Hemingway's, "Hills Like White Elephants," is an unusual love story between an American man and a girl, Jig. Jig seems to be the mature one in this imbalanced relationship. Throughout the story the man just nags and begs the girl to get an abortion despite her objections to the idea. .
To me, the title of this story has a couple of different meanings. Jig's attention to the color of the hills suggests a pregnant woman lying down. It could also signify the pale skin tones of a stillborn baby. In addition, Buddha's mother had dreamed of a white elephant. Her looking at the hills is visionary; it is a manifestation of her possible future in the ninth month.
At the bar, they both decided to try Anis del Toro, a drink that has a sort of a licorice taste. Anis is used to treat colic also. Jig may be seeking relief from the fear of hollowness after an abortion. Because she has been dwelling in the man's world, she recognizes that the licorice-flavored anis is a metonym for all of the other counterfeit replacements for the real things for which she has long been waiting for. The absinthe is as forbidden as their probably unmarried pregnancy; they can both cause some sort of blindness. Since it (absinthe) leaves a bitter taste, it could be suggestive of their sexual encounters, sweet at first now marred by pregnancy and the threat of abortion. The water is used as a symbol of refreshment and salvation.
