Hills like white elephants

  Decisions are a prevalent occurrence in everyday life. For example, deciding what to wear in the morning or what to have for lunch. People are choosing every second of everyday. Granted that some choices are much more important than others, such as deciding where to go to college is more important than deciding whether or not to have that second cookie right before supper. These choices are driven by a person’s morals and conscience. The short story “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway is a tale of a couple at a train station who have recently discovered they are pregnant. Now they have to decide whether they want to keep the baby and take the responsibility of caring for another life, or have an abortion so they can continue their young, carefree ways. The theme of this story is choice and consequence. The couple has made the choice to create this child now they need to own up to consequence of their action. The woman is unsure; she keeps asking the father questions. “If I do it you won’t worry?” and “if I do it you’ll be happy and thins will be like they were and you’ll love me?” She craves reassurance from this man. He answers Jigg’s questions with statements. He says “we’ll be fine afterward. Just like we were before.” He wants her to have the operation. The entire story they go back and fourth trying to decide which life they are going to lead; which side of the train station to be on. The train station symbolizes the decision they have to make. One side takes them home and the other to the operation. In the end the man takes their bags to the other side and they decide to keep their son or daughter. They decide to deal with the consequence of their actions like responsible adults.