A story
written almost entirely in
dialogue, "" is an example of 's objective and concise
prose that presents an
unstated tension, a style known as The Iceburg Theory. For, hidden in
this
seemingly banal dialogue is a discussion of aborting the couple's unborn
baby.
The narrative opens with the longest description of
anything in the story. The setting
is the Ebro Valley region of Spain, whose
rounded hills are long and white, reminding the young
woman, named Jig, of
white elephants. There is a distinct tension between the couple as they
await
the train to Madrid in the heat. Although they have ordered two beers, the woman
asks
about a new drink that she sees, "Anise del Toro," and the man orders
it. After the
woman behind the bead curtain brings it, Jig thinks it tastes
like licorice,
"Everything tastes of
licorice. Especially all the things
you've waited so long for, like
absinthe.
Angered, the man tells her to
"cut it
out."
Jig says that she is just trying
to have fun.
"I wanted to try this new drink.
That's
all we do, isn't itlook at things and try new drinks?"
At this point the tension between the couple is
clearly evident, but the cause is not
revealed. Soon, however, the man speaks
of an operation being very simple and natural--something
she will not mind.
He even offers to accompany her. Jig asks him,
"Then what will we do afterward?"
"We'll be fine
afterward. Just like we were before."
Implied
in
their dialogue is the conflict between Jig and her American. She fears
that even if she does
have the abortion, the man will no longer love her; at
least things will no longer be the same
between them. She tells the American
that life will not entirely be theirs after an abortion
when he argues that
they can return to their carefree lives before anything happened."No,
we
can't. It isn't ours any more."
"It's
ours."
"No, it isn't. And once they take it away, you never get it
back."
"But they haven't taken it away."
"We'll wait
and
see."
"Come on back in the shade," he said. "You mustn't feel
that
way."
"I don't feel any way," the girl said. "I just
know
things."
Jig realizes that they
can never return to
how they have been before she became pregnant if she has
the "operation" that just
"lets in air." In order to appease Jig, the man
tells her that he will go through with
having the baby if it means "anything"
to her. But, in response, Jig begs him to stop
talking because she knows that
he is insincere.
At this point in the
narrative, the train
begins to approach. So the American carries their bags to the platform on
the
other side where they will enter the train. He looks up the tracks, but he cannot see
the
train just as he cannot understand the tumultuous feelings of Jig. On his
way back, he
sidetracks and has a drink of anise at the bar while looking at
all the people who "sat
reasonably waiting for the train."
Finally, although he promised to
drink with Jig and stops instead at
the bar, he comes through the curtain where she sits smiling
at
him.
Do you feel better?" he
asked.
"I feel fine," she said. "There's nothing wrong with me. I
feel
fine."
His rational question is
answered rationally
and the American believes that he has won, and Jig now
understands his way to thinking even
though in the beginning she has spoken
of things for which she has long waited.
