In the short story "Hills like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway, the storyline is based off a couple's conversation the reader does not know about. During the conversation there was a repetition of the word "operation.”  Also the white-man constantly states that he does not want his girlfriend to go through with anything if she does not want to, however he only wants HER. The girl has witty humor when she brings up the hills looking like white elephants. She knows when she says the hills looking like white elephants, white elephants go with the saying "there is an elephant in the room." Clearly whatever the operation or white elephant is, she is having trouble going through with it because she wants to make her boyfriend happy, but she does not want to go against what she believes is right. Another thing about the tension in the conversation is that the elephant leads to the fact that the girl is pregnant. Needless to say, the operation is abortion. One can say that this is true with indicating factors such as comments about an abortion, the man only talking about wanting her, and the idea of them continuing to travel. Hemingway illustrates that while the couple is talking about the “elephant”, they should be communicating about the abortion. The couple shows a primary example of talking past each other rather than communicating. Ultimately, Hemingway in “Hills like White Elephants” demonstrates that while talking and communicating may be perceived as similar, talking is really stating ideas and communication is solving solutions.

A central theme that Hemingway tries to display is that talking is just about one’s self and communication is coping with one another. One example that shows talking rather than communicating is when the couple is actually talking about the operation. The man states “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig. It’s really not an operation at all…We’ll be fine afterward. Just like we were before,” clearly the man thinks that the operation is very simple, quick, and will not affect the relationship. However, on the other hand Jig, the girl, believes otherwise. Since the operation is not being done to the male, of course the operation would be meaningless to him because it has no effect. The women is so far removed and speechless at the fact that he is focused on the process and not on her. That is where communication fails because he only considering on the way he feels and not on finding a solution that fits both. 

Another example of miscommunication is when the couple has a motivation of fulfilling each others believes and desires. The man tries to explain to the girl that he does not want her to go through with anything if she does not want to. On the other hand, the girl is wanting to make the boy happy and is only thinking about him and not herself. On both parts, there is a selfish role being played. Once again the man wants her to go through with the operation because it would benefit him and only him. Later he states, “I think it’s the best thing to do. But I don’t want you to do it if you don’t want to.” This statement shows that the boy is basically telling the girl what she should and do what is right for her. Her reaction is based off of love when she replies, “…If I do it you’ll be happy and things will be like they were before and you’ll love me?”  On the girl’s part, she wants to make the boy happy and never stop loving her but what she does not realize is if she goes through with the operation, could she end up where she no longer loves herself. Hemingway shows that bad actions will occur due to the miscommunication on trying to meet one another’s needs. The goal should not be to meet one others needs but to understand what the other person needs and to meet them equally. 

Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants,” has many different themes, but a more dominate theme is the misunderstanding between talking and communicating. In this short story, the two individuals that are present demonstrate the miscommunication through dialogue. What Hemingway demonstrates is not about the topic of abortion and it’s difficultly to “talk” about but to demonstrate how miscommunication leads to a misunderstanding of one another’s perspective, feelings and desires. The ultimate message that Hemingway is trying to send out to readers is that communication is not just speaking but about understanding. It is not about the whole situation and speaking past one another. It is about taking the perspective of each other and coming up with a solution and being aware of one another. Communication is about seeing and embracing one another’s believes while talking is just about believing, seeing, and hearing about one believe in. 