Sometimes people are faced with difficult decisions that can change their lives forever. In the story Hills Like White Elephants, Ernest Hemmingway tells how a couple faces the decision of whether or not to undergo a life-changing operation. While the two main characters, The American and Jig, are at the train station, they are having a last minute conversation about whether or not to abort their baby. Through symbols, setting, and characters' actions, Hemmingway reveals the theme by which people communicate and show their feelings or opinions on issues in ways more than just obvious verbal statements. Throughout the story Hemmingway uses a multitude of symbols to show how Jig truly feels about having an abortion. At the beginning of the story, Jig says, “They [hills] look like white elephants” (96). White elephants are objects given as gifts to a person because they were unwanted by the original owner. In the story, the white elephant was the unborn child that Jig was conceiving. Through this symbol, Hemmingway shows that Jig was looking for you...