Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” was set in the 1920’s, a time period where gender roles and assumptions were very prevalent. The word choice and symbolism, lead the reader on a journey through the attempt at communication by a couple that is forced with a difficult decision to make. The elements of word choice and symbolism used in this short story relate back to the ultimate themes of man’s power of woman, how gender roles were perceived in this time period and the effectiveness of communication. 

Beginning in the first paragraph, Hemingway introduces the characters into the story as “The American and the girl with him,” just based on this introduction the audience is faced with the feeling that the woman is less important than the man. By only addressing the woman as “the girl with him” this represents the gender assumptions placed in this time period and it also expresses that the woman is just a side item. 

The girl starts the conversation by commenting that the hills in Spain that were surrounding them, looked like white elephants. This is the first time the reader is introduced to the “white elephant” that the story is all about. A white elephant is a symbol for a gift that is unwanted and in this case that is an unborn child. This huge elephant in the room is representing an abortion, the couple is attempting to talk about their decision and the woman is very unsure but the man seems to be forcing the decision of having an abortion, on her. The audience can sense this through the dialogue between the characters and the way that they can’t effectively communicate and convey their feelings and opinions with each other. When the woman notes that the hills looked like white elephants, the man says he wouldn’t know he has never seen one, this is the man denying its existence and trying to block out the white elephant they are faced with.

As the conversation continues the dialogue becomes very short and confusing on purpose because the author doesn’t explicitly state who is talking. The story is primarily dialogue to show one of the main themes of communication and its effectiveness. Hemingway does this confusing dialogue to have the readers infer whether it’s the man or the woman talking based on the tone and what they are saying. The author uses the confusing and short dialogue to further explain the power dynamic between men and women. While the couple’s conversation began by the man reacting to the statement about white elephants, as it continues this begins to dwindle away and eventually the man doesn’t acknowledge the white elephant at all. This shows how the woman is being forced to have this abortion and is trying to talk to her partner about her uncertainty but he pushes it off because he feels as if his opinion and decision is the only one that matters. The way he does this and shuts down everything she is trying to say shows that his opinions are valid and hers are not when ultimately this is her decision, he makes her feel like she has no choice in the matter. During this time period, the lack of power by a woman was a common theme and women were left feeling like men had all of the power and they have no say or choice in anything. 

The man makes a comment saying “It really is an awfully simple operation, Jig,” which is completely downplaying the seriousness of this life changing decision. The readers only know her from the nickname “Jig” that he gave her, by only giving the readers information about the girl through the eyes of the man this shows the power he has and how it was a man’s world and she had no relevance and is dependent on the man.  Another statement, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” is the man trying to act like he wants what she does although everything else has pointed to him trying to sway her in his direction and not really giving her an option about this serious decision. Women in this time felt pressure to do only as the men say and it is forbidden to act out against that. 

After the man ignores the conversation and pushes her decision into the direction he wants, she says “They don’t really look like white elephants anymore.” This statement shows how he is overpowering her with the decision of getting an abortion and she doesn’t want to talk anymore. The way the man uses his words and the way he speaks to her manipulates her feelings and opinions. The readers can sense through the dialogue and lack of communication between the couple, that there are many emotions hidden under the surface. Towards the end of the short story, the girl asks her partner to please stop talking. The author specifically uses the word please seven times to expand on this point and the man still doesn’t stop and listen. She considers his feelings but he doesn’t consider hers which has brought the tension between them regarding this conversation. The way he pushes her views towards his and doesn’t acknowledge her opinions on this decision is a true indication of how men in the 1920’s viewed and treated women, like they have no say. 

Because of the symbolism found through the short story, the readers are faced with the obstacle between the couple. The couple is faced with communication issues regarding this huge decision brought upon them because they are unable to convey what they each truly want and feel. The setting and background described in the story is another symbol for the emotional state of the couple and their decisions. The side they were waiting on was brown and dirty but as the girl stood up and walked to the end of the station it states that, “far away, beyond the river, were mountains. The shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain and she saw the river through the trees.” This shadow illustrates lost hope and the mountains being far away is the unattainable conclusion between her and her partner about their decision.  It describes that the two different sides of the tracks symbolize the ultimate outcomes of the decision the girl is faced with. The literal crossroads the couple finds themselves in symbolizes the emotional crossroads they are faced with about this decision at hand. The couple does not take each others reasons into consideration and this is what brings them to this crossroad.

The last lines of the short story are a very accurate depiction of the gender assumptions and societal roles when it comes to women stating their feelings. The man asks “Do you feel better” and the woman replies, basically reassuring herself more than anything, “I feel fine. There is nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.” By ending the short story with this statement and because it did not lead to a resolution, it makes the reader feel for the woman and relate to her by understanding that she is just keeping her feelings in and doing what the man says and wants because she feels that she has no other option and she has lost hope in fighting for what she wants. The societal contexts in this time period relating to gender roles is portrayed through the elements of word choice and symbolism through the short story. By employing this demanding word choice and tone of the man as well as the use of symbolism, the author shows the readers the insignificant role women played in the 1920’s and just how the gender roles were in instances small or big like here in this example of going through the motions of a couple discussing an abortion. 
