In Ernest Hemingway's 'Hills Like White Elephants' the girl (Jig) and the American man are discussing the possibility of Jig, getting an abortion. The reader feels that Hemingway uses "Hills" as a pregnant woman's stomach and the "White Elephants" as unwanted gifts; for the title. Jig decides not to go through with the abortion in this story. This is shown through the choices they have to choose from, their feelings about the abortion, and the reactions of the American man in the end.
             Jig and the American are at a train station during a short pause in their trip. The trip was not explained in the story, but, it was only for a few minutes. According to Renner, like the train journey, they have two things they can do: they can continue with their trip or they can go back home. The pregnancy can be looked at in the same way, an obstacle in their lives. They can either go ahead having the baby, or they can go back to the way things were before she became pregnant. One set of tracks lead to the abortion and the other set leads to the way things were (29). The decision has to be made now. There is no turning back once the decision is made. The train is stopping for only two minutes. But like a train ride they can only go in one of these two directions. As seen in the story Jig realizes that if she gets the abortion that she will never be able to get the baby back. According to Stanley Renner, Jig decides to go with her own feelings about not only what to do about the baby but also the most rewarding way to go in life. One side of the station presents a barren vista, which could represent abortion, while the other side presents a fertile field, an image associated with life (27).
             Jig and the American have very different feelings about having an abortion. In the view of Consigny, the curtain in the story symbolizes the differences in Jig and the American - the girl's desire to have the baby and the American'...