In “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, the short story of a man and a woman waiting at a train station is told while subtle hints are dropped on their conversation meaning. The American man meets a girl on his travels around Barcelona and Madrid and seemingly gets her pregnant. While drinking and waiting for the train, the pair discuss whether to have an abortion or not. The American puts pressure on the girl, referred to as “Jig,” to have the abortion and insists it is just a simple and painless process. The man shows authority by making most decisions for the girl such as what to drink or what to say/feel, but the ultimate decision of having the abortion is up to her. It is questionable due to the conversation and ending of the short story whether Jig will go through with having the abortion or decide to keep the baby. The man pretends that it is up to the girl and says it is her decision, but there is force from him to have the abortion. While Jig agrees at first, by the end of the story her mood has changed to annoyed and wanting to be content with herself. The girl pushes the thought away wanting to change the topic of conversation. Although the pressure and authority of the American is clear in this story, the woman does not follow through with the abortion. Evidence points to Jig wanting to keep the baby when she pushes away the topic of abortion, when she admires the white elephant traits of the hills, and when she overuses the word ‘fine.’ 

The girl leaves the American man hanging multiple times when she is non-responsive of his eager towards the abortion. She shows no desire in wanting an abortion other than the fact of making him happy. Arguments of going through with the abortion to satisfy the man can be denied by her constant denial of conversation concerning the abortion. The conversation is choppy because they both consider the opinions of one another; however, Jig wants it to be over: “Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?” (Hemingway 530). The girl is sick of his consistent nagging for her to have the “simple” abortion. By asking him to stop talking, a twist is seen in the conversation as the man has to come up with something else to say. The couple has nothing in common, but the American blames the awkwardness on the baby. The man tells her that by having the abortion they could get along and live happily. The short story suggests that the couple has not been together long so problems this early in their relationship does not show potential for a long lasting relationship. Jig feels the pressure of the man and shows her annoyance when telling him to stop discussing the abortion. 

Defined as a possession that is useless or troublesome, a white elephant is a gift that is seen as a curse rather than a blessing. Used as a metaphor for the baby, the hills are described as white elephants. At first, the girl says the hills look similar to white elephants because they are brown and dry and do not resemble the pretty scenery that typically surrounds her. As the short story continues, Jig changes her mind to insist the hills are pretty: “’They’re lovely hills,’ she said. ‘They don’t really look like white elephants. I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees,” (Hemingway 528). The girl considers the abortion earlier in the story and references to her baby as the brown, dry, white-elephant-like hills, but alters her opinion to lovely hills. The alteration shows a baby would be lovely in her mind and nothing that resembling a troublesome or useless gift. Though the color of the hills is not the prettiest (or the idea of having this baby), Jig pushes away the thought of referring to her baby as a white elephant and changes her view on the ugly hills to lovely representing the idea of keeping the white elephant gift (the baby) will be lovely.

Throughout “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway favors the word ‘fine.’ The couple is having a ‘fine’ time, they will be ‘fine’ afterwards, and they are ‘fine’ right now. Hemingway uses fine because it is a balance between good and bad. The couple is at an awkward state in their relationship and they are not doing good, but they are not doing bad. Their relationship can be defined as just fine. Jig uses the word ‘fine’ to end the short story showing that she does not choose to get an abortion: “’I feel fine,’ she said. ‘There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine,’” (Hemingway 531). The girl uses the word ‘fine’ to state she is fine the way she is and does not need to get an abortion because there is nothing wrong with her. Jig uses this as her final statement to show her end decision of keeping the baby. Some readers may view her use of ‘fine’ because she is fine with having the abortion, but by stating there is nothing wrong with her it can be assumed that she finds no reason to have the abortion. Used as a balance between good/bad earlier, Hemingway uses fine at the end of the short story in a powerful way suggesting ‘fine’ can be replaced with content. Jig is content; therefore, she feels no desire for having the abortion. 

To conclude, the end of “Hills like White Elephants” is open to question on whether the girl goes through with the man’s wish of an abortion. Arguments for Jig having the abortion include the constant pressuring of the man pushing the girl to do it because of wanting happiness or a continued life with this man. However, Jig shows annoyance with the man and asks him to not bring up the conversation anymore as she wants the idea of abortion to go away. She also claims the hills that look similar to white elephants are lovely and uses them as a metaphor to say her baby will be lovely and will not resemble a white elephant at all. Furthermore, she uses ‘fine’ to end the story on the note that she is satisfied with her current situation and knows there is nothing to fix her because there is nothing that needs fixing. Though there is consistent back and forth, bipolar conversation that goes on during the story, Jig does not follow through with the abortion. 