Hills Like White Elephants
by Ernest Hemingway
Hills Like White Elephants was published in 1927, it appeared in Men Without Women
The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun. Close against the side of the station there was the warm shadow of the building and a curtain, made of strings of bamboo beads, hung across the open door into the bar, to keep out flies. The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. It was very hot and the express from Barcelona would come in forty minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and went on to Madrid.
“What should we drink?” the girl asked. She had taken off her hat and put it on the table.
“It’s pretty hot,” the man said.
“Let’s drink beer.”
“Dos cervezas,” the man said into the curtain.
“Big ones?” a woman asked from the doorway.
"Yes. Two big ones.”
The woman brought two glasses of beer and two felt pads. She put the felt pads and the beer glasses on the table and looked at the man and the girl. The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry.
“They look like white elephants,” she said.
“I’ve never seen one,” the man drank his beer.
“No, you wouldn’t have.”
“I might have,” the man said. “Just because you say I wouldn’t have doesn’t prove anything.”
The girl looked at the bead curtain. “They’ve painted something on it,” she said. “What does it say?”
“Anis del Toro. It’s a drink.”
“Could we try it?”
The man called “Listen” through the curtain. The woman came out from the bar.
“Four reales.”
“We want two Anis del Toro.”
“With water?”
“Do you want it with water?”
“I don’t know,” the girl said. “Is it good with water?”
“It’s all right.”
“You want them with water?” asked the woman.
“Yes, with water.”
“It tastes like licorice,” the girl said and put the glass down.
“That’s the way with everything.”
“Yes,” said the girl. “Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe.”
“Oh, cut it out.”
“You started it,” the girl said. “I was being amused. I was having a fine time.”
“Well, let’s try and have a fine time.”
“All right. I was trying. I said the mountains looked like white elephants. Wasn't that bright?”
“That was bright.”
“I wanted to try this new drink. That’s all we do, isn’t it—look at things and try new drinks?”
“I guess so.”
The girl looked across at the hills.
“They’re lovely hills,” she said. “They don’t really look like white elephants. I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees.”
“Should we have another drink?”
“All right.”
The warm wind blew the bead curtain against the table. “
The beer’s nice and cool,” the man said.
“It’s lovely,” the girl said.
“It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,” the man said. “It’s not really an operation at all.”
The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on.
“I know you wouldn’t mind it, Jig. It’s really not anything. It’s just to let the air in.”
The girl did not say anything.
“I’ll go with you and I’ll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural.”
“Then what will we do afterward?”
“We'll be fine afterward. Just like we were before.”
“What makes you think so?”
“That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy.”
The girl looked at the bead curtain, put her hand out and took hold of two of the strings of beads.
“And you think then we’ll be all right and be happy.”
“I know we will. You don’t have to be afraid. I’ve known lots of people that have done it.”
“So have I,” said the girl. “And afterward they were all so happy.”
“Well,” the man said, “if you don’t want to you don’t have to. I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to. But I know it’s perfectly simple.”
“And you really want to?”
“I think it’s the best thing to do. But I don’t want you to do it if you don’t really want to.”
“And if I do it you'll be happy and things will be like they were and you’ll love me?”
“I love you now. You know I love you.”
“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?”
“I won’t worry about that because it’s perfectly simple.”
“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.”
“I don’t want you to do it if you feel that way.”
The girl stood up and walked to the end of the station. Across, on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro. Far away, beyond the river, were mountains. The shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain and she saw the river through the trees.
“And we could have all this,” she said. “And we could have everything and every day we make it more impossible.”
“What did you say?”
“I said we could have everything.”
“We can have everything.”
“No, we can’t.”
“We can have the whole world.”
“No, we can’t.”
“We can go everywhere.”
“No, we can’t. It isn’t ours any more.”
“It’s ours.”
“No, it isn’t. And once they take it away, you never get it back.”
“But they haven’t taken it away.”
“We'll wait and see.”
“Come on back in the shade,” he said. “You mustn’t feel that way.”
“I don’t feel any way,” the girl said. “I just know things.”
“I don’t want you to do anything that you don’t want to do——”
“Nor that isn’t good for me,” she said. “I know. Could we have another beer?”
“All right. But you’ve got to realize——”
“I realize,” the girl said. ‘“Can’t we maybe stop talking?”
They sat down at the table and the girl looked across at the hills on the dry side of the valley and the man looked at her and at the table.
“You’ve got to realize,” he said, “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 anything to you.”
“Doesn’t it mean anything to you? We could get along.”
“Of course it does. But I don’t want anybody but you. I don’t want any one else. And I know it’s perfectly simple.”
“Yes, you know it’s perfectly simple.”
“It’s all right for you to say that, but I do know it.”
“Would you do something for me now?”
“I’d do anything for you.”
“Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?”
He did not say anything but looked at the bags against the wall of the station. There were labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights.
“But I don’t want you to,” he said, “I don’t care anything about it.”
“I’ll scream,” the girl said.
The woman came out through the curtains with two glasses of beer and put them down on the damp felt pads. “The train comes in five minutes,” she said.
“What did she say?” asked the girl.
“That the train is coming in five minutes.”
The girl smiled brightly at the woman, to thank her.
“I'd better take the bags over to the other side of the station,” the man said. She smiled at him.
“All right. Then come back and we’ll finish the beer.”
He picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other tracks. He looked up the tracks but could not see the train. Coming back, he walked through the barroom, where people waiting for the train were drinking. He drank an Anis at the bar and looked at the people. They were all waiting reasonably for the train. He went out through the bead curtain. She was sitting at the table and smiled at him.
“Do you feel better?” he asked.
“I feel fine,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway about?
"Hills Like White Elephants" is a short story by Ernest Hemingway about an American man and a young woman named Jig who sit at a train station bar in Spain's Ebro Valley, waiting for a train to Madrid. Through tense, clipped dialogue, they discuss an unspecified "operation" that the man wants Jig to undergo—strongly implied to be an abortion. The man insists the procedure is "perfectly simple" and that their relationship will return to normal afterward, while Jig grows increasingly doubtful and emotionally withdrawn. The story ends without resolution, leaving the reader uncertain whether Jig will go through with the operation or not.
What are the main themes in "Hills Like White Elephants"?
The central themes of "Hills Like White Elephants" include communication and miscommunication, as the couple talks around the subject of abortion without ever naming it directly. Choice and autonomy run through the story, with Jig facing a life-altering decision under pressure from the man. The theme of gender and power dynamics is prominent—the man uses manipulation disguised as concern, repeating how "simple" the operation is while subtly controlling the conversation. Loss and irreversibility also pervade the story, especially when Jig says, "once they take it away, you never get it back." Finally, the story explores freedom versus commitment, contrasting the couple's rootless lifestyle of travel and drinking with the possibility of parenthood and settling down.
What does the title "Hills Like White Elephants" symbolize?
The title carries multiple layers of symbolism. When Jig compares the distant hills to white elephants, she invokes the idiom for something unwanted or burdensome—reflecting how the man views her pregnancy. However, white elephants are also rare and sacred in some cultures, suggesting that Jig may see the pregnancy differently—as something precious rather than disposable. The hills themselves represent the two possible futures before the couple: the barren, dry side of the valley where they sit symbolizes their current aimless lifestyle, while the fertile side with fields of grain, trees, and a river represents the life they could have if they keep the child. The title thus encapsulates the story's central conflict in a single image.
What is the "operation" in "Hills Like White Elephants"?
The "operation" that the American man urges Jig to have is strongly implied to be an abortion, though the word is never used in the story. The man describes it as "awfully simple" and says, "They just let the air in and then it's all perfectly natural." Hemingway deliberately leaves the procedure unnamed, consistent with both the social taboo surrounding abortion in the 1920s and his signature Iceberg Theory of writing, where the most important elements of a story remain beneath the surface. The man's repeated assurances that the operation is easy and that he knows "lots of people that have done it" reveal his desire to persuade Jig, while her skeptical responses—"And afterward they were all so happy"—suggest deep ambivalence.
What literary devices does Hemingway use in "Hills Like White Elephants"?
Hemingway employs several key literary devices in this story. Symbolism is central—the white elephants, the contrasting landscapes, and the bamboo bead curtain all carry deeper meaning. The story exemplifies Hemingway's Iceberg Theory (theory of omission), where the true subject is never explicitly stated, forcing readers to interpret what lies beneath the surface dialogue. Minimalism defines the prose style: short declarative sentences, sparse description, and almost no internal monologue. Hemingway relies heavily on dialogue to reveal character and conflict—nearly the entire story unfolds through conversation. Irony permeates the man's claims of love and concern, which ring hollow against his manipulative insistence. The setting functions as a literary device itself, with the junction between two rail lines mirroring the couple's crossroads.
What is the significance of the setting in "Hills Like White Elephants"?
The setting of "Hills Like White Elephants" is deeply symbolic. The story takes place at a train station between Barcelona and Madrid, a junction where the couple must choose a direction—mirroring their decision about the pregnancy. The landscape is divided into two contrasting sides: the dry, barren side where they sit, with "no shade and no trees," represents their current sterile, rootless existence of travel and drinking. The fertile side across the tracks, with "fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro," represents the life they could build together with a child. The oppressive heat and the forty-minute wait create a pressure-cooker atmosphere that intensifies the emotional tension of their conversation.
What happens at the end of "Hills Like White Elephants"?
The ending of "Hills Like White Elephants" is deliberately ambiguous. After Jig pleads "please please please please please please please stop talking," the waitress announces the train will arrive in five minutes. The man carries their bags to the platform, stops at the bar alone for an Anis, and observes other passengers "waiting reasonably for the train"—a pointed contrast to his own unreasonable situation. When he returns, Jig smiles and says, "I feel fine. There's nothing wrong with me. I feel fine." Hemingway never reveals whether Jig will go through with the abortion. Her final words can be read as resigned acceptance, quiet defiance, or emotional shutdown. This open ending is one of the most debated conclusions in American short fiction.
Who are the characters in "Hills Like White Elephants"?
The story features only two main characters. The American man is never given a name, which emphasizes his generic, self-centered nature. He dominates the conversation, pressuring Jig to have the abortion while framing his manipulation as concern: "I don't want you to do it if you don't want to." He represents a desire to maintain their carefree, uncommitted lifestyle. Jig (the "girl") is the only named character. She is more perceptive and emotionally honest than the man, recognizing that the operation could permanently change them: "once they take it away, you never get it back." A Spanish waitress serves as a minor character who bridges the couple's isolation, delivering drinks and announcing the train's arrival.
When was "Hills Like White Elephants" published?
"Hills Like White Elephants" was first published in August 1927 in the literary magazine transition, an influential expatriate journal based in Paris. It was then collected in Hemingway's second short story collection, Men Without Women, published later that same year by Charles Scribner's Sons. Hemingway wrote the story during a prolific period while living in Paris as part of the Lost Generation of American expatriate writers. The story's setting in Spain reflects Hemingway's deep familiarity with the country, and its spare, dialogue-driven style represents the mature flowering of his minimalist technique.
What is Hemingway's Iceberg Theory and how does it apply to "Hills Like White Elephants"?
Hemingway's Iceberg Theory, also called the theory of omission, holds that a writer can omit crucial details from a story and the reader will still sense their presence beneath the surface—just as only one-eighth of an iceberg is visible above water. "Hills Like White Elephants" is perhaps the purest example of this technique in all of Hemingway's work. The word "abortion" never appears, yet every line of dialogue revolves around it. The characters' emotions—fear, resentment, desperation, love—are never described directly but emerge through what they say and, more importantly, what they leave unsaid. Hemingway strips away exposition, backstory, and internal monologue, trusting readers to interpret the subtext and arrive at the story's meaning on their own.
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