Embedded Files
In June 2021, I asked my students to read Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants” in class and think about the themes, characters, story structure through group discussion and at home. Before reading the story, I asked them to look at the questions below.
Pre-reading activities:
Pay attention to the title. What do you think the story is about?
Now, look at the picture. What inferences can you make?
Where are the characters of the story?
In what year or decade do you think the story takes place?
Look for information about the author? What do you know about Ernest Hemingway?
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Next, we go through the story together: “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway
After reading the story, I asked my students to discuss the questions below:
Post-reading activities [A]
Read the first and the second paragraph of the story and answer:
Who are the main characters in the story?
Where are they?
What is the place like? What are the characters talking about?
Who introduces the topic? How?
What is the operation they are talking about? What kind of operation is it?
Does the girl want the operation? Find evidence in the text.
Does the man want the operation? Find evidence in the text.
What does the man look at their bags?
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Next, I asked my students to write an ending on their own.
Post-reading activities [B]
The story has an open ending. After reading it, what do you think they will do? Write an ending to the story (80 – 100 words).
And here are some answers:
After she said so, neither of them talked for a while. The train hasn‘t come yet.
“Do you know I recommend operation because I love you?” The man said.
The girl looked down and did‘t say anything. Suddenly, they heard children laughing from somewhere.
“They are laughing happily.” The girl said.
The man couldn‘t see her face. Then, they heard the sound of the train coming.
“Hey, the train is coming soon. Let‘s get ready for a ride. ”
When the train comes nearby, the girl shouted “I loved you!” and jumped in front of the train.
by Student B
“I feel we lost everything,” the girl muttered, “and you?”
The man held her hand, and said, “I don’t feel that…”
There was silence. The girl looked at the two lines of rails, continuing to their hometown. In the meantime, two trains came to the station and departed somewhere.
The man kept gazing at her until she turned her eyes back to him.
“I won’t feel that way,” he said, “absolutely, I won’t.”
“Right.”
Tears fell from her eyes. The man wiped it with a handkerchief.
by Student C
The train has arrived. The man and the girl boarded the train and there was no conversation between them for a moment.
Suddenly, she said, “people can’t fully understand the feelings of others. How well did you understand my feelings?”
He replied, “I think I understand your feeling a little.”
However, she shook her head and said, “No, you don’t understand my feeling because I don’t understand my feeling either…”
After that, she stopped talking.
After they arrived in Madrid, they stayed at a nearby hotel. The next morning the man found that the girl had disappeared.
by Student D
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After the activities, some students left positive comments. For example,
“thank you very much. It was very difficult for me to decide what kind of ending I write, but it was a lot of fun to think about.” (Kayuki)
This is the first time I have read Hemingway’s writing and it is quite interesting. I am getting interested in it. Thank you. (Yuta)
Also, some students wrote a happy ending to the story because they empathize with Jig’s situation, whereby she is trapped between abortion and pregnancy.
“I made such a story because I wanted Jig to be happy.” (Misato)
From this aspect, I see that applying short story can urge students to think critically and further develop their empathetic skills.
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Next, I asked my students to write a paper concerning abortion:
Post-reading activities [C]
In the story, the characters are pro-abortion or anti-abortion? Support your answer with evidence taken from the text. Also, construct your own argument and use some solid evidence to back up your point.
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Text Analysis by Yih Lynn
In Ernest Hemingway’s 1927 short story “Hills Like White Elephants”, the topic of abortion is brought up albeit indirectly and by using metaphors. Based on the text, it was to be conjectured that the male character knows the ‘the American’ took a stance of pro-abortion. Meanwhile, the female character called ‘Jig’ seems to want to keep the baby but is also not opposed to getting an abortion. In this report, I would like to look at evidence from the text that would support my claim that the characters are pro-abortion, as well as to suggests possible reasons for their stance.
From the novel, it was to be assumed that neither characters hold the idea of anti-abortion that sprouts from their religious beliefs or social norms. The American seems to be enthusiastic about Jig getting an abortion, and even tries to encourage her to do it by ensuring her that it is a simple operation. He also insinuates that abortion is not as much of a taboo within his social circle, as he states that he knows people who have done the operation. If abortion was a taboo within his social circle, it can be assumed that he would not have heard or known of anyone who had the operation, since it would be something that people would rather hide and sweep under the rug.
“It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,” the man said. “It’s not really an operation at all”; “You don’t have to be afraid. I’ve known lots of people that have done it.” “So have I,” said the girl… (Hemingway, 1927)
On the other hand, Jig does not seem as enthusiastic about getting an abortion as her partner is. She doubts that the operation will do any good as she asks the man, “And you think then we’ll be all right and be happy. (Hemingway, 1927)”, which insinuates that she herself did not share the same sentiment. However, the girl does not seem unwilling to undergo the operation either which is why I would suggest that she is not anti-abortion. The girl states that she does not mind doing the operation, and although her choice of words shows that she does not want the operation, it shows that she does not hold religious beliefs or personal values that would discourage her from having the operation. Jig also mentions that she knows people who have had the operation in response to the man’s statement. Therefore, it can be assumed that abortion is also not a big taboo within her social circle either.
In conclusion, based on evidence from the text, it can be referenced that both the main characters in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” are pro-abortion. Although both characters show no resistance towards abortion and claim they know people who have had the operation, it can be assumed that the topic of abortion was still a sensitive topic at the time of publication. This is because Hemingway never explicitly mentions the word ‘abortion’ and the nature of the operation are only suggested through metaphors and vague explanations.
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An Analysis by Tsutsumi Kotaro
To begin with, I clarify whether a man and girl in this story are pro-abortion or anti-abortion. In this story, a man and girl talk about an operation for abortion with metaphors. They do not clearly mention whether they are pro-abortion or anti-abortion. However, we can conjecture that the man is pro-abortion and the girl is anti-abortion from detailed descriptions.
First, we can conjecture that man is pro-abortion from his statement and attitude. For example, he says “It’s a simple operation, Jig. It’s not an operation at all.”. This statement emphasizes how easy he thinks of an abortion shoud be. In addition, he says “Don’t be afraid. I know many people who did it.”. It also emphasizes that abortion is common and is not risky. He seems to ease her fear toward afraid of the operation in order to recommend the abortion. (Actually, she does not seem to care about the risk of the operation.) Furthermore, when she asks “What will happen then?”, he says “We will be fine.” and “That’s the only thing that makes us unhappy.”.Based on For this statement, we can guess that the man thinks that having a child makes them unhappy and he does not want the girl to give birth.
Second, we can also conjecture that the girl is anti-abortion from her statement and attitude. Although the man’s argument can be guessed easily from his statement, it is difficult to guess her argument because the girl does not mention it clearly. However, we can assume that she is anti-abortion from her atmosphere. To begin with, she says “It tastes like liquorice, like all the things you have waited so long for.” The girl presumably dislikes the taste and the statement seems to be an irony that the man wants her to do the operation of abortion. In addition, she strongly asks the man to stop talking, saying “Will you please, please, please stop talking?” The statement, “please, please, please”, describe irritation towards that the man talks about the operation of abortion one-sidedly. Finally, she says “There is nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.” after the man took their bag to the other side and went back to the bar. However, it is difficult to think that she agrees with doing the operation suddenly because she has never agreed with the man’s statement in this story. The statement, “I feel fine”, seems to describe that she gives up trying to persuade him or ironic that he thinks having a child will make them unhappy. For these detailed descriptions, we can assume that she disagrees with pro-abortion.
Next, I will write my argument concerning abortion. Some people believe that abortion is wrong because they feel sorry for babies who killed before being born. I partially agree with this opinion, but I think that abortions should not be prohibited absolutely because abortions have some advantages. Especially, abortions prevent people from unwanted pregnancy and health-related concerns. First, abortions prevent people from unwanted pregnancy. Many people who become unwanted pregnant visit hospitals to take an operation of abortion. The reasons that they do not want to have a child although they become pregnant are various, such as they are too young to raise children, they have a financial problem, they are not sure of raising children and so on. Abortions protect people who become unwanted pregnanct from these concerns. On the other hand, some people who neglect these concerns and give birth are under serious circumstances. For example, an article introduces a girl who gave birth when she was a high school student. The girl became pregnant with a boy and gave birth, neglecting their parents’ warning. Of course, they did not have enough money to raise their child and they had no choice but to leave school before graduation in order to earn money. She says that they still have a financial problem and regret giving birth without thinking in the article. I think that adults should teach children who become unwanted pregnant the importance of abortions and promote the operation of abotions to reduce such case.
Second, abortions prevent people from health-related concerns. Health-related concerns include not only physical health problems but also mental health problems. Mental health is essential for children and mothers in mothers to grow. However, if mothers have serious mental problems, their children’s growth can be delayed or both mothers and their children can die at the worst. I think that abrortions serve as is a solution to protect mothers from physical and mental problems that can cause them to die.
In conclusion, abortions are sometimes criticized because of its brutality. However, in some cases, abortions can save people who suffer from unwanted pregnancy and health-related concerns. I think that we should not only criticize abortions, but also suggets abortions as a solution to protect such people.
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Pro-abortion or Anti-abortion? by Rion Morishita
I think the man is pro-abortion. This is because he said the following, “It’s a simple operation, Jig.“ Also, He said, “We will be fine. Just like we were before. That’s the only thing that makes us unhappy. Don’t be afraid. I know many people who did it.”. From these sentences, I can see that he has the opinion that their pregnancies are unwanted and in that case abortion for themselves is one option they can choose. He also claims that there are many people who have the same idea about abortion. On the other hand, I think the girl is anti-abortion. This is because she said the following, “Will you please, please, please stop talking?”. I can see from this sentence that she is confused and panicked. Besides, she had not returned a word of agreement with his defensive views on abortion. She was also concerned about what would happen after the operation of abortion as “What will happen then?”. I think it was a question that she was concerned about the risks to her body of having the operation of the abortion. On the other hand, his answer to that question is about their life and future, as described above, so there is a gap between what she and he are concerned about abortion. I suspect that the difference in these concerns arises from the fact that the girl is aware of the fact that the surgery will be performed on her own body, while the men are less aware. From these things, I think she is anti-abortion. However, she does not seem to be able to speak her mind about abortion to him because of her relationship with him and the difference in what they are worried about. I felt a resignation from her in the sentences of the text, as if she had no other choice but to follow his opinion of pro-abortion. He wanted her to have an abortion based on a rationale that had nothing to do with the risks of the procedure: he wanted to prioritize his quality of life and was surrounded by people who were also having abortions. On the other hand, she was hesitant to have an abortion because she was worried about her body. I think she was more confused about her body and the mental embarrassment of having an abortion than the quality of their life because it was her body.
I think that individuals, like the two characters of the man and the girl, have different opinions about the abortion. I am pro-abortion. However, I don’t think exactly the same as the man in the story. I believe that abortion is an important option for individual thinking. The happiness of the pregnant woman should be the first thing to be respected and considered. If the choice is the result of thinking about which choice will make her happy in the future, I don’t think other people have the right to say anything about that choice. Of course, abortion is a risky operation for women. The uterus can be injured during the operation of the abortion and cause various unpleasant symptoms to the body and mind after the operation. Women should consider these risks to her body before making a choice of the operation of the abortion.
There was an interesting and sadness article in the Asahi Shimbun about the mental helth of woman took the operation of the abortion, given as Ref. 2. This is an article that discusses what Japanese women think about abortion based on various graphs of statistics. From this article, it says that more than 70% of women who have their first abortion operation suffer from “feelings of guilt towards the fetus” and “feelings of self-blame”. It is understandable that women who have undergone the operation of the abortion feel this way, and I think I would be struggling with similar content if I were in that position. However, as mentioned above, the most important thing that should be valued is the happiness of women. If women have made the decision for herself that her happiness does not exist in having a child, then abortion should be respected as a choice option. The psychological damage that these abortions cause women is equally concerning to the rest of the world. There are several countries that offer extensive counseling for women who have had abortions, and some even offer religious counseling. Abortion is a way for a woman to escape the damage caused to herself by childbirth and child rearing due to her unwanted pregnancy. It is one important choice that respects the happiness of women. However, because of the physical and mental damage that comes with the operation of the abortion, women need some help from the people and society around them to understand this, reduce the damage as much as possible, and live the happy life they have been looking forward to.
There are pro-abortion people like me, on the other hand, there are also anti-abortion. I often hear anti-abortion people say, “Killing the fetus is unethical. I can certainly understand that opinion, but I don’t think it should be easily shared with a woman who wants to take the abortion. We should first think about why woman had to have an abortion and why woman had an unwanted pregnancy. There is a deep-seated social problem hidden here. Reasons for abortion include “Giving birth will interfere with my studies, work, and my responsibilities” , “I can’t afford to raise a child” and “I don’t want to be a single parent or have problems with my partner”. These are the main reasons of the abortion. These issues are personal to these women, but at the same time, they are social and national issues that should be considered by everyone as a whole.
I believe that if difficult issues for people especially women are resolved, the number of abortions will decrease and the number of women who suffer physical and mental damage from abortion will also decrease. I am pro-abortion based on the idea that a woman’s happiness should be respected the most.
References:
メディオンクリニック https://online-medicine.or.jp 2021/06/13
朝日新聞 “中絶の実態「胎児に申し訳ない」受ける女性の思い” https://www.asahi.com/articles 2021/06/13
David M Fergusson “Abortion and mental health” Psychiatric Bulletin, Volume 32, Issue 9, September 2008, pp. 321 – 324
朝日新聞 “中絶は何のため？ 知ってほしい健康を守る視点” https://www.asahi.com/articles 2021/06/13
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Pro-Abortion or Anti-Abortion? by Yuiko Kimoto
In the story of Hills Like White Elephants, written by Ernest Hemingway, there are mainly two characters, an American man, and a girl whose name is Jig. The story takes a place near Madrid in Spain and these two characters are waiting for a train that will head to Madrid from Barcelona. From the conversation they are having, it tells that Jig is pregnant and the man is telling her to have an operation for an abortion. The girl does not want to have an abortion while the man wishes for Jig to take an abortion. Even though they do not state their position directly, the context in the story implies their standpoint in various ways.
The girl prefers not to have an abortion because rather than having an abortion, as a woman she prefers to keep her baby and raise it with the man. Primarily, there are 3 parts where support this statement. First, even though she brought up the topic first by using metaphor, it seems like she is trying to avoid the topic. For example, Jig first implies abortion by saying “hills like white elephants.” Afterward, the man and the girl will argue but the way how they talk seems that the man is not interactive with the women. The woman surely tries to sway the topic by bringing up different topics, such as drink. Second, the phrase “Then I will do it because I don’t care about it,” have a political implication that it is a word out of spite toward the man who does not really pay attention to how the woman feels carefully. It seems that the woman is not just giving up but considering whether she should choose the man or the unborn baby. Lastly, Jim said “please” seven times which seems that she was begging to end the topic. From this phrase, we can feel how strong she can be as the same as the man. Even songs, poems, and speeches, people tend to use the same word continuously so that they can emphasize the crucial part.
On the other hand, the man hopes that Jim will have an abortion the new life which Jig is caring have the potential which changed the relationship between the man and Jig. There are two parts where we can assume his position. First, the man suddenly states that “It’s a simple operation, Jig. It is not an operation at all. Don’t worry, I’ll go with you.” From this phrase, we can assume that the man has more power than the woman, which means that he is trying to convince her from his position. Second, the scene where the man glances at the bags which they brought through their trip, shows that the man’s nostalgia for the time with Jim.
If I were one of the characters in this story, I think I would choose to not have an abortion. Since there are so many aspects to discuss this topic, I would like to share 3 reasons why I think abortion is not preferable. First, I believe abortion is the same as killing a person who is innocent and has a potential life. It is true that some people say that is proper to provide an option to who is raising a child. However, in the fact, that will be based on emotion. Moreover, if you are thinking that abortion is approvable just because the newborn is not a human yet, it would be as similar as saying that it is okay to suffer the animals because they are not human. As morality, I think we must consider not only the right to do whatever you want with your body but also whether it is reasonable ethically. Second, for some religions, it is not acceptable to have an abortion. For example, in Catholicism, having an abortion can punish you heave as the same as murder. They think that life will begin ever since when the sperm and egg cells encounter. Since it is religion, the essence was decided by God and humans must obey it. Finally, feminism comes to a key point in the topic of abortion. Even if you are anti-abortion the basic of feminism is anti-discrimination and violence. Therefore, it can be seen that abortion is a violation of women’s rights as well.
It is indeed difficult to choose whether is desirable and it also depends on the environment and what kind of social system, culture, and religion you have absorbed. I believe the point in which you prioritize, the right for women or the right for the unborn baby to live. Since abortion is a subject that can vary in each person and because it is a very private problem, I believe we should leave some options. For example, if there were people like me who are pro-abortion, they can raise their baby by following their decision. Furthermore, if there were people who pursue to have an operation for abortion, they have a right to choose. The perspectives differ so that we should provide broader options.
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Pro-Abortion or Anti-Abortion? by Yurina
Their Attitudes in the Story
The man looks like he’s for Jig’s abortion. In line 9 in the story, he suggested and encouraged her to have an operation to remove the pregnancy: “It’s not an operation at all. Don’t worry, I’ll go with you”. In addition to this, he told her that they would be fine after she had a surgical abortion in line 11: “We will be fine. Just like we were before. That’s the only thing that makes us unhappy”. However, he thought her consent was indeed and tried to get her agreement over and over by telling her not to undergo the surgery if she didn’t want to:
“Well, I care about you. I don’t want you to do it if you feel that way.”(line 13)
“I don’t want you to do things that you don’t want to do.”(line 16)
“You have to understand,” he said, “that I don’t want you to do it if you don’t want to. I will do what is necessary if it means anything to you. (line 19)
On the other hand, the girl was reluctant to go for an abortion. She could see the white elephants that meant the joy of having a child and that he hadn’t seen, so she wouldn’t have wanted to terminate the pregnancy. Besides, she said “We can have the whole world”, which told the man how great it would be if they had have a baby. The story is open-ended so we don’t know whether she decided to have an operation, but she seemed to be having her heart on one or the other at the last dialogue of the story: “There is nothing wrong with me. I feel fine”.
My Argument Concerning abortion
Women face many obstacles throughout pregnancy. They have various kinds of discomforts including pain and perinatal depression. They need lots of money to go to the doctor and prepare for a new baby, but they can’t avoid taking a leave of absence or quitting their job if the job poses any risks to them and their child. Most mothers get help from people around them and give birth. However, if the pregnancy was unplanned or would endanger their health, there should be a choice to end the pregnancy.
To concern about abortion, freedoms and methods matter. Regarding the former, all people should have various choices on reproductive health services. The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) adopted the global agreement of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), which says that the choice of abortion is all people’s fundamental right (Starrs and others, 2646). The latter issue contains safe and affordable ways of terminating the pregnancy. If abortion is prohibited by the nation’s law, those who don’t want to continue a pregnancy will try it by themselves in dangerous ways. Actually, more than 100,000 women had a self-induced abortion in Texas where restrict surgical abortion by the laws (Wulfhorst). An official and safe method of operation is needed to protect women’s health.
Nevertheless, some say abortion is immoral and selfish behavior. However, women can’t choose surgery at ease because termination of pregnancy takes a complicated and troublesome process, especially in Japan. When a woman decides to end the pregnancy, she has to get consent from her partner even if they are broken up (“Japan’s abortion rule”). To remove a pregnancy, there is no choice of taking pills but surgical means which can cause her pain (NHK). Among them, more than half of Japanese hospitals still use the technique (NHK) that WHO strongly suggests not to adopt (WHO, 2).
Despite various thoughts and cultures varies, safe and affordable choices to end the pregnancy should be around the world. In terms of human rights, all people can choose abortion. If there is no official process, many women will endanger their health. Although ICPD has worked long to advance SRHR, women in some regions aren’t able to access a non-invasive and economical abortion. We need more conversation about how society can protect all people’s health.
Works Cited
Starrs, Ann M, et al. “Accelerate Progress—Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All: Report of the Guttmacher– Lancet Commission.” The Lancet, vol. 391, no. 10140, 2018, pp. 2642–2692., doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(18)30293-9.
Wulfhorst, Ellen. “Up against Strict Laws, Texas Women Learn Do-It-Yourself Abortions.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 24 May 2016, www.reuters.com/article/us-abortion-usa-texas-doityourself-idUSKCN0YF1BC. Writer, Staff. “Japan’s Abortion Rule: Get Consent from Your Sexual Predator.” Nikkei Asia, Nikkei Asia, 20 Oct. 2020, asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Japan-s-abortion-rule-Get-consent-from-your-sexual-predator.
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Finally, I would like to thank my students to take an active role in participating in the lesson and I hope they enjoy reading the story, recreating the story, and thinking about the issues embedded within the story.
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