What are some sentences that indicate that abortion is the theme in "Hills Like White Elephants"?

You do have to read this story pretty carefully to pick up
the central theme of abortion and how it is presented. Hemmingway seems to focus on this
theme and how terrible it is by actually only including very oblique references to it,
so we have to read between the lines to identify what is being talked about. Have you
every had a conversation with somebody when the most important thing you need to
discuss, is actually never referred to or only referred to in passing? In a sense, this
only serves to emphasise the importance of the topic, as the silence and avoidance only
highlights its power and strength. Hemmingway uses this strategy in this short
story.

Let us consider what references there are to
abortion. It is, of course, the man who brings up the first reference to abortion. After
making some small talk about the coolness of the beer, he finally can restrain himself
no longer, and says:

readability="8">

"It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig,"
the man said. "It's not really an operation at
all."

He doesn't seem to pick
up the body language of Jig, who obviously doesn't want to talk about it, and looks at
the ground, to avoid his gaze. So he continues:

readability="11">

"I know you wouldn't mind it, Jig. It's really
not anything. It's just to let the air in."

The girl did
not say anything.

"I'll go with you and I'll stay with you
all the time. They just let the air in and then it's all perfectly
natural."

This is actually
the last reference directly to the medical prodecure, though of course the rest of this
short story is dominated by it, as Jig seeks to learn what will be the impact on their
relationship and bows to the inevitable dominion of her partner. Key to considering how
the theme of abortion is presented is how it is linked with the theme of power. The man
deliberately presents abortion in a way that minimises how invasive and destructive the
procedure is, and the way that he keeps coming back to the topic, even when Jig does not
want him to, indicates his manipulation and determination to ensure that Jig has this
operation.