Hills Like White Elephants"Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway, is a great example of the role of women in the last century. The story is told in a simple form of dialogue between a man and a young woman nicknamed Jig. While there is an important decision to make, nothing particularly important is mentioned. In the story, Jig doesn't have much influence in her relationship with the man, even when it comes to an abortion. The story begins outside a small train stop in central Spain, where a young woman peers out over the nearby hills. Jig remarks that they look like white elephants and tells the man he wants some beers. The man asks for two drinks and the waitress asks Jill if she wants her drink with water, but she can't decide. The man suggests that they are good with water so they drink Anis del Toros. As they talk about drinks, the man comments on the abortion that it's no big deal and that everything would be fine after all. She agrees to do it because she doesn't care about herself and they argue. He asks only one thing: to stop talking to her. The man gets up, takes the bags and finally comes back and asks her if she is okay. She replies, "I feel good. There's nothing wrong with me. I feel good." (p255) In a time when some women had more freedom than others, Hemingway shows us that not even Jig can make an important decision alone. After World War I, women began fighting for the right to vote and began new careers outside the home. This story is set in the late 1920s and the characters' lifestyle reflects the "lost generation" of expatriates who lived in Western Europe. The men, as well as the women, had an easy life drinking socially in... middle of paper ... ...ogia telling her that she doesn't have to have the operation if she doesn't want to, but convinces her to do it. Their lack of dialogue makes it easy for him to get everything he wants. He never addresses the real issue, like the emotional part of abortion, but talks about how simple the operation really is. "I know you wouldn't mind, Jig. It's really nothing. It's just to let the air in," he says. The man is not in love with her and only loves to please himself. Through this short anecdote, Hemingway presents readers with the social dilemma of male dominance over his counterpart. Women's fight for equality has changed some "old traditions" but there are still many Jigs in our society who should not be treated as inferior. Women are the most beautiful beings in life, but they are not to be owned, but loved and admired.