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Hills Like White Elephants: Jig Everyday people make decisions that affect their future lives. Do people make the right decisions? What makes a decision a right one? What may be right to some, may be wrong to others. There are no right or wrong decisions but those that people choose and believe to be right varying from each individual.
In Hemingway's realistic story, Hills Like White Elephants, Jig attempts to make a crucial change in her life by making the right decision, but is unable to because of her weak characteristic flaws. Jig is indecisive about her decision. Even though she realizes the possibilities, she has difficulties letting go of old habits, has a low self-esteem that leads to her being submissive, and puts up a frail fight by hiding her feelings behind her sarcastic comments. Jig faces an immense decision that will change her future. She must choose between the old and the new lifestyle. It is hard for her to let go of old habits that consists of taking no responsibility and the sole intention of seeking pleasure.
She must go from a young worried less rebel to a stable adult taking responsibility. Its a hard process since there are three steps to changing: realization, doing the deed, and committing to the change. She definitely realizes she needs to change, but only goes that far. She does walk to the end of the station and looks upon the fertile side of the valley and comments and we could have all this, but she continues drinking when she knows well that she carries a child in her womb.
She even says the alcohol tastes like licorice, that everything tastes the same, and shes getting tired of her same old life. Surely, she must know the possible damage she can cause the baby to have, but does it stop her from drinking? No, this only indicates that she is still not ready to change completely. Even though she wants to change, something, perhaps her old ways, is holding her back from doing so. Maybe this explains why she drinks during her pregnancy. Jig has many characteristics that define her as being a weak character.
Due to her submissive quality, she gives in to her lover regardless her own feelings. One of the reasons why she feels the need to make him happy lies in her fear of losing him. And if I do it youll be happy and things will be like they were and youll love me? Apparently, Jig is willing to sacrifice her own will for his, if it means making him happy. She struggles on a decision between her mind and her heart. Her mind is telling her to keep the baby, but her heart is telling her the opposite-to go through the operation.
It is a decision between her love for him and willingness to make him happy versus her self- interest to make the right decision. Obviously, it is her low self- esteem that gears her towards giving in to him. If I do it you wont ever worry then Ill do it because I dont care about me. This quotes clearly shows how she is passive and submissive. Her weak flaw lies in the fact that she doesnt consider her feelings in her decision makings.
She processes qualities that make her a feeble character incapable of changing and making decisions that make her an unreliable and un willful character. Another weak flaw is seen through her inability to speak out against her lover. Its as if she tries to avoid any quarrels from occurring. She uses sarcastic means to hide her true feelings about the issue. This is her only way of showing disagreements towards him.
Either she is afraid to speak out her real emotions or she is being too tolerant and considerate towards him. When he tells Jig that hes known people who have gone through with it before, she comments, So have In afterwards they were all so happy. On the surface she agrees with him that everything will be the same afterwards, but, underneath she really knows that the abortion will bring them everything but happiness. Her sarcastic usage hides her feeling so well that it seems as if she doesnt even try to tell him she doesnt want to go through with it.
At the end, Jig tries one last time to imply to her lover that she disagrees with him by saying, I feel fine, theres nothing wrong with me. I feel fine. Her sarcastic remark is not a strong way of going about trying to convince him that deep inside something is really bothering her. It can sometimes be confusing for she tells him one thing but means the other. His power over her is so great that she feels intimidated to oppose him directly.
Instead, she indicates her opposition towards him indirectly through her sarcastic comments. In conclusion, Hemingway's character Jig in Hills Like White Elephants was unable to change her life through her decision due to her frail characteristics. Some reasons that lead up to her failure were: the hardships of letting go of the old lifestyle, the power Jigs lover has over her due to her low self-esteem and submissive being, and the weakness behind hiding true emotions by using sarcastic means. Jig walked back towards the station into the shades of the sterile side of the valley. A dark cloud covered her head and she knew what was going to become of herself after the simple operation. In the end, everyone must choose and follow their own paths, whether their decisions were right or wrong, each direction leads to the beginning of a new journey.
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Research essay sample on Low Self Esteem Hills Like White Elephants
