Jig and the American - Hills Like White Elephants

She wants to stop behaving like an adolescent girl and become a woman. These desires and feelings show that Jig is ready for a change. However, the American does not seem at all interested in changing his ways. This tension is also seen at the bar when they begin talking about the hills that look like white elephants. The girl asks to order more drinks to put off the inevitable conversation about the baby. .
             Although they drink mainly to avoid thinking about the pregnancy, readers get a sense that deeper problems exist in their relationship. The drinking within this story is very symbolic because it serves as the only link the couple has to each other; both use it to avoid facing the reality of their situation (Weeks 1). The difference in the desires of each individual causes many issues throughout the story. Due to this, they rely on excessive drinking as a way to avoid the dilemma of having to talk about the abortion. .
             The white elephants are the most significant symbol within this story. The comment made by Jig in the beginning of the story is very meaningful. She talks about the surrounding hills saying, "They look like white elephants" (Hemingway 1964). This seems to be a casual remark, but it acts as the need for Jig and the American to discuss their baby and the possibility of having an abortion. The element of white elephants is symbolic of the baby. The term "white elephants"" originally was used in Indian cultures where a white elephant is "a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of"" (Weeks 75). This describes the struggle that jig and the American man are having, not wanting to keep the baby, but having a difficult time to dispose of it. This is the reality of what Jig is going through. The fact that the she so readily sees white elephants in the most random of surroundings implies that she is thinking a lot about the impending abortion (Littleton 1). .
             In response to Jig's comment about the hills looking like white elephants, the American says, "I've never seen one" (Hemingway 1964).