Life Is a Choice

Life Is a Choice

Choices have a way of causing conflict that decisions cannot always resolve. Ernest Hemingway displays a wide variety of conflicts in the short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” all of which supply choices that result in decisions, no matter how difficult they may be. The conflicts between the American and the girl, or Jig as the American occasionally refers to her, range from as small as what to drink, all the way to life and death.  
“What should we drink?” (Hemingway 413). Such a choice comes with a simple decision, “Let’s drink beer” (413). After time in the hot valley between Barcelona and Madrid, the couple orders a second round of drinks. This round is one the girl has not tried before, Anis del Toro. She describes the alcohol as tasting like licorice (413). The simple statement leads to the first apparent conflict in the story.
“That’s the way with everything.”
“Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for…”
“Oh, cut it out.” (413)
Within these four short statements Hemingway begins to show the tension between the American and the girl. The choice to try Anis del Toro, leads to a conflict and visible tension between the two characters. The tension continues to build as the girl goes on to say, “That’s all we do… look at things and try new drinks” (413). This conversation is a pivotal event leading to the main conflict within the story.
Drinking is keeping the couple from having to talk about the issue at hand, the reason they ended up in the train station in the first place. When the American says, “It’s really an awfully simple operation…” (414) it is the first time we realize the core of the story is about an abortion. The American tries to assure Jig that the operation is nothing to worry about as he continues to say, “It’s not really an operation at all” (414). It is apparent that the girl is torn with this decision, as she continuously stares off into the land. This is more than just an operation to...