Summary Of Ernest Hemingway's Big Two-Hearted River: Part 1

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Warfare and fire share a similar outcome related to death and destruction. Ernest Hemingway wrote “Big Two-Hearted River: Part 1”, with the protagonist Nick Adams on a hiking excursion along a tributary leading to Lake Superior. Once Nick fully understands that he is unable to forget his violent past in war, he must change his disposition on life and start a full body transformation similar to the nature around him. Even though devastation and death are prominent in “Big Two-Hearted River: Part 1”, Hemingway conveys a theme of hope and recovering from the suffering.
Hemingway progressively introduced the necessity of destruction for the rebirth of something new and improved. When forest fires occur they leave behind a trail of ash and soot throughout vast land areas which, consequently, lead to the rebirth of the forest. The smoke pollutes the air and the fire destroys the vegetation, yet creatures small and large are able to adapt. Grasshoppers, a small insect trying to survive, have changed color because of the soot that remains on the forest floor. Their hearts have hardened to the conforming and adapting to their surrounding environment. Similarly, Nick is covered with his own ‘soot’ brought back with him from the war. Hemingway wrote, “These were …show more content…

As depicted in the Christian Bible, both fish and bird alike are used to metaphorically describe the Triune God. According to the Gospels, Jesus of Nazareth was baptized in the Jordan River and, meanwhile, God the Father sent forth the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Nick Adams, to some extent, is likewise being baptized to cleanse himself of the old past which burdens him and will be reborn into a life of hope and happiness. The trout also is comparable to the Greek symbol Ichthys which translates to “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior”. As a result, Hemingway used the natural setting as a way to correspond to Nick’s past, present, and future

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