Big Two-Hearted River Essay

In “Big Two-Hearted River”, despite the seemingly relaxing subject of fishing, Earnest Hemingway's clever word choices to make it clear that Nick Adams has been through a rough experience, such as war, and is trying to leave whatever happened behind him. His brief thoughts of the past and controlled mannerisms hint to something deeper. By delving into the story and researching (Brin and Page) the allusions and various other elements of the story, we can begin to see the darker tale lurking just beneath the surface. The reader is thrown into the story as the baggage is thrown to Nick in the burnt out town of Seney, Michigan. A quick search shows us that Seney, Michigan is a real place (Wood). However, the town never burned down, instead had once been the center of logging in that area that had become mostly abandoned (Wood). The author's choice to make this change indicates he wants a more striking image for the entrance to the story. Additionally, despite the title referencing the Two-Hearted River, the river near Seney is the Fox River (Wood). This alteration could have been simply because the Two-Hearted river sounds better, or it could have been because the
However, even considering his keen awareness, he becomes especially thoughtful about the grasshoppers and their sooty color. Perhaps the sooty grasshopper reminds him of the faces and landscape of war, because this is when he speaks for the first time. “Fly away somewhere” (982), he tells the grasshopper, just like he has done. Once more he turns his attention back to the landscape, surveying everything's location and observing “the ground was good walking” (982). “He knew where he wanted to strike the river” reads militaristic, as if he is on a mission rather than a person merely looking for a relaxing place to