The girl
(Jig) says that the drink tastes like licorice because it is made with anise and might have a
licorice taste to it. She notes all things that one (she or the American) might wait for, such
as absinthe, also taste like licorice. There is nothing obvious or plainly telling about this
section of dialogue. This is a great example of Hemingway's minimalist style which can be
admirable but also frustrating.
Upon a closer reading, considering the main
dilemma of the story (arguing about having an abortion), we can make a few interpretations as to
what the girl and the man are talking about in this section. The girl compares the drink (Anis
del Toro) to licorice and to absinthe. Absinthe can have a bittersweet flavor (like licorice).
This insinuation might refer to their predicament: she wonders if she has the abortion, if they
will continue to be carefree lovers as they had been before she got pregnant. Since she is on
the fence with having the abortion at all, she also wonders how having the baby would affect
their lives together. The complexity of the situation and the difficulty of her decision is
analogous to the complexity or paradoxical flavor of the absinthe, being both bitter and sweet.
Thus, this is a bittersweet moment in their relationship, perhaps more bitter than sweet for
Jig.
Absinthe is also known as an aphrodisiac and an hallucinogen. Her
comparison of the Anis del Toro to absinthe might be some inside reference to a previous night
when the two of them drank absinthe and it augmented their feelings for each other. Perhaps, and
this is also just a supposition, they were drinking absinthe when the baby was conceived.
Therefore, they drank and made love and the baby was the unintended result. In this case, the
man is annoyed that she even made a veiled reference to the situation (be it the conception or
their current argument). The man simply wants the situation to be over and that's why he
continues to passive-aggressive in encouraging the abortion. Jig, on the other hand, wants to
think it through.
Further on, Jig says, "I wanted to try this new
drink. That's all we do, isn't it--look at things and try new drinks?" She and the man are,
at this point, thinking primarily of whether or not to have an abortion. So, it is likely that,
for the two of them, other seemingly odd references (absinthe, licorice taste, hills like white
elephants) will signify or spark some symbolism referring to the pregnancy. (In her imagination,
Jig sees the hills becoming something else, like a child emerging from a womb.) But Jig is also
being passive-aggressive herself and intimates that this pregnancy is the first serious issue
they've faced whereas prior to it, all they've done is look at things and drink. The man is
annoyed that she is having second thoughts about the abortion and wants the matter closed. Jig
is unsure and much more thoughtful about what having a child or an abortion could mean for their
futures together or apart. Since Jig is thinking more deeply about things, she recognizes that
their carefree lifestyle is missing a serious aspect; therefore, everything is good and bad,
like licorice, bittersweet.
No comments:
Post a Comment