In “Hills Like White Elephants” Hemingway tells a story about a couple who come upon a vital problem. Throughout the story there is a great deal of argument and disagreement between the man and women over an operation that the man insists the women receives. This operation is an abortion. Due to the abortion laws, the way in which people viewed the idea of abortion, and gender roles at the time the problem in the story is greatly intensified. The historical and cultural ideas of abortion at the time of the story influence the opinion of the women, and why she does not want an abortion. The audience can understand how the vision of abortion caused such intense argument in the story. Abortion was viewed very negatively, and that is why the woman made such a strong case to reject the operation. 

The disagreement that occurs in the story is never directly stated, but it is clear to the audience that abortion is the issue. Throughout the dialogue in the story, it can be shown that the man and woman are talking about abortion. For example, the man says to the woman, “I’ll go with you and I’ll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural” (Hemingway 529). By insisting that he will be right by her side we can understand that he will always be there for her even if the kid is gone. He is not just with her because she is pregnant, but even if she receives the operation he will remain with her. By saying that everything will be perfectly natural afterward, it allows the audience to know that the topic of discussion is abortion because “naturally” a woman is not pregnant. They will be back to the way that they were before. The man and woman do not agree and it is noticeable that there is a big gap between their opinions and beliefs. This relates right back to the generalized use of language in the story. They continue to go back and forth, and no conclusion is made. Conversations between the man and woman show the lack of communication and connection that the two have. The woman questions the man about his feelings for he, so it is clear the relationship is not perfectly healthy. At one point, she questions whether the man will worry about her if she were to “do it.” If they were truly close and comfortable with one another this would not occur. When the discussion of abortion comes up in the story, it is referred to as an operation, and the outcomes of it are never talked about. While the man and woman interact about the abortion, a big part of the conversation revolves around the drinks that they are having that night. In spite of the problem taking place, both the man and woman seem done with the conversation for now and want to move on. The man claims that he would do anything for the woman, and she takes advantage of that by telling him to stop talking. At one point the woman is looking around at the hills that surround her and says, “they look like white elephants” (527). After researching white elephants, Alex Link of York University states that white elephants are “a metaphor for an expensive and oppressive property” (Link). In the story, the white elephant symbolizes the weight of caring for a child. Based on Link’s assessment of a white elephant, the weight of caring for a child is very heavy. There is much responsibility placed on one’s shoulder’s with a newborn. The child must be cared for, and that care could lead to being very costly and unbearable. The white elephant symbolizes the weight of having a child, and the weight of having a child symbolizes the minimal interaction of the couple. Due to this little interaction, many issues come up in the story. When the woman states that the hills look like white elephants, the man emphasizes, and points out the struggles related to their relationship. He does this by stating, “I have never seen one” (527). Throughout the story, the author uses the word “it” in an odd way. Link states, “the fact that it is never named suggests both the intimacy of the couple’s relationship, and the unspeakability of that information” (Link). They do not do a good job of communicating with one another, and never talk about the problems that they face. Over the course of the story, they just avoid the important problems and let them pass right over. The disagreement the man and the woman are having becomes blown out of proportion because of their lack of communication. The woman is fighting strongly for her opinion, and the man is refusing to accept it with ease. 

The issues in the story between the man and the woman are also enhanced by the abortion laws of the time, and the way in which the public perceived abortion. During the 1920’s, abortion was often seen as a cultural issue, and throughout the world it was thought to be wrong. It was viewed negative by the people. This erupted the issues between the couple, and caused them to be very deep and personal. The woman refuses to get the operation that the man insists. Since she lived during a time where abortion was viewed negatively, she must have had cruel feelings about it. Receiving an abortion would leave her with a bad reputation, and she would be judged by the public. The man struggled to understand the views of abortion at the time, and believed that it was not wrong at all. He could not see the deeper meaning behind it. To him it was a normal thing to do, and that is why the disagreement between the couple was so personal. The woman must have found it hard to see what the man was thinking, and since she was very emotional about her stance, the coupled failed to find a solution to the disagreement. The man also had a difficult time understanding the woman’s prospective in the situation. Their opposite views proceeded to continue the problems they had. 

The story takes place at a train station in Spain during the late 1920’s. As known, Spain is primarily a Catholic populated country. Per research from Merike Blofield, Catholics prohibited abortion, and it was defined by the Catholic Church as a homicide (Blofield). Abortion was also against the law at the time of the story. This law is never discussed or brought up. Due to the man’s lack of recognition about the laws of abortion in Spain, he makes many uneducated statements to the woman about it. Since he does not acknowledge the perception and laws of abortion at the time, the issues that could come out of receiving an abortion go unnoticed. The man’s failure to recognize the laws of abortion, help adds to the disagreement he is having. He lacks in seeing the seriousness of receiving an abortion, and how the results could potentially ruin his relationship. He possesses a care free attitude about the situation. This causes him to act stubborn and fail to see the bigger picture. It seems as if the man just does not care about the good of his partner. 

No matter what the outcome was in the story, the man made it seem as if he was emotionless. As Nilofer Hashmi stated, “regardless of what actually transpires, the existing relationship between the man and woman will deteriorate” (Hashami). This statement reveals the self -centeredness of the man, and how he believes that what he the way it is. The woman’s opinion means nothing to him. In the 1920’s, the time in which the story takes place, men were superior over woman. Men decided the way they wanted stuff done. Woman had very little importance, and unfortunately suffered being low in society. The man in the story displays these roles in society by continually going against the woman. He does not accept her opinions, but rather attempts to destroy them and get what he wants. The man turns down the idea of having a child, and continually pushes the idea of an abortion to the woman. He has no consideration of her feelings. According to Hashami, constant bickering back and forth, and never resolving the issue of abortion, will sooner or later end their relationship. He explains how the lack of interaction between the two shows the lack of love that they have towards each other, and how the topic of abortion itself is enough to cut the ties that they have. The relationship between them seems to already have no attachment, so there is no way that it is possible to keep it going if the woman were to receive an abortion. An abortion is exactly what he does not want, and receiving one would cause her to suffer greatly. It seems as if the man is almost using the idea of abortion as an escape route in the relationship. 

The conflicts that arise in the story between the couple are intensified by the historical and cultural context of the time in which the story takes place. They are in Spain during a period where abortion was against the law, and was viewed negatively by the people. The man’s care free attitude about abortion, and the way he failed to see the woman’s perspective, proved to cause the problems they faced. The “white elephants” in the story are simply the weight of having a child, and how that would cause this unhealthy relationship to end. 
