Abortion In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

Hills like White Elephants

It is estimated that half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. Of those unplanned pregnancies, 4 out of 10 have been aborted (Abortions in America). The question of abortion has been heavily debated and argued throughout our country in politics, student classrooms, and even in the closest relationships. Undoubtedly, when abortion is an option for one party in a relationship, often times issues may arise or existing ones may be inflated. The short story, Hills like While Elephants, written by Ernest Hemingway creatively and accurately depicts problems that frequently surface when there is an unwanted, unborn child such as; failed communication, indecision, and relationship damage.

First and foremost, many people can attest that when there are serious issues within a relationship the ability to communicate with ease and openness can diminish. Such was the case with Hemingway’s main characters. The American man and the girl immediately display a relationship with distance. The first object of conversation when they arrive to the station is what to drink. As a woman brings their drinks out she observes that, instead of looking at the American or conversing with him, the girl is looking off at the hill line. Moreover, when the couple does speak they are merely talking versus communicating. Lori Gordon opened her article on the art of relationships with this statement, “Confusion. Hurt. Silence. Missed opportunity. It is one of the ironies of modern life that many couples today are living together as complete strangers”(Intimacy: The Art of Relationships). Gordon is referring to how couples begin to withdraw emotionally from the relationship and into other activities; which, is evident in ...

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...ys how an unborn, unwanted child may bring dilemmas like poor communication, inability to make a decision, and damage to relationships; all in a symbolic and creative manner. Relationships issues such as a couple’s inability to communicate efficiently, their distant nature towards one another, the resurfacing of deeper issues contribute to the decision a woman makes regarding abortion. In addition to whether or not a child is born, a man’s defiant and persuasive manner combined with a women’s desire for the relationship she fell in love with can be the difference between a thriving relationship and a broken one. Heminway’s inventive story uses hidden symbols to explore the topics of abortion and relationships in such a way as to leaving the reader wondering and debating if the couple is going to break up or if the American merely changes his mind about the operation.