Setting and Symbolism in "Hills Like White Elephants"

“Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story that descries the struggle of a young couple over the issue of abortion. Through the utilization of setting and symbolism, Hemingway introduces the conflict of abortion to the audience through this young couple. The introduction of the American and the girl at the bar in a train station in Spain sets up the tense atmosphere of the short story. Through Hemingway’s use of symbolism, the audience is able to see the contrasting views of the issue on abortion as “on this siode there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun.” The “two lines of rails in the sun” shows the sharp contrasting views of the American and the girl on whether or not they should keep the child or use abortion to go back to how their lives once were before the pregnancy. Through the setting, Hemingway depicts the pregnant women as “the hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white.” The setting of this valley of Ebro symbolizes the fertility of nature and the fertile woman. The implementation of symbolism and imagery though the setting of the short story shows that the woman is pregnant and is opposed to aborting this child, as the man is not wanting to have the child so they can move on with their lives childless.