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As is the case with most short stories, character development tends to be expressed with actions and dialogue rather than descriptions and anecdotes. Hills Like White Elephants is no exception. Hills Like White Elephants is a short story by Ernest Hemingway. This story takes place in a very short period of time, but yet tells a tale that is much bigger than itself. Even a conversation can say a great deal about the people involved.

The setting of this story is a bar at a train station in Spain. The time period is never explicitly stated but it can be assumed to be around 1927, as that is the date the story was written. To put it simply, the plot of this story is a conversation between the two main characters, a man and a woman. It occurs while they are having drinks at the bar. Although the topic is never clearly stated, it is fairly clear that the discussion is on abortion for the girl. This is clear from the man's statement that "it's to let the air in" as well as the basic gravity of the conversation. The conversation makes up the majority of the story, other than some general observations on the environment. There is a third character, the waitress, but she is a minor figure. Overall, nothing is clearly or obviously stated in the conversation. The vast majority of what is going on is left to the reader to surmise, which is what makes the story so elegant.

There is very powerful imagery in Hills Like White Elephants. This is expressed both in the title and the dialogue. The mountains in Spain make the girl think of white elephants. A white elephant is a metaphor for an expensive possession that is a financial burden to maintain. This expression originated in Thailand, where albino (white) elephants were considered sacred, and were not permitted to be forced into work. Therefore, a white elephant was only a burden to its owner, consuming food without providing any useful service to its owner. A white elephant might be a privilege to own and pleasing to look at, but in having it you could become destitute.

The woman is named Jig, whereas the man is simply "a man" or "The American". The relationship between them is uncertain. They are clearly not married, but they have consummated a relationship which resulted in the girl becoming pregnant. It seems like they are travelers, who stop in different locales before moving on to the next. To the reader, their relationship seems shallow. They have a childish exchange where the man tells Jig to "cut it out" and Jig replies

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