Jig is a young pregnant woman traveling through Europe with her partner. She possesses a flexible imagination, shown immediately when she compares the distant hills to white elephants. Throughout her wait at the station, she experiences a range of emotional states, from cold sarcasm to distress, as she confronts an impending operation concerning her body. She shows sharp awareness regarding the long-term implications of their transient lifestyle.

The American is an expatriate engaged in a transient lifestyle, traveling across Europe with his partner. He is determined to maintain the ease and purposelessness of his current existence, viewing any potential life changes as problems to be swiftly removed. As the only Spanish speaker of the pair, he controls their interactions with the locals and orders their drinks. He actively pressures his partner to undergo a medical procedure while adopting an overbearing, falsely reassuring posture.

The Bartender is a local woman working at the station bar in the Ebro River valley. She speaks only Spanish, requiring The American to act as a translator for his companion. Her interruptions to serve Anis del Toro and announce the train's arrival punctuate the tense conversation happening at the table.