White Elephants in Spain

Hemingway understood the sense of vulnerability that frequently accompanies a traveler on any trip. In Hills like White Elephants he used the anxiety-provoking moments of waiting in a train station in Spain as the backdrop for his two unhappy characters whose relationship stands at a cross-roads.

As they wait between two destinations, Barcelona and Madrid, they are trapped in limbo between two lines of rails, between sun and shade. The station, placed between two lines of rails, suggest the two directions the couple may go – toward Madrid and the abortion or away from Madrid and a family scenario. The landscape describes the conflict, both barren and fruitful. Appropriately, on the side they sit there are no trees or shade and the country is brown and dry. On the other side there are fields of grain and trees. Only the girl, Jig looks at the fruitful side of the valley where she sees the life-giving water and the hills far in the distance. The theme of the story evolves from a series of oppositions: natural v. unnatural, instinctive v. rational, commitment v. escape, wandering v. settling, and life v. death.

A striking feature of the story is that it is constructed almost entirely of dialogue. There is not much action. The girl walks from one side of the station to the other; they drink quite a bit, and the man moves luggage. There are a few descriptive paragraphs that pinpoint important symbols. The symbolism of the white elephant, implied in the title, and referred to several times in the story contribute to its importance as a central theme. Hemingway’s use of the white elephant symbol in his title becomes the common thread throughout the story, giving infinite meaning to the many complexities, ironies, disappointments, and ultimate sadness of the characters.

The first time the hills are mentioned they are described as “long and white”. The second time they are contrasted with the countryside which is dry and brown, suggestive of the failing relationship between the girl and the man. When Jig remarks that the hills look like white elephants the first hint of tension between the girl and the man is revealed in his reply, “I’ve never seen one.” Jig responds, “No, you wouldn’t have.”

The story reveals that their relationship has been a casual one, consisting primarily of traveling and hotels. Drinking is important to both of them. When they try a new drink, Anis del Toro, which taste like “licorice”, she says, “Everything taste like licorice, especially all the things you’ve always waited so long for, like absinthe.” The implication of the bitterness of absinthe is made apparent. It is clear that an argument is about to erupt or re-erupt. Jig continues to make known her opinion of their life together as shallow. “That’s all we do, isn’t it – look at things and try new drinks?”

We learn what the conflict is about when the American refers to an “awfully simply operation….not really an operation at all…just let the air in. It’s all perfectly natural.” Jig is pregnant and the American wants her to have an abortion. Immediately, the symbolic significance of the title and how it fits into the story becomes apparent. Jig, who finds it horribly unnatural, does not want an abortion. She wants the baby.

The comparison of the hills to white elephants – imaginary animals that represent useless items, like the unwanted baby – is crucial to the meaning. The simile becomes a focus of contention and establishes an opposition between the imaginative woman who is moved by the landscape, and the literal-mined man, who refuses to sympathize with her.

The final reference to the hills occurs when the girl appeals to the man if she goes through with the abortion. “It will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants and you’ll like it?”

When we discover that the story’s conflict revolves around an unwanted pregnancy our understanding of the white elephant reference becomes more complex because a white elephant is used in several contexts.

One often overlooked scenario would have the white elephant associated with a “white elephant” sale. A white elephant sale raises money for worthwhile causes by allowing people to donate unwanted objects. This version would fit with the plight of Jig and the American. To the man the child is a white elephant. In his selfishness he wants to get rid of it.

The irony of the white elephant symbol is even more complex if we recall that, in fact, the white elephant is a rare animal, sacred, revered and protected. Conversely, the symbolic use of the term white elephant as a gift or possession that is worthless, even a burden is said to derive from the fact that the sacred white elephant has an enormous appetite. However, being sacred, it can neither be disposed of nor used as a beast of burden, but must be cared for until it dies. Consequently, if a person has ill will against another he would present them with a white elephant, seemingly a precious gift, but in reality, a burden whose upkeep might bring ruin and hardship.

Jig’s reverence for life is captured by the meaning of the title; however, for Jig to proceed with the birth of the baby without the assistance of its co-creator would undeniably bring her hardship, possibly ruin. In addition, for some a child might be a precious and sacred gift to care for, but to the drifting American it was a white elephant signifying the ruin of his single lifestyle.

The girl is sympathetically portrayed in Hills like white Elephants. The nameless American is depicted as a self-centered, emotionally barren individual who does not have the maturity to shoulder the responsibility that is his. Her instincts tell her that he will leave her if she refuses to have the abortion. “I’d do anything for you.” he says. Yet, he refuses to respond to her pleas for the child. “I’m perfectly willing to go through with it if it means anything to you” he says, revealing his incredible insensitivity. The more the American tries to convince Jig, the more ridiculous he sounds. For example, he tells Jig “it’s really an awfully simple operation….It’s not really an operation at all.” Jig knows this is not true. She knows what an abortion is and how it is performed. In addition, at this time in Spain, abortions are illegal making the procedure all the more risky. The man only confirms his self-seeking tendency to Jig each time he denies the complexity of what he wants her to do by claiming superior knowledge of the operation. If she chooses not to have the abortion she may be left alone in Spain, without monetary support and unable to speak the language. He makes no secret that the “thing” bothers him and makes him unhappy. “It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy.” The man’s ability to devalue their child enables him to detach himself from his callous suggestion.

No matter what the girl and the man do now, the man’s selfish desire to avoid complications has hurt them beyond repair. His denial of her, the child, and his responsibility to them both has struck at a primal cord for the woman. No one wants an unwilling suitor. It has been necessary for her to plead for her child. If he can’t back her now, on what occasion could he? When Jig says they “could have everything,” the man agrees. However, for Jig, “everything” includes the baby. For the American “everything” simply means his untroubled life without the baby.

The American takes the bags to the other side of the station and has a drink alone in the bar. He observes that the people are waiting “reasonably” for the train, in contrast to what he sees as the unreasonable behavior of Jig. He sees himself as the calm voice of reason, the rational man who must convince the emotional, irrational girl of the best thing to do. The signs of the man’s discontent are ominous and hint at the future dissolution of the relationship and the girl’s abandonment.

When the story ends the train is still five minutes away and the ending is inconclusive. The couple’s present state, the American’s sulking alone in the bar and Jig’s looking out at the barren landscape, not two, but now one, pervades the scene with a tragic aura. The dialogue has ended and the rootless characters remain stuck between the rails.

--posted by permission of the author in February, 2004

The URL for this page is: http://vccslitonline.vccs.edu/copy_of_hills/elephants.htm


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