Hills like White Elephants - by Ernest Hemingway

In the passage written by Ernest Hemingway, Hills like White Elephants is about an American man and his significant other, Jig. It is obvious to me that the couple is not married. I also believe they recently discovered they are expecting a baby. Overall, from this short passage, I think the two were once happily in love but it's starting to fade since they have learned about the pregnancy. It put a burden on their relationship.

Although I believe the couple was very happy together, some of their actions make me believe their relationship is currently uncertain. As I stated before, I do not believe they are married, and it's obvious that the pregnancy was unintentional. From the things said throughout the passage, it seems Jig and the American man are travelers who stop in different towns every so often throughout their journey. The two of them seem to have an almost childish way of communicating with one another, and most of their conversations turn out to be almost meaningless with no certain answer ever being said. An example of their childish communication would be when Jig starts talking about alcohol and the man tells her to "…cut it out" (321). Jig replies and says, "You started it" (321). Even though their relationship seems to be somewhat immature in some situations, I think they can also have a very sophisticated relationship. This shows not only by some of their actions, but also by the drinks they order. They ordered Anis del Toro, absinthe, and when they ordered beer the man called it cerveza.

As the two of them were waiting at the train station, they were having drinks and discussing what to do. They are considering having an abortion. The woman is obviously uncertain about what to do but she wants to make the man happy. "…But I don't care about me. And I'll do it and then everything will be fine" (322). From this quote you can easily see that Jig just wants to make their relationship what it used to be. Another quote from the girl that supports this idea is when she says, "And if I do it you'll be happy and things will be like they were and you'll love me?" (322). I think the girl just wants a relationship where she is loved and she is starting to think