Question

In this excerpt from "Hills Like White Elephants," what is being communicated about Jig? Select all that apply.

Answer 1

Answer:

I believe there are two answers that apply to this question:

A. She believes their relationship has reached a turning point.

C. She is getting tired of talking.

Explanation:

"Hills Like White Elephants" is a short story by author Ernest Hemingway. One of the characters, Jig, is constantly referred to as the girl. However,  no mention is made to her age, so we cannot know if she thinks she is too young to be a mother. Jig herself never says that, so we can eliminate option B. We can also eliminate option D. Jig seems to have understood that the world is not the same anymore now that she got pregnant. She knows she can't keep on traveling around, looking at things and trying new drinks - as she describes her life -, but she does not say anything about settling down in Spain.

Throughout the story, we watch her conversation with "the man", her partner. He wants her to have an abortion. He tries to convince her that the procedure is quite simple and that, once it is done, their life will go back to what it used to be. He says that is the only thing that is bothering them, incapable of saying the word "baby" to refer to "that thing", as if he does not wish to have any attachment to it. Jig grows tired of his incessant babbling and begs him to stop talking (option C). She is skeptical about his words and promises, knowing very well that their relationship will never be the same again. They have reached a turning point (option A). He does not love her anymore, he does not see her the same way he used to, he does not find her words interesting. She can see his selfishness clearly now, how insignificant what she wants is to him.