“Hills Like White Elephants” It’s not until they’re on their third beer that the American finally mentions something about the operation. Out of the blue he says “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig; it’s not really an operation at all” (291, paragraph 42). So it’s now taken them almost 3 beers apiece before one of them has mentioned something about the procedure. The American says that all they do is let air in and then it is over just like that and they’ll go back to being the same as they were before…and so on. He really seems to care for his own well being and doesn’t consider her feelings on the matter. He says they’ll be happy again after the operation, but Jig is optimistic and asks why he thinks so. He then says that he’s known people before who were in the same situation and they were happy afterwards (291, paragraphs 53-54). Jig says to herself (292, paragraph 71) that they can have everything but everyday they make it more impossible. The American asks her what she said because this was the first time in the story when Jig talked to herself. He agrees with her on being able to have everything but Jig quickly states that they cannot have it all and that it isn’t theirs any more. She seems to be getting a little frustrated at this point and asks the American if they could maybe stop talking. Jig is rapidly reaching her decision about what to do when she says that “once they take it away, you never get it back.” (292, paragraph 82) She is telling him that they can never again have the life they’ve had up until now, unless there are some immediate life changing decisions about to be made. The American says to Jig that he doesn’t want anybody but her, and says again that it’s perfectly simple (something he said earlier in trying to convince Jig to get the abortion). The man really has no solid reasons to give to Jig as to why they shouldn’t have a baby. He, without a doubt, cares for Jig. Unfortunately the love that she craves from him is not...