The Decision That Could Have Been Essay

The Decision That Could Have Been Essay, Research Paper The Decision That Could Have Been 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 worriedless rebel to a stable adult taking responsibility. It’s 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 she’s 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 you’ll be happy and

things will be like they were and you’ll 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 won’t ever worry…then I’ll do it because I don’t care about me.” This quotes clearly shows how she is passive and submissive. Her weak flaw lies in the fact that she doesn’t consider her feelings in her decision makings. She

pocesses qualities that make her a feeble character incapable of changing and making decisions that make her an unreliable and unwillful character. Another weak flaw is seen through her inability to speak out against her lover. It’s 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 he’s known people who have gone through with it before, she comments, “So have I…and 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