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In the story �gHills Like White Elephants,�h Ernest Hemingway provides significant roles in setting to communicate his theme of fertility and abortion. In his very short story, he does not directly tell readers that the couple is waiting for a train to have an abortion, but describes the detail of landscape and environment in which the event takes place. His use of setting and description of it help us understand what the story is …

…over all event. Although the girl was once sure about the abortion, the scene she sees and stands at makes her realize the consequence of the situation and question about her decision. Yet, the baby is a cumbersome white elephant for the irresponsible man. Using the setting in this way, Hemingway suggests what the sexual relationship between a woman and a man can bring as an outcome, and the importance of a decision-making upon it.