Hills Like White Elephants

Intrigue, pure intrigue. As I read this short story, I continually racked my brain about what the "operation" could be. And what operation could solve all problems? The rawness and reality of the story hit me through the dialogue. I found myself rereading paragraphs trying to make sense of the story. Ernest Hemingway's writing could be criticized as short, uninteresting, and dry; however, by giving little information and fluff, his writing fascinated me more than most. 

The story starts out with an innocent drink at a bar by a couple waiting for a train. The simple setting and simple descriptions made the story appear tame. The woman asks the man typical questions. They sit in a typical bar and gaze out on a typical landscape. In an instant, the tempo changes. The man begins to speak of an operation that could solve all their problems. At this point, I believed the operation to be an abortion. 

The mood begins to shift to a more sad tone. The woman is willing to sacrifice her own happiness for that of her partner. The despair and apathy with which she treats the importance of her own life is heart wrenching. The man continued to speak of the "operation." Brief mentions of lost land and money began to be sprinkled in the dialogue. Now I began to think the man wanted the woman to have a lobotomy. Could he have spent their fortune on failed medical attention for her mood swings? Lobotomy's were in vogue at this time, which made it a logical assumption. The reference to many hotels and travel made me think foreign medical attention could be a plausible idea. 

The disconnect between the couple soon heightened as the man continued to discuss the operation. The woman's desire to weigh her options in silence surfaced. She beseeched the man to be silent, but he continued to jabber on. I found the man insensitive and selfish. Maybe I viewed him that way because I am a woman, but he still seemed selfish. 

The story comes to a sudden end when the train is close to coming into the station. By then the couple had separated at the bar to reflect on their upcoming choice. I became quite frustrated with the ending. WHAT WAS THE OPERATION? Would they stay together? How could they think an operation would solve ALL their problems? Why did she have to have the operation? Why were they always on the road? All these questions remained unanswered. Hemingway intrigued me, but then left me at a cliff hanger. The ambiguousness left me to my own devices. In my mind, the woman did not get the operation and they worked out their problems a different way. Despite filling in the holes of the story on my own, I am still dying to know what Hemingway meant for the operation to be.