Watermarks Healing and Regeneration in Hemingway's "Big Two-Hearted River" by Jason Adkins

Ernest Hemingway's "Big Two-Hearted River"* is such a rich text that it has probably received more literary critical attention than many novels of several times its length. Hemingway's ardent use of intricate detail and his intentional, calculated use of short, simple sentences help to make "River" a treasure chest of critical ideas and possible interpretations. Historically, much of the criticism of "River" has examined the dark underlying themes of the story, such as the alleged omission of some preceding, devastating event and Nick's wounded spiritual and mental state. These sentences, such as "There was no town, nothing but the rails and the burned-over country," are representative of the abundance of similar language throughout the story and make it easy to understand why many critics focus on dark themes, devastation and mental instability. Without denying or dispelling any of the valid "dark" critiques, I intend to show that "River" may also be easily understood in a more positive light as an account of one man's struggle to heal himself by returning to what he knows and loves.

The intense detail that abounds within the story makes an easy job for the deconstructionist. The intricate descriptions of Nick's actions are susceptible to deconstructive criticism, as may be seen in James Twitchell's "The Swamp in Hemingway's 'Big Two-Hearted River." Twitchell focuses on the physical improbability of the swamp existing adjacent to the river as it is described in the story. A swamp is an area where the water moves very slowly, if at all; however, Nick describes the river as being lined with boulders, having a pebbly bottom, and "fast moving water" (209). Twitchell points out the inconsistency: "[S]wamps and the streams that feed them are muddy, not rocky; they do not have rocks--and certainly not boulders--near them" (275). Through this type of reading, we are able to see the great contrast that exists, especially for Nick, between the river with its fast moving current and the dark swamp, a representation of whatever wound from which Nick is trying to heal.

Lewis E. Weeks offers another view, similar to Twitchell's, of "River." Weeks points out some problems with Nick's pitching of the tent which, not surprisingly, is described in a manner such as not to leave the reader in want of details:

With the ax [Nick] slit off a bright slab of pine... and split it into pegs for the tent. He wanted them long and solid to hold in the ground... . He pegged the sides out taught and drove the pegs deep, hitting them down into the ground with the flat side of the ax until the rope loops were buried and the canvas was drum tight. (214)

From this scene, we cannot dispute Nick's intentionally pitching the tent so that it was "drum tight." Weeks explains:

[T]he problem from the point of view of the outdoorsman is the tightness with which the tent is pegged down. Canvas shrinks from both dew and rain; and usually notched or hooked pegs are driven into the ground in line with the tension so that they will pull out as the tent shrinks... always the tent is pitched with some looseness to allow for changes in humidity. (433)

The question now becomes why Hemingway, an avid outdoorsman, would allow such inconsistencies to surface in "River." It is here that Twitchell and Weeks both credit Hemingway with his intentional use of these inconsistencies as a subtle indication of Nick's mental state. Nick, obviously an avid outdoorsman, as was Hemingway, should have known how to pitch that tent. His need to find a balanced mental and emotional state, however, is expressed through the "drum-tight" tent; likewise, his mental cloudiness comes through in his perception of the swamp. Many critics have questioned the accuracy of Nick's description of the swamp and whether or not the swamp existed at all. What is discernable from these discrepancies is that Nick's universe had surely become decentralized, and he is actively seeking a renewed center.

Rather than examining the subtleties of "River" for an understanding of the acute clues that Hemingway gives us regarding Nick, some critics are apt to interpret the blatant passages in a somewhat dogmatic fashion. James L. Green characterizes Nick's discovery of the burned Seney as devastating and discomposing; what Green fails to acknowledge is that the opening scene is dominated not by Nick's discomposure, but rather with his expressed enjoyment and fascination with watching the fish. Nick seemingly takes in stride the discovery of the town's annihilated state and Hemingway even makes this conspicuous: "Seney was burned, the country was burned over and changed, but it did not matter. It could not all be burned. He knew that" (211). Obviously, Nick still has some hope. Green goes on to make a structuralistic observation that the construction of the sentences in "River" are a direct indication of Nick's mental state, but the only evidence offered is Green's own arbitrary assertion of what words are stressed and the rhythm in which the words are read. He also makes a blanket statement about readers having difficulty reading the intensely detailed narration due to its "nonsignificance" (310). In an attempt show Nick's broken spirit and mental capacity, Green has succeeded only in projecting his personal opinions and perceptions onto anyone who has read "River."

Similarly, John F. Stewart offers a single-minded reading, attempting to show "Christian Allusions" in "River" and endeavoring to manipulate the text in order to have it conform to his theory. He casts Hopkins as a representation of Christ, with some loosely formed parallels between the two: Both Hopkins and Christ received a message from far away, there was a promise of reunion from both, and both bestowed gifts upon their companions before their departure. Stewart also maintains that Nick's act of drinking coffee and thinking about Hopkins simultaneously was a "symbolic communion, a celebration and revival of Hopkins' virtues" and that "Nick is following a ritual ordained by a Master when he drinks 'the coffee according to Hopkins'" (195). Clearly, Stewart is viewing the entire work through one small passage in a liberal humanist fashion, but his parallels are loose and sketchy at best.

Fortunately, some criticisms of "River" examine the core of the story, digesting the work as a whole rather than concentrating on one passage or another. B.J. Smith and Frederic J. Svoboda incorporate both structuralist and psychoanalytical approaches into their criticisms of "River," as they discuss Hemingway's relationship to Nick's story. Svoboda offers an in-depth account of the history of Seney, Michigan, the "burned-over" town in the story. Some of the biographical information that Svoboda shares offers some insight helpful with a reading and understanding of "River," such as the fact that Seney was a logging town, (it was not being rebuilt perhaps due to having outlived its usefulness) and that it was a great place for sportsmen such as fishers and hunters. Svoboda's work is important in that the context here is vital to the story; by understanding the history of Seney and having some knowledge of the nature of the surrounding country, the reader is better able to understand the story. By focusing only on specific parts of the text, as do Green and Stewart, one may altogether miss larger, more important themes.

The most important note offered by Svoboda, however, is probably his account of "three young men, high school friends from the Chicago suburbs" who took a fishing trip to Seney (37). Among the three was Hemingway, and Svoboda cites a letter that Hemingway wrote to a fellow Red Cross ambulance driver about his fishing experience in Seney:

Jo heesus an be Guy Mawd Fever I lost one on the Little Fox below and old dam that was the biggest trout I've ever seen. I was up in some old timbers and it was a case of horse out. I got about half of him out of the wasser and my hook broke at the shank! He struck on 4 hoopers. He was big as any rainbow I've ever caught. I tried for him 4 different days later but he only struck once and felt like a ton of the bricks. (38)

Although the fictional account of Nick's wrestling the large trout is not the same as Hemingway's nonfictional account, and Nick's version may also incorporate underlying themes of struggle, one cannot ignore the similarities between the two accounts. Surely, as is evident from the juxtaposition of Hemingway's letter and the passage from "River," much of the colorful detail and excitement with which he wrote of Nick's battling with the trout was reminiscent of the sheer excitement and enjoyment he himself had experienced in the very same river.

The similarity between Hemingway's letter and Nick's account of wrestling with the trout illuminates another important aspect of "River." B.J. Smith addresses the parallels between "River" and Hemingway's career as an author; Hemingway wrote of an event at a railway station in Paris, in which all of his early work was stolen. This could be the "actual" event that is presumed to be represented by the omission that "River" is built around. Smith notes:

There is no question that the "Big Two-Hearted River" on the barest psychological level is, as Philip Young says, a story of recovery from the damage of war but Hemingway's comparison of the loss of his work to an amputation or war casualties and the actual omitted ending provide clues for another metaphoric level in the story. This other level is found by considering Nick's fishing trip as an attempt by Hemingway to write, perhaps for the first time, about the artist and the process of his art. The burned down devastation of Seney would then represent the loss of Hemingway's work, either the actual physical loss or, possibly, the break with youthful forms that artists suffer. (130)

So we may examine this one event, Hemingway's loss of his early work, and find that Hemingway's recovery from the incident serves as a model for his portrayal of Nick Adams. On another level, the stolen works from the train station may also serve as an icon for another metaphorical meaning: There was not only the physical loss of early original work, but Hemingway was struggling with changes that he was facing as an artist. Just as Nick Adams struggled with putting the past behind, healing his mind and spirit, and finding some security in camping and fishing, Hemingway was facing a similar struggle within his art.

By understanding the context within which Hemingway penned "River," one may more easily understand the story as one of a healing process, rather than a precarious struggle to suppress panic. It has been postulated many times that when Nick "felt all the old feeling" it was necessarily a horrid recollection of a past trauma; the text could not be more clear in asserting the contrary: "Nick's heart tightened as the trout moved. He felt all the old feeling" (210). Nick had been watching the trout, observing how they held themselves steady in the fast moving current. This was clearly comforting for him, as the descriptions of the fish and the river were tenaciously visceral:

He watched them holding themselves with their noses into the current, many trout in deep, fast moving water, slightly distorted as he watched far down through the glassy convex surface of the pool, its surface pushing and swelling smooth against the resistance of the log-driven piles of the bridge. (209)

The sensual descriptions of the river and the fish were carefully placed diametrically between the descriptions of the burned remnants of what used to be Seney. There can be no denial of the destruction that surrounds Nick; what is most important, and what few critics have addressed, is the manner in which Nick reacts to the destruction.

Throughout the story, Nick overcomes obstacles and presses onward. Though he was walking uphill through burned country with a pack that was too heavy, Nick was in a familiar place and happy to be there:

Nick slipped off his pack and lay down in the shade. He lay on his back and looked up into the pine trees. His neck and back and the small of his back rested as he stretched. The earth felt good against his back. He looked up at the sky, through the branches, and then shut his eyes. He opened them and looked up again. There was a wind high up in the branches. He shut his eyes again and went to sleep. (213)

This type of language captures the essence of what it meant when Nick "felt all the old feeling," and is not indicative of a man who is struggling to hold on to his sanity. That may have been the case up until the point he exited the train, but he was on his way to recovery: "The road ran on, dipping occasionally, but always climbing [my emphasis]" (211). He was battered and tired, but by returning to Seney for some fishing, he was continually ascending.

Much critical attention is given to the slow, methodical manner in which Nick completes his actions but always with the assertion that this is indicative of Nick's impending mental breakdown. However, Nick is returning to what he is familiar with for stability, and he doesn't want to rush through anything and risk making a mistake. He exemplifies his patience after cooking his spaghetti over the fire, when he waits patiently for it to cool: "Nick knew it was too hot... . He knew the beans and spaghetti were still too hot. He looked at the fire, then at the tent, he was not going to spoil it all by burning his tongue" (216). Arguably, Nick's slow and simple motions are not necessarily all that he is capable of, but rather they are his chosen manner. Svoboda discusses this idea, saying that Nick knows his limits, but he "finds a way to control his world and his life" (40). As a result of his patience with the food, Nick is satisfied, as he makes known his approval of the plate: "'Chrise,' Nick said, 'Geezus Chrise,' he said happily" (216). This same carefulness is seen again while Nick is baiting his hook: "He tested the know and the spring of the rod by pulling the line taut. It was a good feeling. He was careful not to let the hood bite into his finger" (223). Nick savored each and every moment of being back in the country, and slowly and carefully he begins to become whole again.

The significance of Hemingway's mention of the jack pines and the fern is not small. As Svoboda states, Nick has not moved completely beyond the destruction, which is inescapable in that it is not only in his head but physically surrounding him as well, but he is regenerating and regrowing himself in the newly fertile area. In fact, as Svoboda points out, the fern and jack pines are "opportunistic colonists after fire" (40). Svoboda continues:

The... jack pines are a notoriously flammable species that must burn in order to release the seeds from their cones. Without fire, they do not reseed themselves... . Thus as [Nick] camps near them... Nick is not really out of the fire zone, but in an area where regrowth [sic] after fire is linked with the story's themes of potential death and potential regeneration. (40)

The sweet, green vegetation is a parallel to the new "spring" that Nick is seeking, and Nick's attraction to it is also evident: "[I]t was sweet fern, growing ankle high, to walk through... he broke off some sprigs of the heathery sweet fern, and put them under his pack straps. The chafing crushed it and he smelled it as he walked" (212). Throughout the toils he experiences, the good things continually urge Nick onward, notwithstanding his aches, cramps, and uphill journey.

Although Nick's pack it too heavy, he makes the decision to carry it and then eventually enjoys the benefit: "I've got a right to eat this stuff if I'm willing to carry it" (215). There is no denying that Nick has some colossal issues that he is wrestling with. The swamp represents something that he is afraid of, and he seeks to "choke his thoughts" throughout the story. What is sadly overlooked by many great critics, critics which have accurately and insightfully pointed out Nick's mental instability, is the fact that Nick is in the process of healing. He clearly is not well, but by immersing himself into the country and setting about his fishing trip, he is triggering "all the old feeling" and that is what will help him to find his center once again.

* Hereafter referred to as "River."

Anderson, Paul V. "Nick's Story in Hemingway's 'Big Two-Hearted River.'" Studies in Short Fiction 7 (1970): 564-72.

Carabine, Keith. "'Big Two-Hearted River': A Re-interpretation." Hemingway Review 1 (1982): 39-44.

Civello, Paul. "Hemingway's `primitivism': Archetypal patterns in `Big Two-Hearted River.'" Hemingway Review 13 (1993): 1-16.

Green, James L. "Symbolic Sentences in 'Big Two-Hearted River.'" Modern Fiction Studies 14 (1968): 307-312.

Kyle, Frank B. "Parallel and Complementary Themes in Hemingway's Big Two-Hearted River Stories and 'The Battler.'" Studies in Short Fiction 16 (1979): 295-300.

Smith, B.J. "' Big Two-Hearted River:' The Artist and the Art." Studies in Short Fiction 20 (1983): 129-32.

Stewart, John F. "Christian Allusions in 'Big Two-Hearted River.'" Studies in Short Fiction 18 (1978): 194-96.

Svoboda, Frederic J. "Landscapes Real and Imagined: 'Big Two-Hearted River.'" Hemingway Review 16 (1996): 33-42.

Twitchell, James. "The Swamp in Hemingway's 'Big Two-Hearted River.'" Studies in Short Fiction 9 (1972): 275-76.

Weeks, Lewis E. Jr. "Two Types of Tension: Art Vs Campcraft in Hemingway's 'Big Two-Hearted River.'" Studies in Short Fiction 11 (1974): 433-34.