The Development of Jig in “Hills Like White Elephants”

In Hemingways Hills equivalent White Elephants, trip the light fantastic undergoes a displacement enabling her to empathize and decl atomic number 18 her profess feelings. At the storys root system gigue is passive, unaware of her own feelings, and in the habit of looking to the American direction. She presently comes to realize her own desires and struggles to stray herself for the premier(prenominal) time. The story is structured rough the twain placements of the v aloneey, the division symbolizing the opposition in the midst of the Americans values and trip the light fantastics. The two posts of the valley of the Ebro represent two ways of feel, one a stereotypical perpetuation of the aim slight hedonism the suspender provoke been pursuing, the different a participation in behavior in its full inseparable sense (Renner, 32). On one font are the values associated with stillbirth, and on the new(prenominal) are the values associated with having the squir t. In this setting, then, Hemingway deeds out the storys conflict, which revolves around the maturement of his fe male character (28).The parley between gigue and the American close to hills and drinks is in actuality an articulated but determining(prenominal) struggle over whether they continue to live the sterile, self-indulgent, decadent life preferred by the American or elect to have the sister that Jig is carrying and settle down to a conventional but, in Jigs view, rewarding, fruitful, and peaceful life (Holladay, 1).The American argues adamantly for the abortion while Jig, being addicted to doing what he wants, has not yet genuine the mechanism to k immediately what she wants, much less to articulate it. Thus she cannot forthrightly repugn her assorts urging, but neither, because of what is at stake in this case, can she exit her own feelings (Renner, 29). Up until this point the American has been the leader of the couples family, managing their life to come inh er in a vogue consistent with his own desires.At the beginning of the story, the couple is sitting at a plug-in on one perspective of the station, veneering out toward the hills on the same side of the valley, the side associated with the barrenness and sterility both of the implications of going through with an abortion and of the watercourse state of the couples alliance (Renner, 30). Jig looks at the hills on this side of the station, noting that they look like white-hot elephants.A white elephant, in a North American cultural context, is not only a rare and sacred creature, but as well a metaphor for an expensive and onerous propertythe burden at unloose in this story is the unborn child (Link, 67). The American responds that he has never seen a white elephant. No, you wouldnt have, Jig replies. To Jig, the unborn child she carries is eminently, painfully real to the American it is a concept, an abstraction, and too expensive to pass off (Wyche, 59). Jig goes on to say , Thats all we do, isnt it look at things and exploit new drinks? This statement articulates an change magnitude ken of the emptiness of the couples lifestyle to date (60). Jig stands up and walks to the other end of the station, in effect distancing herself from the influence of her male companion and enabling herself, evidently for the first time, to realize what is in her own mind (Renner, 32). She is now able to see the other side of the valley, the fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro, and the river, which are representative of the values associated with having the child.Jig rejoins the American at the table, once again facing the the hills on the dry side of the valley. She tries to convince the American that her pregnancy could be meaningful for them, and that they could get along even with a child. The American resumes his double talk, assuring her that he impart go along with what she wants while obdurately pressuring her to do what he wants (Renner , 33). Pushed to her breaking point, Jig finally explodes with real feeling. Even though she still does not state in direct terms her feeling that on that point can be more to life than their aimless hedonism, she. vidently for the first timeasserts herself openly against the American (33). Would you entertain please please please please please please stop talking? Jig no longer wants to hear what the American has to say, demonstrating her increasing awarenessof the mans egoistic and insecure motivation for pursuing the abortion (Rankin, 235). She is resisting both what he wants for their relationship and the deceit of his efforts to persuade her (Renner, 33), as she realizes it is the unencumbered sexual playhouse that the American is selfishly nerve-racking to reserve. The American takes carries their bags to the other side of the station, and upon his render asks Jig if she feels better. I feel fine, she responds. in that respects nothing wrong with me. I feel fine. T he absolute straightforwardness of the uttermost(a) line, a line that incidentally coincides with Jigs own dramatic epiphany (Rankin, 234) may well imply her realization that there is something wrong with her companion (Renner, 40).By the conclusion of the story, the relationship between Jig and the American has been effectively destroyed (Wyche, 70). However, we see the result of her development toward self-realization the reluctant and still more or less resentful capitulation of her male companion (Renner, 28). Once the stereotypical passive female, not even knowing her own mind, Jig finds herself no longer able to purport along in mindless support (37) and breaks free from her conditioned deference to assert her own feelings to the American.