Hills Like White Elephants Response

The success of Hills Like White Elephants is rooted in Ernest Hemingway’s tense dialogue between the American and the girl. The American tip-toes around the idea of suggesting the girl get an operation, which is believed to be an abortion. The couple communicates poorly, resulting in neither party listening to the other, and each side of the argument refuting its counterpart. I enjoy how Hemingway is able to capture the undeniably tense dialogue between the featured couple. Hemingway writes:

“I know. But if I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and you’ll like it?”

“I’ll love it. I love it now but I just can’t think about it. You know how I get when I worry.”

“If I do it you won’t ever worry?”

“Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t care about me.”

“Well I care about you.”

“Oh, yes. But I don’t care about me. And I’ll do it and then everything will be fine.”

It is evident here that the man is simply telling the woman what she wants to here. He figures the more he devotes himself to her, and tells her he cares about her, the more everything in the world will turn out alright. Both talk, however it is clear that neither the man nor the woman is able to understand their partner’s point of view. Additionally, I enjoy how blunt the woman becomes as the dialogue continues. In the quote above, it is easy to sense the pain within the woman’s voice when she results to saying she doesn’t care about herself. This moment is beautiful, for it is the first time the woman is able to break the repetitive rhythm of “I love you’s” set forth by the man. It is here where we being to see that it is her body, therefore she is to choose.