Men, Women, and Relationships Theme Analysis

“They look like white elephants,” she said.
“I’ve never seen one,” the man drank his beer.
“No, you wouldn’t have.”

“I might have,” the man said. “Just because you say I wouldn’t have doesn’t prove anything.”

“Oh, cut it out.”
“You started it,” the girl said. “I was being amused. I was having a fine time.”
“Well, let’s try and have a fine time.”
“All right. I was trying. I said the mountains looked like white elephants. Wasn’t that bright?”

“I wanted to try this new drink. That’s all we do, isn’t it—look at things and try new drinks?”

“It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,” the man said. “It’s not really an operation at all.”

“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.

“Then what will we do afterward?”
“We’ll be fine afterward. Just like we were before.”
“What makes you think so?”
“That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only that’s made us unhappy.”

“And you think then we’ll be all right and be happy.”
“I know we will. You don’t have to be afraid. I’ve known lots of people that have done it.”
“So have I,” said the girl. “And afterward they were all so happy.”

“Well,” the man said, “if you don’t want to you don’t have to. I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to. But I know it’s perfectly simple.”

“…But if I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and you’ll like it?”

“Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me.”

“And we could have all this,” she said “And we could have everything and every day we make it more impossible.”

“What did you say?”
“I said we could have everything.”
“We can have everything.”
“No, we can’t.”

“We can go everywhere.”
“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.”

“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.”

“All right. But you’ve got to realize—”
“I realize,” the girl said. “Can’t we maybe stop talking?”

“Doesn’t it mean anything to you? We could get along.”
“Of course it does. But I don’t want anybody but you. I don’t want anyone else. And I know it’s perfectly simple.”

“Would you do something for me now?”
“I’d do anything for you.”
“Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?”

He did not say anything but looked at the bags against the wall of the station. There were labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights.

He drank an Anis at the bar and looked at the people. They were all waiting reasonably for the train.