this paper will explore how the author notates the aspect of pregnancy and abortion and how they pose a threat to a relationship and how society shapes the decision which one should make however personal they are.
In everyday life, people are bombarded with challenges which call for drastic measures to solve the conflicts. In the short story Hills Like White Elephants, the author exemplifies who a conflict of interest on controversial issues in the society. The characters in the story depict how the issue of pregnancy out of wedlock can create a misunderstanding between spouses. Therefore, this paper will explore how the author notates the aspect of pregnancy and abortion and how they pose a threat to a relationship and how the society shapes the decision which one should make however personal they are.
The external conflict in this short story is the conflict between the girl and her lover who is an American. The girl is pregnant, and her partner is convincing her to have an operation which can be understood as inducing an abortion to the pregnancy. The two conflict how to take on the issue and that is the reason why the girl starts to comment how the hills look like white elephants to diffuse the tension between the two. There is tension between the man and the girl with the man convincing the girl to have an abortion but says he would not insist of she does not want to. He says "that I don't want you to do it if you don't want to. I'm perfectly willing to go through with it if it means any-thing to you” (Hemingway). It is a direct upfront to the conviction of the girl who is reluctant to undergo the operation. The conflicts here arise because according to the story, they are not married and their love is a tryst of probably a Spanish girl and an American. While the man insists that the girl undergo the operation, it can be seen as that the man does not want to have a child with the woman because they are not married. The conflict here arises because having an abortion at that time was illegal and it was dangerous to venture as it was life-threatening.
The girl is in an internal conflict with herself on the matter of undergoing the operation and saving her relationship with the American or forfeiting his demands and the relationship ending. In the conversation, it can be ascertained that the girl is indecisive, confused and hapless. However, there is a sense in which the girl knows that the relationship with the man has ended since he does not want to keep the pregnancy. This is despite her attempts to play down the tension and agree with his demands by saying “she will be fine” (Hemingway). She is aware that even if the operation were to be done, the relationship would not return to how it used to be. Therefore, she has internal conflicts in discerning which path to follow, since all of them lead to the same conclusion, the end of their relationship.
The setting of the story is at a train station which depicts that relationship between the girl and the man is at the crossroads. The station is between Barcelona and Madrid, and therefore travelers should decide where to go, and in the case, the man and girl should decide whether to continue with the relationship. The irony of the story is when the girl says she will be fine yet she agrees to something which she does not want.
To conclude, the author uses conflict to show concern on one of the contentious issues which have engulfed making in the 20th and 21st century. Inducing abortion in the story is as controversial because it is a double-pronged issue which can be disastrous on all fronts. Therefore, abortion is an issue which has been discussed and its consequences understood by all parties involved.
Works cited
Hemingway, E. Hills Like White Elephants.: Men Without Women, United States of America (1927). Print.
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