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LOOKING BACK ON THE STORY, LIST THE EVIDENCE THAT TELLS WHAT KIND OF OPERATION JIG IS CONFRONTING. CONCLUDE THE LIST BY TELLING HOW RISKY IT MIGHT BE PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY?
Trace, Linda, Kim, Tammara, and Shellie provided this evidence; Shellie reported.
Jig is confronting the possibility of having an abortion.
Evidence:
1. The title Hills Like White Elephants – her pregnant stomach is like an unwanted gift that someone pretends to like or want. There are several instances where this simile is used…(paragraphs 2, 10, 11…) These metaphors also allude to barrenness, (“the country was brown and dry…”) as opposed to her fertility. Now, she wonders if she’ll ever get this chance again.
2. “It tastes like licorice…”, “That’s the way with everything…” – They are both speaking metaphorically - he’s blaming the baby for standing in the way of their love affair; she’s blaming him because he can’t see that she wants him to see her for more than a “fine time” and be a father to her child and a husband to her.
3. “It’s an awfully simple operation Jig”… - he’s trying to simplify the abortion both for himself and her.
4. It’s referenced again in paragraphs 30-40: He’s trying to reassure her that he’ll be there for her and that it’ll be “no big deal”, but she’s not buying it at all.
How will this potentially affect Jig?
Emotionally – the abortion (or even the thought of the abortion) has far greater repercussions for Jig than for “the American.” The American looks at it as a nuisance now, something that’s standing in the way of him “having a fine time.” Afterwards, he may think about it on occasion and eventually look back with regret, but Jig not only has to think about it every day until it happens, but then surely every day afterwards she'll wonder what could have been, what would the child have looked like? Was she selfish? Could/should she have made a better choice? Is this her one chance at marriage, happiness, love, motherhood?
Physically - An abortion can be very hard on a female's body, not only during the initial operation, which even under good circumstances could be life threatening. In Jig’s situation, it may be even more dangerous because it may not be done in the most sterile conditions. Long-term effects could be sterility. Further, abortions have not been legal in Spain for that long and still must carry a certain stigma with them (even if they were legal during the Socialist regime that ruled in the late ‘20s). She could be ostracized if people found out she had an abortion. Perhaps that’s why she acted so “fine” every time the waitress approached the table.
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