Hills like white elephant - Essay Example

Hills like white elephant "Hills like white elephant" is a short story by Earnest Hemingway set on a hot day in a Spanish railway station surrounded by hills, large fields and valleys, and trees. A girl and a man, referred to as the American, are the two main characters of the story. The two are at a table where they take drinks as they wait for a train to Madrid. The girl looks at the hills and remarks to the man that they look like white elephants (Hemingway 211). However, after a few more drinks, she comments that the hills do not really look like white elephants.

The man convinces the girl to undergo the operation stating that is awfully simple and she should not worry. The girl, on the other hand, tries to keep a brave face but her words and expressions show that the operation is a frightening experience. They keep drinking as they talk about the operation until the train arrives and they have to board. At the end of the conversation, the girl says she is fine as she tries to convince the man as well as herself that the operation is not a big deal (Hemingway 214).

It is clear that she is hurt by the mans deceitful show of empathy and that she does not want to undergo the operation. From his words, the man wants the girl to undergo the operation, which is an abortion; even though he maintains that it is up to the girl to decide. His sincerity and honesty are not real as he convinces the girl to have the abortion so that they can be free to go anywhere they want and have everything. This short story shows the difference of opinion in male and female relationships whereby in the end, the girl submits to the man.

Works CitedHemingway, Ernest. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway: The Finca Vigia Edition. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2007. Print.