Reading Between the Hills

"Hills Like White Elephants" is the perfect example of a bad relationship. This woman wants to talk about problems, but the man does not want to talk about the subject. The couple is waiting on a train at the station. This train station marks the crossroads of their relationship, with one train going to Barcelona and the other to Madrid. Hemingway suggests that there are some communication difficulties in this relationship by using the bartender. The woman cannot speak Spanish and must rely on the american to translate for her and order her drinks. The main problem comes up when she mentions the hills looking like white elephants. A white elephant being a gift that no one wants. This said gift is difficult to understand without reading a little extra material, but it is actually a baby. However, the woman is very indecisive and changes her mind about the hills. She is stuck and cannot make a decision about whether to keep this child or not. The man insists on having this abortion, and the woman just wants the man to be happy. She tries to tell him that she wants the child, and he keeps saying you don't have to unless you want to, but you should get the abortion because it will make me happy. The woman responds by saying she doesn't care about her happiness. They argue a while longer until she begs him to shut up. However, she wants another drink now, but must have the american translate for her, showing us that he still has control over her. The story ends with the woman deciding that she feels fine with the operation. This woman needed to do what she wanted to do. Relationships are two way streets and one should never control another, especially not in a situation like this. Putting subtle hints in between the lines like this is one Hemingway's favorite things to do in his work, and he did a good job in this story.