“Hills Like White Elephants” is a 1927 short story by Ernest Hemingway published in the magazine Transition. The story centers around two Americans in Spain waiting for their train buy beers and have a conversation that quickly turns into an argument. The argument is about an “operation” that the girl is going to receive upon their arrival in Madrid. The man (wo is referred to as “the American”) spends the story trying to convince the girl that the operation is in her best interest. She is not as sure, however, and meekly tries to voice her opposition. Neither party is willing to listen to what the other has to say, and so the conversation ends with the girl asking the American to “please please please please please please please stop talking” (Hemingway 4). The “operation” being referred to is an abortion, which was a highly taboo and illegal practice in the 1920s. Because of this, the two characters must speak about it in veiled terms. Through his characteristic objective tone, cryptic indications of dialogue, and vague allusions to the topic of abortion, Hemingway is able to craft a story that simultaneously feels vividly real while also providing social commentary on the nature of abortion and American culture. Through these avenues, he critiques both the male dominance in relationships, as well as the taboo nature of abortions.
Understanding Hemingway’s unique minimalistic style is critical to fully grasp the meaning of “Hills Like White Elephants”. In a stark departure from nineteenth century writers such as Dickens and Bronte, Hemingway’s works largely lack stylistic prose and vivid descriptions. In their place are objective descriptions of events that lack any distinguishing elements beyond their obvious characteristics. While the objective commentary might seem like a flippant choice, a deeper analysis reveals that Hemingway is subtly forcing the reader to draw their own conclusions from a text through avenues other than the narrator. For example, the two characters in the short story are only referred to as “the American” and “the girl” (Hemingway 1). No backstory is provided for either, nor a physical description of their characteristics. Instead, the dialogue reveals aspects such as the American likely being much older. Many times in the story the girl answers the American’s questions about what she wants with responses like “I don’t know… is it good with water” in response to how she wants her drink (Hemingway 1). This reveals that the man is likely more experienced and that the girl looks to the American for guidance. The relationship dynamic created by this dependency is key in the American’s insistence on the girl getting the abortion. He tries to reassure her by stating “it’s really an awfully simple operation” (Hemingway 2), but she remains hesitant. These stylistic elements not only help astute readers grasp the magnitude of the tension in a seemingly benign conversation, but also served as a way for Hemingway to get his story published. Abortion was an illegal procedure in the 1920s, and so direct references to it were out of the question if Hemingway wanted the story to be published. Instead, he masks the true meaning behind vague dialogue and descriptions, allowing the story to be published and for his critique of male dominance around women’s health to gain exposure.
Another aspect of Hemingway’s style that helps build to the topic of abortion in the text is his ability to weave characterization into seemly plain text. He does not come out and state character motivations, but instead guides the reader to their own conclusion. A great example of this is referring to the man as “the American” and his partner as simply “the girl” (Hemingway 1). This clues the reader into the relationship dynamic, as the implication is that the man sees the woman as below him. He constantly affirms this by using manipulative techniques such as repeatedly stating “but I don’t want you to do it if you don’t really want to” (Hemingway 3). While seemingly innocuous, the subtext to this statement is that she should have the abortion in order to make him happy. This interpretation stems from the fact that the girl relies on the American for even basic tasks such as ordering drinks. Hemingway here is commenting on the tendency for American culture to be both male dominated and self-centered. The American thinks about what is best for him, while his partner is trying to grasp the magnitude of the situation. She references how she knows many people who had the abortion and “were all so happy” (Hemingway 2), but still has lingering doubts as to whether it would make her happy. Instead of trying to empathize with her, the American spends the entire story trying to convince the girl that what is best for him is best for her. This leads to the characters speaking past each other until the girl snaps and ends the conversation before a conclusion can be reached. Hemingway uses this dynamic dialogue to critique traditional gender roles in relationships, exemplifying how when males act in their own self interest it drowns out the voice of their partner. Rather than considering their partners feelings and desires, males often suppress input from women and instead make decisions for them instead of with them. Abortion is a prime example of this, which is likely a factor that influenced how Hemingway wrote “Hills Like White Elephants”. On one hand, men in American society use abortion to control women and their bodies by denying them the right to choose whether having the baby is in their best interest. On the other hand, in “Hills Like White Elephants” the American uses abortion as a tool to take back control of his life. He does not want to be tied down by the responsibility of the child or the girl, and so he makes the executive decision to get the abortion. Hemingway uses this demonstration to show how abortion is used to control women in two paradoxical directions, which stands as an allegory for male dominance as a whole. The point of exploring the paradox of abortion (and by extension male control) is to demonstrate the detriments of having unbalanced power in society and relationships.
Hemingway also uses cryptic dialogue attributions to force the reader to slow their reading to comprehend the dialogue’s meaning, as well as to mimic the natural rhythm of speech. Rarely does Hemingway add indicators of who is speaking such as “he said” or “she said”. Instead, Hemingway forces the reader to understand each character’s motivations to discern who might say a certain phrase. This creates a hyper realistic feeling to the dialogue, almost as if the reader is eavesdropping on a private conversation a few tables over. The climax of the story is highlighted by fast paced dialogue, with the American making statements such as “we can have the whole world” to which the girl repeats “no, we can’t” (Hemingway 3). Hemingway does not indicate who is speaking in either of these cases, but knowing the argument that he is trying to make through the text allows the reader to implicitly understand who is talking. The girl is trying to show the man that once the baby is aborted, it is gone and they cannot get it back. This is the catalyst for her stating that they cannot have the whole world, as returning to their previous relationship dynamic necessitates the death of the fetus. Hemingway thus builds the character of the girl not by having a narrator state it, but having her characterization come organically from her dialogue. The girl is portrayed as thinking more holistically, while the American is portrayed as thinking only in his own self-interest. Part of the reason that this dialogue is so effective is Hemingway’s mastery of the rhythm of normal speech. The tense back and forth hints to the reader that there is something below the surface that is greater than an argument about whether they could have the world. The fast-paced structure again helps Hemingway masterfully craft a story tackling how taboo a subject abortion is without ever needing to even overtly hint at this meaning.
Throughout “Hills Like White Elephants”, Hemingway utilizes his ability to craft realistic dialogue to develop the characters of the American and the girl to comment on abortion and male dominated relationships. Though he does not explicitly state these commentaries, this was a conscious choice in order to get his story published in magazines. The dialogue structure also adds to the atmosphere of the story, creating a depressingly realistic narrative. Abortion was illegal and taboo at the time, and so direct references were out of the question. Instead, his veiled allusions to the topic help highlight his critiques of the operation being taboo, as it leads to non-productive conversations surrounding the subject. Hemingway also provides commentary on how abortion is used as a control mechanism of men over women by having the power dynamic of the relationship be skewed so heavily in the American’s favor, as well as referencing how the American views the girl as lesser. These comments are no less relevant in a modern context, as abortion is still used as a vector of control for men over women. The same conversation being had in the story is no doubt paralleled by many in the moderns United States, which is astounding considering almost a century after the original publication of the story in Transition. To truly move past such taboos, medical practices that can protect both the economic and physical health of women needs to be more openly discussed. Similarly, the use of vectors such as abortion to control women must be curtailed in order to achieve a more equitable society.
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