Critical Essay on "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway

Introduction

"Hills like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway is a masterful story that revolves around two unmarried lovers, the American and Jig. The story takes place one afternoon at a train station in Madrid, Spain. The American is attempting to convince Jig into getting an abortion.While the narrator avoids using the term 'abortion,'opting for 'operation' instead, Hemmingway incorporated literacy elements into this story that reveals meaning of 'operation.' While it is clear that their relationship will not work, Jig continues with the pregnancy as they travel.

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The American's Selfishness and Manipulation

The American is aself-centered, irresponsible person that is only interested in his comforts and desires. Before Jig's pregnancy, he was caring and compassionate towards her; it was just after discovering Jig was pregnant,his attitude changed.He was not ready to take on the responsibility for being the father of an unborn child. In what could be considered an act of selfishness, he decided the best course of action was to convince Jig to abort the pregnancy without any regard to the consequences associated such a procedure.It is clear he is running away from responsibilities instead of addressing them, believing that terminating the pregnancy will fix all their problems and return their lives back to normal.

He attempts to convince Jig that the process of terminating the pregnancy is safe despite his doubts. Even with his lack of knowledge of this procedure, he still wants her to go through with it.His egoistic nature makes him ignorant; giving the impression that he could care less about the well-being of Jig. Even though he knows abortions are prohibited in Spain, he continues to push his agenda without considering what might happen if they were caught.

The consideration of the spontaneous child was just too much for him to process. While Jig treated her pregnancy as a newfound hope and blessing, to him, it was a commitment he was not prepared for. He trusted that the raising of a kid to be a costly and distressing experience. Therefore, he was willing to do anything possible to meddle with the excellent and religious qualities exhibited by the young lady since she was Catholic. The American trusted that the young lady would finally give in to his suggestion about the unplanned child and alter her opinion. In this specific circumstance, Hemingway tries to show that the sentiments of females in the general public were undermined. Male dominance in the society was standardized, and women were to be seen and not heard.

The interest of the American was to keep up the extravagant way of life of voyaging everywhere throughout the world. The names of the considerable number of lodgings they had gone to catch on the sacks showed The American's dynamic soul. Keeping the pregnancy implied that they could never again traverse the globe since it was required to settle down and bring up the child. The present way of life would naturally change given different interests. Consequently, The American perceived the end of the pregnancy a simple and straightforward process. The man was not worried about Jig, but instead all he thought about was the absence of obligation of childhood a youngster.

The American's Focus on Lifestyle and Lack of Commitment

Shockingly, the American insisted to his darling that he had his eyes on her only. However, this only proved further that the American had no intention of keeping the child. The man had adopted a lifestyle in which he was not liable to anybody including the young lady. The male character uncovered the issues of male dominance within the general public. The male-ruled society abused ladies and disregarded the predicaments. The American regarded the young lady as a question, and this is delineated even by her name, 'jig' that implied an instrument of estimating bourbon, a kind of liquor. Men overlooked the feelings of ladies and did not consider their agony as an issue of criticalness that required solutions.

The male character uses a pacifying language to appease the girl so that he can sell his agenda. He uses reassuring terms that would create guilt in the girl and alter her mind regarding the abortion. When Jig asks The American if all he wants was to terminate the pregnancy, he responded by claiming that it was the best thing to undertake but proceeded to say that he did not want Jig to perform the abortion is she did not wish to do it. The American contradicts his words with the desires of his heart. It is evident that The American manipulated the language to confuse Jig. The American might not be perceived as an unpleasant oppressor, but it is clear that self-interests drove him. The American made efforts to manipulate Jig because she knew that the girl loved him and could anything to keep him happy. The American man used the conciliatory language to hide his true self.

Conclusion

As illustrated, male dominance is prevalent in the short story. The American made all the critical decisions in their relationship with Jig. Despite the girl understanding the risks associated with abortion, she finally had to dance to his tune to avoid losing him. The American was not ready to sacrifice his lifestyle and start a family because of the child. Jig agreed to his demands because the society normalized the subjugation of women since time immemorial.

Annotated Bibliography

Susanty, Susanty. "The Meaning Of Relationship In Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephant"." Journal on English as a Foreign Language 2.2 (2015): 1-10.

In this article, Susanty describes the position of women in a male-dominated society. She illustrates that The American has a deplorable attitude towards the pregnancy since he was not ready to take responsibility for the unborn child. The relationship between The American and Jig signified desperateness, boredom, unhappiness, and failed love. The American selfishness corrupted the relationship. The author reveals that the patriarchal society undermined the voice of women as their opinions were ignored. Susanty's article is outstanding in the way it narrates the relationship between The American and Jig.

Works Cited

Susanty, Susanty. "THE MEANING OF RELATIONSHIP IN HEMINGWAY'S "HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANT"." Journal on English as a Foreign Language 2.2 (2015): 1-10.