Short Fiction · Character

The girl

A young woman in a Swiss railway café, pregnant and unmarried, whose quiet dignity unsettles two American skiers passing through on their way back to school.

major

Also known as herself

First appearance: Hills Like White Elephants

As a major figure in Short Fiction, The girl is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

She waits tables in a mountain inn, sings German opera under her breath, and wears an apron that swells with a pregnancy no ring explains. Nick and George read her touchiness as pride and speculate about her life, but her real weight is in what she withholds—a whole future being decided somewhere offstage. Her presence turns a casual wine stop into a meditation on consequence, the very thing Nick's friend George can't stop circling.

See The girl in Hills Like White Elephants Book page

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Character Web

38 connections

A slice of how The girl sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Boxing and Bullfighting
Protagonist
Family and Uncles
Fighters and Managers

+33 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the doctor’s hollow reassurance—that the narrator will play f…

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In the story

The girl appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Mr. and Mrs. Elliot
Mrs. Elliot's older female friend from the tea shop, who joins them in Touraine. She types Elliot's manuscripts, calls Cornelia 'Honey,' and shares a bed with her.
Cat in the Rain
The American wife who longs for the cat and expresses dissatisfaction with her appearance and life.
Out of Season
The young gentleman's wife, called 'Tiny,' who is cold, sullen, and critical of her husband's indecision.
V
The elderly waitress at Brown's Beanery; tells Scripps a long, strange story about losing her mother in Paris.
XIV
The squaw who enters the beanery naked except for moccasins, carrying a papoose, and is ejected.
Hills Like White Elephants
Referred to as Jig, she is the pregnant woman in a tense negotiation with the American man about an abortion.
A Canary for One
The narrator's wife, who engages in conversation with the American lady about Vevey and the daughter's lost love.
Today Is Friday
Mentioned as the crucified man's female companion who stayed by him.

Chapter companion notes

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See The girl in Hills Like White Elephants