Dependence on Independence in Hills Like White ElephantsIn “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, the lives of Jig and the American, the main characters, are showcased for a short period of time. Jig and the man have been in a romantic relationship for a long time and now their future together is in danger. Jig's impregnation caused the American to push her to have an abortion. We find these two individuals in the Ebro valley. Traveling from Barcelona to Madrid, the couple takes these few minutes to discuss the future of their child. Jig now has to make one of the most important decisions of her life: have an abortion and stay with the American, or have the baby and end the relationship with the man. The forty minutes of dialogue we observe details the need for both to be in control of the situation. The dialogue between these two individuals and the narrator's comments refer to the dry and desperate atmosphere that runs through the setting of this event. The introductory narration provides a prophetic setting for this forty-minute look at the lives of Jig and the American. The names of the two characters offer information about the relationship between the two individuals. A “jig” is a “fast, elastic dance.” (Webster's New World Dictionary, p.320) This is reminiscent of abortion. The decision to have an abortion will need to be made quickly. The lack of a name for the man also provides insight into his character. By leaving the male unnamed, Hemingway does not allow the reader to personalize him. So it's easier for someone to hate it. “On this side there was no shade or trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the middle… in the center of the map… another path he can take, a path that leads away from all the other paths , a path leads away from the barren land, a path that leads to a brighter future. During the forty minute time sliver in the conversation between Jig and the American, decisions are made that will have a lifelong impact. Jig must overcome her dependence on the man to truly decide for herself what is more important: continuing the relationship or saving the life of the child inside her. In these few moments of time the fate of their child, of their "white elephant", will be decided. Numerous references to the setting are made during their conversations. Symbolism in the narrator's descriptions of the setting alludes to the abortion the American wants Jig to have, and dialogue between the couple hints at their superficial relationship.