stress how "simple" and "natural" a thing it is to do.

The fact that Jig seems so concerned that things will "be like they were" and that he will "still love [her]" seems to indicate that this procedure has something to do with their relationship, and his description of it—that it will only "let the air in"—makes it seem as though its purpose is to get rid of something, to make room for air, just as we might open a window to let out stale air inside a house. However, we know this would be an elective procedure, not something required to save Jig's life, because it is discussed as something optional, something possible, and not something required.

The iceberg technique, here, means that the couple never explicitly names what they are discussing. This omission is so glaring and so obvious that it adds to the reader's sense that their communication is absolutely terrible. They do not communicate well at all. The American man appears to really want her to get the "operation" but he will not come right out and say so. Jig seems apprehensive about the operation, and she is not comforted by the man's attempts to reassure her. In fact, she really wants them to stop talking altogether. She ultimately insists that she "feel[s] fine," even though it is totally clear that she doesn't. This technique, then, adds to their characterization and the development of their relationship, which is coming apart, it seems, because they just cannot communicate effectively.

Ernest Hemingway believed that leaving out important details in his stories (often called the "iceberg theory") tended to make them more powerful. In his novel The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway leaves out the important fact that Jake Barnes has been castrated in World War I. The fact is implied but never overtly stated. Likewise, in the short story "Hills Like White Elephants," Hemingway never explicitly states the nature of the argument between the American and Jig, yet a close reading of the text identifies the topic as abortion. Two important references in the story reveal that abortion is the subject. First, Jig mentions how the hills resemble white elephants. A white elephant is often considered a gift which is burdensome and not really wanted. These hills are like the baby that Jig is carrying. Second, the American wants Jig to have an abortion and tends to refer to the medical procedure as simple and natural. He says,

"It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig...It's really not anything. It's just to let the air in."

For her part, Jig seems to resist the American's request to abort her baby but the issue is never resolved. Often analyzed by critics, some seem to feel that, judging by her perceived acquiescence to whatever the American wants, Jig will have the abortion. Others cite the fact that at the end of the story Jig and the American drink in different places (her at the table and him at the bar) to suggest that Jig will break off her relationship with the American and have the baby.