Hills Like White Elephants

My latest reading that I was assigned was “Hills Like White Elephants.”  By Ernest Hemingway. It’s a 4-page short story about the relationship between “The American” and a girl named Jig. They are met at a cross roads when waiting to board a train to Barcelona. I did enjoy the story and the style that it possessed. My first impression after the reading was that the Jig was having an unnamed operation due to a various mental health reason. But after further discussion in class I discovered that the operation might have been an abortion instead. Which then ties into the relationship between the couple. My conclusion is that Jig was a mistress who became pregnant, but she wants to stay with this man. The man wants her to have the operation saying that everything will go back to normal when its over and that it was for the best, but also implies that he doesn’t want her to do it if she opposes the idea. Of course it’s her decision but his opinion will affect the outcome of her final decision. The end of the story was very unclear, Hemingway does not specify if Jig does go though with the operation or not, and lets the reader interpret the ending anyway they want.