In Ernest Hemmingway’s Hills Like White Elephants he tells the story of a couple struggling to express their true feeling about the situation they are going through. Though the exact problem the couple is going through is not explicitly stated, the reader is able to pick up that the “simple operation” frequently brought up is an abortion. The couple in the story clearly have differing opinions about the best course of action and are having trouble speaking their mind to one another. By looking at Hemmingway’s choice of lack of dialogue between the couple the audience can see the conflict going on between the couple which is significant to express the importance of talking out problems for a healthy relationship to exist. 

It is often said that the key to a healthy relationship is communication. The lack of communication like that of the couple in Hemmingway’s story leads to conflict and turmoil which is an impossible environment for a relationship to survive. In the story a multitude of techniques are attempted by the couple as a way of starting a dialogue but all attempts ultimately fail to address the actual issue at hand. The first attempt to address the issue can be seen when the girl says “They look like white elephants.” referring to the hills in the distance. She uses this word choice purposely, the elephant representing the expression “elephant in the room” which in this context means the obvious problem but the complete ignorance of it by the couple. The color white to describe the elephants is symbolic because white typically means purity and innocence, which the woman is using to refer to the unborn child inside of her. The man in the story either doesn’t pick up on the girl’s allusion or just simply ignores it instead deflecting to talking about beer. 

The girl consistently brings up the allusion to “white elephants” in an effort to start a conversation between her and the man, so that they can talk out their feelings about the abortion and whether or not if they should follow through with it. Again the man deflects and instead decides to have another drink of his beer. The constant deflection to beer could be because of one of two reasons. The man could be drinking the beer because he is uncomfortable talking about the situation and feels that if they consume some alcohol they will be more willing and able to discuss the abortion more easily. Or two, the man could be trying to give her alcohol as a way of making it easier to convince her that she should follow through with the abortion that may or may not take place later on in the day. Option two seems more likely when you look in depth at the way the man talks to the girl throughout the story with his word choice and actions. 

The man consistently tries to convince the girl of following through with the abortion by trying to lower the severity of the abortion. This can be seen with how the man repeatedly refers to the abortion as a “simple operation”. By referring to the abortion as just a “simple operation” it makes the abortion seem not as severe as it is, making it feel like it is the same as going to the dentist. This persuasion technique used by the man is unfair to the girl because it takes away her feelings and her voice about the abortion and makes her feel as though her opinion does not matter. The man by doing this is trying to avoid talking about the abortion openly but instead is trying to get the girl to get the abortion without voicing her displeasures and feelings about getting it.

Another technique the man uses on the girl to try and get her to go through with the abortion is by trying to guilt trip her into it. The man uses this technique by acting as though he cares about the girl’s opinion on the abortion when really he does not care what she thinks. This can be seen when he says “if you don’t want to. I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to. But I know it’s perfectly simple.” The man here is trying to make the girl feel like it’s ultimately her choice and he will support her decision no matter what it is, but he is strongly pushing her to get the abortion. This doesn’t lead to any open dialogue where the girl can voice her opinion but instead places her in an awkward situation where she is in a loose, loose situation where she either goes against the man and has the baby, or she succumbs to his pressure and doesn’t follow her conscience and goes through with the abortion. The man here is successfully pressuring the girl to forego with his agenda and ignore her own opinions and personal belief by silencing her voice all to appease him. 

Ultimately the lack of an open dialogue between the couple with such an important decision they are about to embark on creates turmoil and conflict between them. The absence of going over each other’s feelings is a crafted attempt by the male to silence the girl and make her go through with what will ultimately be his decision to get an abortion. The ending of Hemingway’s story leaves the reader to only their interpretation but based on the couples’ lack of communication and the man’s persuasion to the girl many readers will conclude that she went through with the abortion.
