Big Two-Hearted River - Ernest Hemingway

      Big Two-Hearted River

[alert-success] Two Big-Hearted River - Ernest Hemingway

[/alert-success]

[alert-primary] Short Summary [/alert-primary]

[btn href="https://www.speedynotes.in/2023/05/american-literature-ii.html" class="bt" btn]Back[/btn]

        "Big Two-Hearted River", a short story by Ernest Hemingway, is an optimistic tale that describes Nick Adams' experiences in a burned-out location. Despite this, Nick manages to project optimism through his deeds. A soldier named Nick Adams recently travelled back by rail to his hometown of Seney, but he found it deserted and abandoned. He has observed black grasshoppers, swamps, and fish in the river as he proceeds along the abandoned Seney. The author expresses his sense of optimism in one's life even in a bad scenario through these things.

 Seney was burned, the country was burned over and changed, but it did not matter. It could not all be burned.

        Here, Nick Adams' inner hope is portrayed, as he maintains a good attitude towards life despite external pressures. Because of the loss of his entire past and memories as a result of the burning, he is likely to exhibit the psychological effects of a shift in awareness as well as a pessimistic and ludicrous way of thinking. However, he harbours a hope that drives him to seek out life despite the unfavourable surroundings. He is happier when he first sees the river, which represents promise for life.

Nick’s heart tightened as the trout move. He felt all the old feeling 

        The previous sensation serves as a metaphor for Nick's burden because, like everyone else, he experiences various types of hardship in life. However, he sets a boundary for his pains so that they do not control him. The burdensome backpack he is carrying on his shoulders is another sign of his anguish. Again, he plunges into sorrow and seeks hope, and Nick also appears to be extremely familiar with the road even in his burned-out state right now, which points to Nick's capacity to find a way around even the most difficult obstacles. 

With the tent unpacked and spread on the ground the pack, leaning against a jackpine, looked much smaller.

        Nick has the capacity to find the plain of happiness despite life's hardships because he has endured hardships while climbing a mountain. He doesn't just give up; instead, he works really hard to discover the green plain in his life, where he builds a tent as a place to relax. This act of optimism significantly lessens his burden because the knapsack looks smaller against the pine tree.

        On his travels, he has observed black hoppers, which denote people who have all become accustomed to negativity. However, the author believes that people should resist the urge to adopt a gloomy outlook and instead strive to overcome it. Nick's initial statement, urging the grasshopper to fly away, embodies this philosophy.

        Nick is currently taking a nap in his tent. The next morning, he will have breakfast, prepare lunch, and head to the swamp to catch trout for his meal. He makes a concerted effort to catch trout, and to do so, he employs the black hopper as bait. Even though his first attempt only yielded a little trout and his second attempt ended in failure, he doesn't give up. Then he reels in a tonne of trout.

Nick did not want it. He did not want to go down stream any further today.

            Another argument from the author is that since people prefer to rush towards their life goals but find that they are unsatisfied, they must keep moving forward. The author finds this mentality intolerable since, as he expresses through the character Nick, he has to return tomorrow for more fishing, and today's activities are sufficient. Nick will fall into the creek if he persists in continuing down it.