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Argumentative Essay on “Hills like White Elephants”
Introduction
As life is something of incalculable worth, taking away one's breath is both an immoral and
inhuman act. In both traditional and contemporary society, it is unethical to take away the precious life of
a child, especially when that child is voiceless. Ernest Hemingway, a short story writer and a journalist,
must have contemplated a lot about the above sentiments when he wrote his captivating story- "Hills like
white Elephants." In the story, Ernest tells a tale of a guy and a lady taking beer while waiting for a train
station in Spain. As they wait, they enter into a spirited conversation where the guy attempts to convince
the lady to get an abortion, but the lady is equivocal about it.
Thesis statement
From time immemorial, women have been known to be the perpetrators of the evil act of abortion,
where they make use of medicine or surgery to get rid of the unborn baby. However, when women abort,
they are usually influenced by outside forces, particularly their male counterparts. Males, after realizing
that they are in control in a relationship and that they are loved, they push women to carry out this
horrendous act without even thinking of what becomes of them afterward. Therefore, males are the actual
evil doers here and not women. However, women, if they want, they can resist this influence and put an
end to this heinous act.
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Body
"Hills like White Elephants" is a fascinating story about a young couple arguing about abortionan issue that usually causes grief, headache, and heartache to many (Wyche 58). Throughout the story, a
young woman referred to as "Jig" and her boyfriend, referred to as "the American,” are arguing about
abortion. But how do we know that what the two are arguing about is abortion? In the story, one thing
comes out clearly- the man wants the woman to undergo an operation. The man describes this operation
as something that is "perfectly simple" and something that is "not really even an operation." He gives the
lady a promise of staying with her all through and that they will be happy together after the operation is
done. Because the man doesn't mention anything about the woman's health, we assume that the operation
can't entail something that is to cure the woman's illness. Also, by the man mentioning that the lady doesn't
have to undergo the operation if she doesn't need to, we know that the type of procedure for the operation
will be elective and not non-elective. Finally, the man's sentiment that the procedure's aim is "just to let
the air in" confirms that the procedure is definitely an abortion and not any other type of operation.
The setting of the story is in a train station (Hemingway 635). As the story commences, the couple
hardly discusses the abortion that the story is based on, but they instead talk of the liquor they are taking.
However, as the story continues, we see "Jig" and "the American" engaging in an argumentative situation.
Through Jigs' sentiments, we learn that that the situation she is under must be tantalizing. Her mind is torn
between choosing life for her unborn baby and getting rid of it. She must decide on the correct thing to
do. However, another thing that even confuses her the more is "the American's" directives. If she can't
decide as her boyfriend wants, the chances of them living happily afterwards are slim.
The conversation between "Jig "and "the American" is very intense, and it is obvious that the
subject matter is causing a great burden to them (Hemingway 635). "Jig" appears to be agitated and with
a lot of enthusiasm when she asks her boyfriend whether getting the abortion will make their love and
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courtship happy and strong again, just like it was in the past. She struggles with wanting to know the
solution to this menace with deciding on the correct choice to make. However, as she struggles, her
boyfriend, on the other hand, doesn't care that much as he downplays the situation. He addresses the
situation weakly and seems not to worry too much about his girlfriend, but himself. He seems to push the
lady a lot as he even convinces her that the operation won't be even an operation at all because it will be
painless. Furthermore, her boyfriend- "the American" is very bumptious and seems to be determined to
control and make her listen to him when "Jig" on the other side is busy contemplating whether to keep the
baby. It's clear that the man is very perturbed and upset towards her, but chooses to display the frustration
side and not the furious one.
Suddenly, the girl changes the story's scope as she marches towards the end of the station and
gazes at the landscape. She then says that the mountains look "like white elephants." However, after
uttering her sentiments, another intense argument begins until "the American" says, "oh, cut it out." Upon
realizing that her boyfriend has been upset, she slips into an apology and states that the mountains don't
look like white elephants, but their "skin." Based on the man's point of view, the hills can't look like white
elephants, and the hills don't possess their skins. The lady, however, quickly shifts from the man's rational
world to her intuitive world, in which she discovers that the things that her heart desire can't be fulfilled.
This point is best illustrated when she stares across the river and catches the sight of fields of fertile grain.
This insight symbolizes the lands' fertility contrasted to the hill's barren sterility (Valeri 8). Patently, she
has desires for the beauty, fertility, and loveliness of the grain. Still, she also knows that she has to be
contented with the impending abortion's barren sterility and the continued presence of an inadequate man.
Therefore, the decision she will make here must be carefully thought.
Finally, the awaited train arrives, and the two prepare to take off. "The American," notices that
"Jig' isn't fine and asks her whether she is okay. "Jig" lies by saying that she is fine, acquiesce to his wants,
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and shut him up. However, they end up solving nothing. The tension between them continues amidst their
preparations to leave for Madrid (Valeri 8). The lady has been hurt by the man's empathy that is both
fraudulent and patronizing. Also, she seems to be extremely worried about the approaching operation in
Madrid. Notably, through the words that the guy and the lady exchange, we learn that the lady goes
through a couple of changes, she transforms from being someone who depends totally on the man's
decision to make sure of her own choices and awareness of what to expect from her boyfriend. At their
conversations' end, she becomes in charge of the situation and also takes control of herself. She ceases
behaving childishly. This is evident when she tells the man to "please shut up." The word "please" has
been repeated in the story seven times to indicate that she had become overwhelmingly tired of the man's
hypocrisy and reiteration of the same subject.
Conclusion
Conclusively, everything in the story points out that the man's only intention is to convince the
woman to have an abortion. Even though at some point, the guy utters that he intends that the lady can
have an abortion only when it feels right for her, we question his honesty. The man is just applying logic
to persuade the lady enough. Therefore, "the American" here is doing everything he can to make the lady
fall for his words. However, even if the story doesn't end by telling us whether the lady aborts or not, it
ends in such a way that we can make our depiction. Towards the story's end, we see "Jig" discovering
herself, and it looks like her decision will be based on her interests and won't be under the effect of "the
American." Therefore, as we have seen the story, Yes, men can have the power to influence the lady to do
abortion, but also women have all the room to fight back and resist this evil act.
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Work Cited
Hemingway, Ernest.
“Hills Like White Elephants”. Pp 635-639. The Norton Introduction to
Literature. Mays, Kelly J., Shorter 12th ed. W. W. Norton & Company, 2016.
Valeri, Laura. "More Than Skin-Deep: Reading Past Whiteness in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White
Elephants”." Journal of Creative Writing Studies 3.1 (2018): 8.
Wyche, David. "Letting the air into a relationship: metaphorical abortion in `Hills Like White Elephants'."
The Hemingway Review, vol. 22, no. 1, 2002, p. 56+. Gale Academic OneFile, https://link-galecom.aclibproxy.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A94775662/AONE?u=txshracd2904&sid=AONE&xid=9
6b58959. Accessed 19 July 2020.