Personal / psychological conflict on the characters in Hills Like White Elephants - Essay Example

The reader is brought into the conversation right away because the story opens with a short introduction and then the dialogue. As the story continues, the conversation is intriguing because the reader does not know at first what is happening. Psychologically this story is difficult for some because the issue of abortion is so controversial. In the story, the couple seems to have different ideas about what should happen. The man (as he is referred to throughout the story) pushes Jig to have the abortion.

She does not seem to want it but she seems to feel that this is the only way that she can stay with this man. She has resolved herself to go through the abortion in order to make him happy. It becomes clear that Jig does not want to talk about the abortion; instead, she wants to ignore what is happening. She seems to want to be numb to the situation so that she can be alone with her thoughts. As an example, she tries to stay off the topic by saying that the hills remind her of white elephants.

This comment serves a duo purpose. The first purpose is to make idle conversation so they do not have to talk about the abortion. The second purpose is to show the symbol of the “white elephant” in the room that no one wants to talk about (Weeks Jr. 76). The reader does not know how long this couple has been together and how far along in the pregnancy she is because it is never mentioned in the story. However, they do not seem to have a lot of love in the relationship and they both see the challenge of a baby differently.

The man sees the baby as a symbol of lost freedom. This exchange between them implies that he does not want to lose his freedom: Clearly, the man is attempting to talk Jig into the abortion by telling her everything will be back to normal once they are finished with the abortion. What is interesting is that the man sees the baby as the reason that the relationship is having problems. He implies that once the baby is gone their relationship can