Hills Like White Elephants

When I first started reading “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, it took me a while to catch on to their conversation, but when I did everything became clear. When the main character stated the hills resemble white elephants she wasn’t talking about a real white elephant; she was actually referring to the future.  Moreover, one could argue that the main character was unhappy with their relationship, and this was made obvious by her attitude. Throughout the story the two main characters were chatting about an operation, which the woman of the story was second guessing. The procedure was never stated, but it is obvious that it was an abortion. This was made apparent by the remarks that were made throughout the story.  What do you guys think white elephants symbolizes?