What Is Jig's Relationship In Hills Like White Elephants

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In Hills Like White Elephants Hemingway is trying to show us how a couple react to an unwanted pregnancy. Although he never specifies what kind of operation the girl is supposed to go through he implies that they are talking about an abortion. The man doesn’t want the baby so he is trying to convince the girl that they are better without a child. The American thinks that the child will be a burden for them instead of a blessing. On the other hand the girl is trying to keep the baby but she relies too much on him.

In all relations there must be always a balance. However, in this relationship the American is the one who have all the power. Jig is always submissive, always asking for permission. Hemingway refers to the couple as the American and the girl. This makes me think that the girl may be around 20 years old while the man
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“She was sitting at the table and smiled at him” (Hemingway, 215). On the contrary he will still drinking and waiting for a train that will never come. “He looked up the tracks but could not see the train” (Hemingway, 215). I think that the bead curtain is a frontier between people who wants two different life styles. Jig who wants to settle down and have a family while the American is focus on lives every day new experiences and travel around the world.” He went out through the bead curtain” (Hemingway, 215). The people who wait for the train are those who are not happy with their life so they want a change. “Coming back, he walked through the barroom, where people waiting for the train were drinking.” (Hemingway, 215) The American wishes to take the train hoping to visit a better place. He wants to try new drinks and experiences because he is afraid of commitment, he wants to take the train and change his life. She on the other hand will still in the other side of the bead curtain. Jig will be sitting at the table watching how the American goes