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by a white elephant.

Eight times in this brief story Hemingway mentions the beaded curtain that hangs across the entrance of the cafe to keep out flies. The curtain has printed on it the brand name of the licorice-tasting drink they try, Anis del Toro. At one point the woman takes hold of two of the curtains' beaded strands. Literary critics have interpreted this curtain in different symbolic ways ranging from umbilical cords to the door to the uterus.

Similar ingenuity is found in interpretations of the "shadow of a cloud" that moves across the fields of grain near the river. The past history of the couple that leads to their present situation is concisely communicated by Hemingway's description of their luggage. "There were labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights."

A detail packed with meaning is the rare adverb used in the narration of the man's taking the luggage to the other side of the tracks. The man observes the other people drinking in the cafe bar while buying himself another anis. Why does he want this solo drink away from Jig, his girlfriend? The answer lies in this sentence: "They were all waiting reasonably for the train."

The duration of the story is 35 minutes. Hemingway never uses the words "abortion" or "baby" but readers become aware of what the "simple operation" is that the woman doesn't want but the man tries to persuade her to undergo. By mentioning the other people waiting "reasonably" for the train, the author establishes that the man thinks the woman he has impregnated is being "unreasonable" to even consider carrying the fetus to birth. His selfishness and irresponsibility are evoked by that adverb and by his purchase of that drink.

The ending is indeterminate. When the man returns, the woman merely smiles and says she feels fine. Will she consent to the abortion in Madrid? Will she have the baby? Will she shed her boyfriend? Will he dump her?

The story has no need to present answers. Its purpose was to dramatize a situation even more common today than when the story was written. The author does not assign immorality or villainy. The woman is not a victim and the man is not a seducer of the innocent. We sympathize with Jig, the female character. It is she that will have to undergo the "simple operation" or give birth to the child. We favor fertility more than sterility; the grassy vegetation near the river is more attractive than the barren landscape in the opposite direction. But assuming the complications, expenses and responsibilities that come with a white elephant would require a major adjustment of lifestyle. Let's be reasonable. Meanwhile, let's have another drink.

Learn more about this author, Kerry Michael Wood.
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