Abortion In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

While most writers throughout time have discussed morally gray topics through their work, such as abortion, most prefer to highlight these issues in subtle ways. For example, in Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants,” the fundamental plot is structured around couple arguing whether to proceed with a mysterious operation while waiting for their train to arrive. Despite the story’s central focus is the couple and this mysterious procedure, the subtext within the story contains another message. Specifically, the characters’ transportation, observations, anxiousness feeds into “Hills Like White Elephants” theme of technological advancement progressing faster than our moral comprehension. Although it may seem strange to conceptualize a commute as symbolic of the erosion of moral …show more content…
For instance, on page 75 “The girl was looking off at the line of hills (. . .) ‘They’ve painted something on [the hills]’ she said.” The hills themselves represents a long-standing monument of nature that has survived the erosion process for millennia, while the painting (an advertisement for a local brand of alcohol) represents a society repurposing an ancient landmark for their current needs while diminishing the concept the landmark originally represented. After talking about the hills retrofitted into an advertisement, the girl then discusses her desire to return their old lifestyle after the procedure is done. However, the man rebuttals that “No we can’t. [The world] isn’t ours anymore,” (78). The American’s statement acknowledges the fleeting moments of life as it continues to change, while the girl still wishes to cling on to the vestiges of the past. Either way, both are forced to reconsider their views on life as they debate whether to proceed with this morally ambiguous