When I read Hills Like White Elephants, I tried paying very close attention to the small details in order to develop a greater understanding of what the woman and man were talking about. My experience reading was very different to how I usually read, most of the time I try to pay attention to details that seem important or that tie to the meaning of the story. But when reading this text, the first thing that I notice is that there isn’t a point to the text (isn’t written down). Instead I need to draw a conclusion based on the small hints that the characters give off that can signal what the whole text may be about.
I thought that the story is about a couple (most likely married) that is having some financial troubles, and is looking to solve these problems by committing a heist. I felt that the woman was very nervous yet serious about carrying about this task and possibly the reason why she insisted on drinking so much in such a short period of time. While the man started realizing how this might not be such a good idea and that they may be caught and arrested. The reason why I assumed they had money troubles was from what I got out of the woman saying how “all of this could be ours” this of course when discussing whether they should go through with their plan or not.
I feel that other than a heist they could be referring to holding up the train they were waiting for. I noticed at the end how the woman seemed to have a self-assuring attitude of “okay, I’m ready to do this” once they prepared to board. It seemed strange to me because she sounded very cautious and so ready to board the train, when in fact they would have 2 minutes to board, which is plenty of time. Almost like somebody showing too much confidence in doing something as simple as a trip to the post office. Maybe she had a gun in her suitcase as well, because if she were to hold up a train or commit a heist then of course they would need a weapon. This could explain why I got such a strange vibe from her. She looked very ready and dangerous, being the “boss” of the situation by continuously reassuring the man that everything would go as planned and that he need-not worry of anything.
