Hills Like White Elephants Conflict Essay

In Ernest Hemingway’s story, Hills Like White Elephants, we witness the struggle between man and woman. The man and the girl in this story are talking of some “operation” that the man wants the girl to have. The girl seems to not want it, which causes tension between the two characters. The theme of conflict, and that something is coming to an end is heavily projected in this story. It seems that the man wants the girl to have an operation to abort their unborn baby, but the girl thinks the opposite and doesn’t want to have it. However, she just wants to please the man, but it seems that even her having the operation may not solve the problems and conflict between them. In this short story, much of the conflict between the two characters’ stems from the “operation” that is being talked about. We are to infer that the operation is one to abort the unborn baby the girl is carrying. At the beginning of the story, the girl says that the hills she sees from afar look like white elephants. The man replies saying that he doesn’t think they do. This seemed to symbolize that at the beginning of the story the woman didn’t want to have the operation. The man not being able to see the white elephants symbolized him wanting her to have the operation. The hills …show more content…
She wants him to continue to love her, in fear that if she doesn’t get the operation he won’t. The man seems that he might be okay if she doesn’t have the operation, however, he says to her “But I don’t want anybody but you. I don’t want anyone else.” He contradicts himself, saying that he’d be content if she didn’t have the operation, but then says he doesn’t want anyone else except for her, inferring that he doesn’t want the child she is carrying. It seems that the man and the girl’s love may be ending, but they don’t want it to, so they continue to reassure each other that everything will be okay, despite the odds that seem to be against