The Effects of War in The Big Two-hearted River

The “Big Two-Hearted River” is a narrative by Ernest Hemingway that includes two parts which focus on the effects of war upon its characters. Nick Adams, the protagonist of the story, pursues to escape the harsh war environment by enveloping himself in nature. Nick returns home after being disillusioned and emotionally wounded by World War I, but he leaves for North Michigan for a camping tour. He purposely goes for the journey alone to restore his peace and strike a balance for his traumatized soul. The living deliberately seems to be an opener to what he is pursuing through the recuperative and restorative nature powers. Nick has witnessed first-hand terrors of the war, which seriously injured him and contributed to his mental breakdown (Hemingway 2014 p.2). In an attempt to put away some of the fears of such experiences and reinstate himself to a strong emotional life, he believes that he should detach himself from those around him until the moment he regains his sense of humanity and sanity. The actions taken by Nick show readers the value of isolations in moments of self-reflection, which aids in normal living.

Nick’s pursuit of the restoration of his inner peace and emotions reveals the theme of recovery. His recovery starts when he goes unaccompanied to an area uninhabited along the imaginary Two-Hearted River in northern Michigan where he could get a close glimpse of Lake Superior from a hilltop. The Seney town was destroyed with only rails and the burns remaining. The burnt town is used to symbolize Nick’s life. He is leaving the devastated and burnt portions in his life behind, hopeful to search for rebirth on the river’s fertile banks (Hemingway 2014 p. 5). Moreover, he stops at the bridge to view the trout in the stream. As he observes the trout moving, he feels a delight that he never experienced for a while. After leaving the burnt town, he felt happy and excited about leaving all his needs behind. He can regain a sense of life’s simplicity through his camping trip that allowed him to fish, cook, eat, and sleep.

Nick also remembers his friend Hopkins who used to make coffee. He drinks coffee in Hopkins’ way in his remembrance. The coffee was bitter, which made Nick laugh. In this case, Nick makes a move about some guidelines an individual would do to remain happy, like recalling the happy times and reenacting them. Additionally, coffee is a beverage consumed by many people to begin their day well by not being seen in an angry mood. Nick was never used to drinking coffee often as he could not remember the way to make it, but as soon as he recalls how Hopkins made it, he does not hesitate to make his (Hemingway 2014 p. 14). Like Hopkins who was swallowed by the world of materialism and money which caused him to forget the necessary values like friendship, Nick also who once believed in the war’s glory and nearly killed by its machines, but survived, he returns home to nature and restores his mental and physical health. The ceremonial way that Nick drinks his camp coffee in the way Hopkins did connects him with former friends and relations, which trigger some good memories.

Nick’s preparations for the fishing trip and actual wading into the river to fish for trout entailed him to have some bait. He is surrounded by grasshoppers, which appear to be sluggish in the early morning because of the heavy dew. For his preparation, he collects enough grasshoppers in an empty bottle, which would serve him the entire day. These grasshoppers are used symbolically by the author to represent the mundane, camping tasks that seem to be calming to Nick and allow him to dip into his subconscious minus fear (Hemingway 2014 p.18). People, men in particular who tend to give in to their emotions, are likely to be in danger of losing everything. But for Nick, the thrill of hooking the largest trout appeared overwhelming as he could not reconnect to something making him happy, which in turn makes him feel disappointed. However, upon catching two trout, he prepares them to eat later. How he prepares the fish represents his past coming out and letting go of his past to allow him to set motion to collect sufficient valor in the days to come. His recuperation from the war’s traumatic events has already started, and readers continue reading the narrative with expectations that Nick will pursue his trip calmly.

To sum, throughout the story, Nick was aware of what he was expected to do to be revived in a particular way by the numerous sad memories from the war and his friends. He had to isolate himself from those around him and engage in physical activities like fishing to recover from his fears and uncertainties in life. His efforts in Seney became successful apart from the sad memories he had from his friends and the war. Through this, readers can realize the power of isolation for individuals who are emotionally and physically injured.