In my opinion, if the roles were reversed I would still feel the same way about the story. I believe, that the man is being selfish by pressuring Jig to have the abortion, and I believe that Jig would be selfish by pressuring the man to let her have the abortion. Although, it is Jigs body it is still the man’s child she is carrying which makes him every bit entitled to deciding the fate of the child. Having sex is a choice between two people, and I feel that it should be those two people who decide whether or not they want to keep their baby. However, in this situation Jig obviously feels pressured to go through with the procedure, and if she does not then the man will stop loving her. Though, the man does state how much he loves and wants
Abortion has been around for quite some time. Laws have been set allowing it and banning it during different periods of time. The procedures that can be done are all very different. There is a medical abortion involving drugs and there are surgical abortion involving a more invasive procedure. There are also different points of view on it. There are those who fully support the termination of a pregnancy and those who are completely against it. There are many factors to consider and very different ideas out there.
Although Jig and Sheri were both dealing with the same issue of not wanting to have an abortion, they both interacted with their partners differently. While the American spoke with Jig over some alcohol, he downplayed the seriousness of the procedure. Jig was easily influenced by what the American was telling her and she even said, “Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me” (Hemingway 637). While Jig did not want to have the procedure done, the way she interacted with her partner shows she cares more about his approval than she cares about herself. Also, it shows that when Jig interacts with her boyfriend, she is not willing to communicate her true feelings. Unlike Jig, Sheri is sure of herself and was not seeking her boyfriend’s approval. While Sheri did not speak in the short story, Lane had a vision of her saying, “This is her own decision and obliges him to nothing” (Wallace 258). Lane’s vision of their interaction shows that Sheri is not afraid to
“Perfectly simple” is restated a couple of times in the conversation which tells us that out of the two only one wants the child and the other doesn’t want the child (Hemingway). The American man thoughts are not more important than Jig’s. Even if the American man is supporting her to get an abortion it’s still Jigs decision. His opinion does matter to her because she wants his thoughts about what’s best for them and their unborn child. Jig is torn between remaining reckless and carefree and making a family with the man she loves. “‘Because I don’t care about me’” states that she is willing to do almost anything for the American man but is blocked by her mother instinct to protect her child (Hemingway). Jig is indecisive in what she wants because she questions herself and the American man what if questions. “‘I realize…can’t we maybe stop talking’” this tells us Jig finally realizes that by asking a lot of rhetorical questions to the American man she has the answer she needs even if it’s not the answer that she wants (Hemingway).
There are several instances in the story that “the American” reiterates “Jig’s” options for her future. Although he expresses that he would support and love her no matter what the ultimate choice is, she feels conflicted and her pain, which builds throughout the story and as the conversation progresses, becomes more obvious. What is most interesting is, as his second thoughts about the unspoken abortion spike, her resistance to discuss the topic any further grows in tandem. Although the two heroes’ love for one another is evident, there is the aching uncertainty between them: Is there room for a child in their relationship built of travelling, drinking, and discovery?
Never in anybody’s time should you ever put someone else first before over yourself. Doing that just leads down a road of destruction, and then the fact that this whole conversation is about abortion they probably should just get rid of it because she could just end up alone. Jig sounds as if she has no will or fight in her so she probably shouldn’t take care of a child. The baby in this story played a huge role for its future possible parents. The couple had to make a decision that if it were the wrong one could have broken them up, or made their relationship a happy one.
The ending of the story is rather ambiguous as it is not completely obvious what decision the two end up making. The man could have talked the girl into undergoing the procedure, or not. At one point toward the end, Jig tells him to “please please please please please please please stop talking”, and when he doesn’t she threatens to scream. This probably means that she had made up her mind, but it could be in either direction. In the end, she smiles at him, and he asks her if she feels better; she says that she feels fine. That could mean that she had made peace with the decision to abort their child or that she was proud of herself for finally standing up to him and making her choice not to abort final. Either way, making this choice is harder on her as she would be the one to undergo the operation, and she very well knows that he most likely will not stay with her if she decides to keep the child. No matter what she chooses, however, their relationship will never be the same.
Wyche disputes all the critics who suggested that the text was either about whether Jig should carry the pregnancy to a full term or have an abortion. Wyche feels that the text was a metaphor representing pain which comes as a result of an end of a relationship between two people. One of his main ideas was therefore to dispute some of the ideas that critics had put forward in the past and bring forward a new meaning to the short story. As Wyche noted most of the critics saw a metaphor of abortion but failed to see that the abortion could also be used as metaphor to mean something else which in this case means the pain of a breakup. By bringing other critic’s point of view into play, he successfully acknowledges what they wrote and their ideas but also presents him with a point to dispute the same. Even if he does not refuse the ideas produced by earlier critics, the author presents a different point of view from whatever was presented before.
One of the most contentious issues in America, abortion, is still discussed on a daily basis. Women should be able to make their own decision with their bodies because it involves their bodies, health, and futures. Conversely, one of America’s presidential candidates wants to repeal Roe v. Wade, which allows women to make their own intimate decision. In one of his recent speeches, Donald Trump states that women who seek abortion should be subject to “some form of punishment” (Flegenheimer, et al.). Trump was highly criticized for making this statement, but he continued to mention that ripping a baby out of the womb on the last day of pregnancy is immoral. Trump seems to misunderstand that most abortions happen during the first trimester of
Jig's main objective throughout the story is ensuring that her partner is happy. This is apparent when she tells him that she will go through with the abortion. "Then I'll do it. Because I don't care about me." "And I'll do it and then everything will be fine." Through these comments it is evident that she truly believes if she has an abortion their relationship will be fine giving little thought to the emotional and physical trauma the procedure will cause. Jig's subservient attitude is indicative of her low self esteem throughout the story. She allows herself to be shaped by a man whose care for her is more than obviously not a reciprocation of hers for
Jig knows that having the child will make her look like a whore in the eyes of her community, thus she knows that she has to get rid of the baby, but in her heart she wants to keep it.
He tells her that she does not have to have the operation, but tells her it is the best thing to do. The girl begins to think, “And if I do it you'll be happy and things will be okay like they were and you'll love me” (Hemingway 107)? He reassures her that he loves her now. Jig is more realistic about the situation and the consequences in front of her. She knows that she is going to make the ultimate decision, although she is asking for reassurance from the American(Short Stories for Students). The girl also knows that regardless of her situation, their relationship might not work out anyway. The choice to abort or not abort the baby ultimately leaves her with the same consequence: life without the American.
To be pregnant under the age of 18 is a controversial issue. As minor, she may choose to give up the child. As a minor, she may choose to give the child up for adoption, keep the child, or undergo an abortion. Many are opposed to the latter option, which is the early termination of a pregnancy. The root of this issue began with the Supreme Court’s decision on the legality of an abortion in Roe v. Wade and has stemmed into a debate of pro-choice or pro-life. The decision led to the polarization of the public, since the conservatives were against abortion being a constitutionally protected right. Pregnant women should have control over their body, and yet through case law conservatives are able to pass restrictions on when the abortion procedure would be done (Henretta, J. A., Hinderaker, E., Edwards, R., & Self, R. O., 2014).
Women that do not want to birth an embryo and have acquired pregnancy from a partner that does may cause the father to argue and convince the mother to use her body to carry his fetus to term. A great example of the fetus only being the male’s interest and pregnancy being the result from both partners engaging in sexual acts to produce an offspring is stated in the Decision To Abort article. The Decision To Abort article states, “Steve did pursue his interests in sex, companionship, and procreation in morally legitimate ways. In fact, this fetus is the object and result of his pursuit of these interests. Thus, this fetus is a legitimate object of Steve's concern and hence is his and only his. Given this, if Michelle destroys this fetus without his consent, she will cause Steve a wrongful harm. Specifically, she will harm Steve by interfering with his interest in procreation. Moreover, in so far as this fetus is just Steve's, he alone gets to decide on the issue of abortion” (Hanrahan 29). When a man is pursuing his interest in sexual acts to produce a child, the embryo created is his top priority and if the mother destroys his top priority without his consent, it effects the father significantly. Communication plays a huge role in whether or not the men’s input will be accepted by the biological mother in the decision of abortion.
The couple must choose a path to take and deal with the consequences of that choice. In this time period abortions were rarely heard of. Because of the lack of knowledge of abortions in this time period, the decision becomes much harder for the couple to make. Jig is afraid of what