Hills Like White Elephant Alienation Essay

In the story Hills like White Elephants, there is an exceptionally heavy theme of alienation in regards to the girl, Jig, and the medical procedure she and the American are going to Madrid in order to have done. Though it is never explicitly stated, the reader can infer that the procedure the two are discussing Jig having done is an abortion; considering that the American says “We’ll be fine afterward. Just like we were before.” (Hemingway) The following dialogue only solidifies this assumption, because the couple continues to talk about how things were perfect before and that this will give them the chance to be happy and worry free again. What really solidifies the nature of the operation is that the man knows many people who have had it done and were so happy afterwards, and that they are leaving home in order to have it done, which shows that there is a certain amount of shame that comes with having the procedure done.

In the story, the author is trying to communicate to us that the effects of alienation, such as the prejudice towards Jig, are detrimental to the

self-image and self-confidence of women. Jig says that the only reason she will agree to the operation is because she doesn’t care about herself and just wants to make her significant other happy. The irony in this comment however is that it is actually her significant other that doesn’t care about her, because while he is fully aware of the fact that she has reservations about the procedure, he still tries to convince her. By saying this, Jig shows the reader that she too sees herself as the property of the American, and as such she believes that he knows what is best for her and wants the best for her. At the end, they go back and forth about how he doesn’t want her to go through with the procedure if she doesn’t want to, but he believes that it is best for the two of them because he doesn’t want anyone else but her. This not only disregards her feelings about having a child, but shows that, even though he says he is willing to go through with having the child if it is what she wants, he would much rather her go forward with having the abortion and is perfectly content in pressuring her to do so. The American controls many aspects of Jig’s life, as seen by the fact that he even orders their drinks, and she later asks for permission before trying another type that she finds interesting.
Another example of the male asserting his dominance against Jig would be how he continues to downplay the severity of the procedure by telling her that it is just to “let the air in”, and that he knows many people who have had it done successfully.

Hills like White Elephants takes place in the early twenties, a time when abortions were not only illegal, but negatively impacted ones reputation detrimentally. In the 1920’s, some 15,000 women a year died from abortions because they were shamed into having them done illegally by those who were not medically trained to perform such an operation. (Pollitt) This was because of the extreme prejudice against women and their rights to their own bodies and to making their own decisions. In a time where a woman was viewed as her husband’s property, Jig is torn between making the decision she feels is right and the decision that she is being told is

right.
When Jig walks to the opposite side of the station, this symbolizes her taking a step back to look at the outcome she has yet to let herself consider; keeping the child and becoming a mother. Upon doing so, the male finally accepts that no amount of persuasion is going to get Jig to do what he wants her to, and offers to take the bags back to the other side of the station, symbolizing ¬his defeat. It is only at this time that we are made aware of what seems to be a sincere smile upon Jig’s face, and she says, “There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.” (Hemingway) This is her way of telling her partner that, contrary to his and societies’ beliefs, she can and will go against what he says, and that there is nothing wrong with being pregnant and allowing herself to feel the elation of becoming a new mother.