Analyzing the Fall and Recovery in Big Two Hearted River Essay

This essay provides an analysis of Ernest Hemingway's 'Big Two Hearted River', focusing on the themes of fall and recovery in the context of nature and human experience. The student's response examines whether the story aligns with Merchant's Fall and Recovery narrative, exploring the protagonist's relationship with nature as a means of solace and recovery from trauma. The essay further discusses the concept of pastoralism in the context of the story, comparing it to other texts. The narrative explores the protagonist's interaction with the natural environment and his attempt to find peace and rebuild his life after the war. The analysis highlights the role of nature as a central theme, depicting the protagonist's emotional journey and his connection with the natural world. The essay also contrasts Hemingway's focus on human emotions with Merchant's emphasis on ecological issues and human impact on nature.

Running head: BIG TWO HEARTED RIVER
Big Two Hearted River
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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The Fall and Recovery Narrative: Big Two Hearted River
Both the stories are connected to nature as the protagonist of the story, Big Two
Hearted River finds respite from his sorrows in the lap of nature. Merchant in her book
described that the development of science has created the effect on the environment. Nick
Adams has faced different situations in his life which have created adverse effects on his life
but he is portrayed by Hemmingway as the one who despite facing hardships in his own life
is considerate about his own activities that can have an impact on nature. He is careful that
the creatures in nature do not suffer from his acts but on the other hand some creatures are
killed by him in order to fulfill his needs. At one point of the story, he is careful not to touch
fish with dry hands that can cause infection to the fish and at the same time he uses
grasshoppers to catch the fish. Two main themes in the novel used by Merchant is the
religious and spirituality. It is shown by him in his novel by the portrayal of different scenes
of nature in the paintings. Male centralization was also depicted in the story as she proposed
the themes that the world can be turned into a pleasurable place with the actions of the man.
As written by Merchant, “With the taming of wilderness, the removal of ‘savages’ and ‘wild
men’ and the repression of blacks, the American Eden had become a colonized Eden. People
of privilege were inside the garden, colonized minorities outside it or on its margins.” The
quotes depict that she was against the concept of people coming from outside minorities and
occupying the native territory. She was solely convinced that it was the action of a woman
that led to the downfall of the man. “A heroic Adam acting to improve a nature depicted
variously as a virgin, fallen, or fruitful Eve.” In this quote she glorified the actions of man in
the religious sphere that led showed her inclination towards the portrayal of the heroic actions
of man.

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Hemmingway had a different style of portraying the story that is more focused on the
violent means including wars, hunting and the techniques that show the lack of humane
factors whereas Merchant is focused on more focused on the ecological issues. The
protagonist in Hemmingway’s story is a young man who has suffered during the World War
1 that has made him a different individual because he interacts with creatures that cannot
even understand and nor do they speak. The mannerisms depicted by Nick show that the
rigorous conditions that he has suffered from have impact on his life. He tried to portray the
condition of the character due to the events of the past. Personal loss of the character is
shown as the reason that has led to the loss of control over his emotions which rarely
happens. The fall experienced by him is in the emotional sphere which reflects in the attempts
to recover from the experiences he had in the past. He comes back home for initiating the
process of reconstruction and recuperation from the events of the past. The emotional trauma
that is faced by the character is also defined. Hemmingway depicts the themes of alienation
and isolation of man. The feelings depicted by humans during the different phases of his life
is the central theme of Hemmingway’s story whereas nature is the focal point of the stories
written by Merchant. In the story ‘The Two Big Hearted River’ he shows that the main
character Nick Adams uses the natural environment to find peace from the traumatic
experiences of his life. It shows that nature occupies a special place in the events that occur in
the life of the central character and it is the basic force that keeps him moving in the sphere of
life. “He sat on the logs, smoking, drying in the sun, the sun warm on his back the river
shallow ahead entering the woods, curving into the woods, shallows light glittering, big
water-smooth rocks, cedars along the bank and white birches, the logs warm in the sun,
smooth to sit on, without bark, gray to the touch; slowly the feeling of disappointment left
him.” This quote shows that Nick finds respite in the lap of nature and derives pleasure in the
company of nature. It can be concluded from this quote that nature is the theme that presents

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an important phase in the life of the humans that is shown in the styles of the writers of that
time.
Merchant portrays that the nature has lost the balance due to the activities of humans.
Merchant shows that destruction is of nature is the attribute of human activities and this has
been reflected in the ‘Two Hearted River’ when Nick experiences that has the burden of the
acts of war in his heart. It is shown in this quote from the story, ‘Still, it was too heavy. It was
much too heavy’. This shows that the feelings have burdened his heart and he is unable to
forget the harsh experiences that he had encountered before he came back from the war. This
shows that there is a need to show that there is a connection between the activities of the
humans on the natural resources and they are engraved in the hearts for a longer period of
time. The heaviness of the heart shows that the burden is prolonged in the heart of the
character and he possess a sense of reprise in his heart from his actions in the war.
Merchant’s idea of fall is not in correspondence with the story, Big Two Hearted
River as Merchant focuses on the activities of the humans whereas Hemmingway stresses on
human emotions. The events that occur in the story Nick goes for fishing show that he tries to
find connection with his immediate surroundings and makes them the advent of his solace.
He speaks to the creatures and tries to express his feeling to them. The person is shown as the
one who is trying to control his emotions and establish a connection with the surroundings.
The incident when he leaves the small fish and the care that he shows towards them reflect
the caring attitude that he possesses. To stop the emotional turmoil he uses nature as the
savior. ‘The river was there’. This shows that the river is a flowing entity that shows the
continuity of life. Thus, it can be noted that Merchant’s idea of fall does not find the
relevance in this story as he tried to convey that nature is no longer existent in the world
whereas the Hemmingway in his work tried to show that it is the place where one goes to
seek solitude. This shows that the individuals tend to seek solitude when they want recover

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from the traumas and the bad experiences of life. Nature is the driving force in the life of the
humans and this is the same force that gives serenity to them. This shows that the theme of
recovery is prevalent in the story ‘The Two Hearted Big River’. It provides peace to the mind
of the individual and does not necessarily harm them. The beautiful imagery presented in the
beginning of the story depicts the view that Nick experiences throughout the journey by train.
‘He was happy’ this quote from the text shows that he is trying to find his happiness in
nature. The birds flying in the sky create a beautiful view that shows that the individuals are
not alienated from the nature. They still possess a connection with the nature that is reflected
whenever the individual is in a state of dilemma. The mention of Lake Superior shows how
the protagonist is the one who finds respite from his sufferings in natural landscapes. The
events that depict where Nick cooks for himself portrays that he is sufficient to address his
own needs. ‘He was in his home, where he had made it’. This shows that he was happy to
come to his native land and recover from the experiences of the war. The impact of
modernization on the world portrayed by Merchant advocates the fall but when the
connection is drawn with the story of Hemmingway it rather portrays the rise of the
individual in the advent of nature. Nature is a force that elevates and contributes the rise of
the individual rather than being the cause of his fall. The quotations from the story show the
connection between the activities of the man and the developments that occurred in the life of
humans.