Hills Like White Elephants

I had actually read Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” in one of my high school English classes, and I remembered that the discussion between the two was about an abortion. On the first read it is very hard to understand this because they never mention what kind of operation it is directly and their discussion is vague. The man and girl are in a foreign country at a train station and only the man knows the language because whenever the woman with the drinks says something, the girl asks what it was that she said. The two characters were sitting outside and in the shade, signifying their want for privacy and also a gloomy and dark situation. The dialogue between the two characters is very repetitive and shows that the girl is unsure about the operation, while the guy clearly wants her to have it done. He thinks it will solve their problems and make everything between them better. I think the significance of the title is that hills and mountains represent an obstacle or hugeness, and the white elephant represents something that is precious and rare, but can also be seen as a burden to some.