Oppression is Not Only a Thing of the Past.

Pub #3

        Martin Luther King once said “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” This statement means that those who are being oppressed must stand up, and speak out against their oppressor otherwise they will never get the freedom they long for. This quote is demonstrated countless times in history, but also in literature, particularly “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway. This short story demonstrates oppression in a subtly way. Although the story may be hard to follow for some, the underline message throughout the text is women oppression.
        Although subtle there are many sign of oppression in this piece of literature. The first sign of oppression is the way the guy tried to simplify the operation (the abortion). The guy states “It’s really an awfully simple operation” (Hemingway 116). If this was the case why were it a possibility that Jig wouldn’t make it out the operation alive. Since the operation was illegal in that time period, people had to go to an underground doctor which made it that much more dangerous. The second sign is the pressure the guy is putting on Jig to have the operation. Sure it seems like he is giving her the option but he really isn’t. This is evident when he states “That’s the only thing that bother us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy.” (Hemingway 116). Also when he states “I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to. But I know it’s perfectly simple.” (Hemingway 116) Most people want to make their partner happy, so if that is Jigs main focus, which was common in that day for most women, she’ll just have the operation to keep him happy. Also in the second statement the oppression is almost hidden but is still there. At first glance it may not be obvious because it seems like he’s giving her the option but the way he says it, he really isn’t. The way he states “I wouldn’t have you…” and again the mention of how the operation is “simple”
       By the end of the short story Jig begins to stand up for herself, although it is slight. When she is tired of speaking of the subject she tells her partner. When he keeps talking about it she declares “I’ll scream.”(Hemingway 118) This is Jig standing up against her oppressor, she may not have voiced exactly what she wanted but it’s a start. This story reminds me of song Superwomen by Alicia Keys. The first verse of the song states “Everywhere I'm turning, nothing seems complete, I stand up and I'm searching, for the better part of me, I hang my head from sorrow, state of humanity, I wear it on my shoulders, gotta find the strength in me.” I connected this to how Jig must be feeling. She hangs her head from sorrow at the thought of losing her baby, but also at the fact that her partner doesn’t want the baby. But secretly she’s trying to find the voice and strengthen within herself to express her feelings to her partner.