"Hills Like White Elephants": The Significance of Simplicity

At first I did not enjoy this short story. I felt that it was too simple; I barely knew the characters and the dialogue was long and repetitive. After the second reading, I realized Ernest Hemingway used specific words to give insight to the characters and their circumstances (specifically colors, objects, and animals). It takes place at a bar by a train station, which seems like an area used to kill time while waiting for the train. The American man and the woman have a long conversation over whether or not to do something over a few beers. The couple speaks vaguely about their situation, but the debate takes place during the forty minutes they are waiting for the express train to Barcelona. 

I really did not know how to interpret the story. I was actually thinking that plastic surgery (i.e. breast implants) can describe the situation because of its ambiguity. The issue at hand is whether or not the woman should have an abortion. It seems like the woman has made up her mind, but is still hesitant. The man makes it seem like an abortion is a "simple procedure" and encourages the woman to go through with it. He assures her that if she wants to keep the child, he will be there for support, which shows that he is not pressuring her.

The white elephants might represent the child inside of the woman. White usually means purity and innocence, which are the characteristics of a child. Elephants are giant animals and hardly go unnoticed, similar to a child; children are a huge responsibility. The hills can symbolize the ups and downs that they are facing right now. Hemingway mentions the beaded curtain several times in this short story, which must have some significance. I think that the beaded curtain that is used to keep the flies away may be compared to contraception. Although the beaded curtain is usually effective, sometimes flies slip through.

Hemingway uses uncomplicated words and phrases to depict the situation. The story itself is so obscure and leaves a lot of room for interpretation. For me, this technique was a little frustrating at first because I felt that I could not pin point what the characters were talking about. After skimming it over a couple of times, I realized that Hemingway purposely did not include information. He wants the readers to wonder and think into the words and their deeper meanings.