Hills Like White Elephants

The story takes place at a train station in the Ebro River valley of Spain. The day is extremely hot and dry, and the scenery is barren and ugly. The two main characters are a man referred to only as "the American" and his girlfriend whom he calls Jig.

The American and Jig drink beer and a liquor called Anis del Toro while waiting for the train to Madrid. No other details about their relationship is provided at the beginning of the story.

The girl remarks that the distant hills look like white elephants, but the man discounts her remarks. Through the dialogue it becomes clear that the girl, Jig, does not understand Spanish while the American does. It becomes apparent that the two are having some sort of disagreement. The conversation drifts to the subject of an operation which the American is trying to convince Jig to have.

The subject of the operation is never explicit. It is implied when the man says, "It's just to let the air in" and "But I don't want anybody but you," that Jig is pregnant and that the procedure in question is an abortion.

Jig wants to be assured, that after the operation, he will still love her and that life will go back to the way it was before. It becomes clear that she does not want the abortion and that life will never be the same as it was before.

Jig contemplates what is at stake in their relationship and in her life. When she says that they "could have everything." the man agrees. For Jig, "everything" includes the baby. For the American, it means carefree life without the baby.

After posing arguments to which the American is mostly unresponsive, Jig finally becomes frustrated and asks the man to be quite. The man tries once more, but Jig tells him she will scream.

He takes the bags to the other side of the station and has a drink at the bar as he passes through. He returns to the table and Jig smiles at him. He