A Mans Struggle to Heal Himself in Big Two-Hearted River Essays

A Mans Struggle to Heal Himself in Big Two-Hearted RiverErnest Hemingways Big Two-Hearted River* is such a generative text that it has probably received more literary critical attention than many novels of several times its length. Hemingways ardent use of intricate detail and his intentional, metrical 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 opprobrious underlying themes of the story, such as the alleged omission of some preceding, devastating event and passs wounded spiritual and mental state. These sentences, such as There was no town, nothing but the plain 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 sho w that River may also be easily understood in a more positive light as an account of one mans struggle to heal himself by returning to what he knows and loves.The intense detail that abounds inside the story makes an easy job for the deconstructionist. The intricate descriptions of Nicks actions are susceptible to deconstructive criticism, as may be seen in James Twitchells The Swamp in Hemingways Big Two-Hearted River. Twitchell focuses on the carnal 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 po... ...Green, James L. Symbolic Sentences in Big Two-Hearted River. Modern Fiction Studies 14 (1968) 307-312.Kyle, bold B. Parallel and Complementary Themes in Hemingways Big Two-Hearted River Stories and The Battler. Studies in Short Fiction 16 (1979) 2 95-300.Smith, B.J. Big Two-Hearted River The Artist and the Art. Studies in Short Fiction 20 (1983) 129-32.Stewart, fanny 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 Hemingways Big Two-Hearted River. Studies in Short Fiction 9 (1972) 275-76.Weeks, Lewis E. Jr. Two Types of Tension Art Vs Campcraft in Hemingways Big Two-Hearted River. Studies in Short Fiction 11 (1974) 433-34.