the other, highlighting the rift between the
two. Both talk, but neither listens or understands the other’s point of view. Frustrated and placating, the
American man will say almost anything to convince his girlfriend to have the operation, which, although
never mentioned by name, is understood to be an abortion. He tells her he loves her, for example, and that
everything between them will go back to the way it used to be. The girl, meanwhile, waffles indecisively,
at one point conceding that she’ll have the abortion just to shut him up. When the man still persists, she
finally begs him to “please, please, please, please, please, please” stop talking, realizing the futility of
their conversation. In fact, the girl’s nickname, “Jig,” subtly indicates that the two characters merely
dance around each other and the issue at hand without ever saying anything meaningful. The girl’s
inability to speak Spanish with the bartender, moreover, not only illustrates her dependence on the
American but also the difficulty she has expressing herself to others.

Symbolism 

White Elephants
A white elephant symbolizes something no one wants—in this story, the girl’s unborn child. The girl’s
comment in the beginning of the story that the surrounding hills look like white elephants initially seems
to be a casual, offhand remark, but it actually serves as a segue for her and the American to discuss their
baby and the possibility of having an abortion. The girl later retracts this comment with the observation
that the hills don’t really look like white elephants, a subtle hint that perhaps she wants to keep the baby
after all—a hint the American misses. In fact, she even says that the hills only seemed to look like white
elephants at first glance, and that they’re actually quite lovely. Comparing the hills—and, metaphorically,
the baby—to elephants also recalls the expression “the elephant in the room,” a euphemism for something
painfully obvious that no one wants to discuss.
Point of View 
Ernest Hemingway's short story “Hills Like White Elephants” is written from the  third person
objective point of view. 

Plot 

Exposition: 
An American man and a girl named Jig wait at a train station in Northern  Spain near the Ebro river. They
are waiting for a train to Madrid. As they sit in  the station, they ordered two beers and the girl gazes at a
line of distant hills. 
Rising Action: 
The conversation turns to the hills on the side of the station, and the  girl explains the hills to look like
"White Elephants." This brings the conversation  to the characters debating whether or not the decision of
a "procedure" is the  right choice for them. 

Climax: 
The girl says nothing for a while, but then she asks what will happen after  she’s had the operation. The
man answers that things will be fine afterward, just  like they were before, and that it will fix their
problems. He says he has known a  lot of people who have had the operation and found happiness
afterward. The  girl dispassionately agrees with him. The American then claims that he won’t  force her to
have the operation but thinks it’s the best course of action to take.  She tells him that she will have the
operation as long as he’ll still love her and  they’ll be able to live happily together afterward. 

Falling Action:
 The man then emphasizes how much he cares for the girl, but she  claims not to care about what happens
to herself. The American weakly says that  she shouldn’t have the operation if that’s really the way she
feels. The girl then  walks over to the end of the station, looks at the scenery, and wonders aloud  whether
they really could be happy if she has the operation. They argue for a  while until the girl gets tired and
makes the American promise to stop talking. 

Conclusion: 
The Spanish bartender brings two more beers and tells them that the train  is coming in five minutes. The
girl smiles at the bartender but has to ask the  American what she said because the girl doesn’t speak
Spanish. After finishing  their drinks, the American carries their bags to the platform and then walks back 
to the bar, noticing all the other people who are also waiting for the train. He  asks the girl whether she
feels better. She says she feels fine and that there is  nothing wrong with her. 

Conflict 
The main conflict in the story “Hills Like White Elephants” is the debate between 
the American and the girl over whether or not to abort their unborn baby that the girl is  carrying. The
man obviously wants and pressures the girl to have an abortion while the  girl is reluctant to go through
with the operation.