Big Two-Hearted River: Part I Summary & Analysis

The sight that greets Nick when he arrives in Seney, Michigan is an unpleasant shock to him. Clearly, Nick is very familiar with this town and its various landmarks, of which there is nothing left except the broken foundation of the hotel. Though never explicitly mentioned, it can be inferred based on Hemingway’s other stories about Nick’s character that Nick has recently returned from fighting in World War I. He comes to Seney expecting its familiarity comforts but is instead greeted by a scene that looks like a warzone. Through this image, Hemingway is implying that it is not easy to escape the war’s horrors and memories, though Nick has presumably come here to do just that. 

Once again, Seney’s complete destruction and desolation are in focus here. The town is very different from Nick’s memories of it, which he finds difficult to deal with. When Nick sees the river, he seems comforted by the fact that this landmark is still there, unlike everything else familiar in Seney.

To Nick, the trout seem to symbolize steadfastness and calm in the midst of chaos, and his reflection that the fish are “very satisfactory” suggests that he wants to embody this quality as well, or at least to observe it in the world around him. Since he has been away at war, he hasn’t been able to appreciate simple pleasures like watching trout in a river in some time, but Nick is clearly glad to be back in a familiar place, doing something he enjoys.   

Nick feels some sort of powerful emotion at this sight of a trout leaping out of the water while a bird of pretty is lurking. Hemingway leaves this emotion unnamed—it might be anxiety for the trout, or perhaps excitement at its narrow escape. The reader can infer that, having certainly faced near-death experiences in World War I, Nick likely empathizes with the fish. To compose himself, Nick looks away, down the river. This strategy seems to help him get his high emotions under control.

After his short time looking at the river and the trout, Nick is reinvigorated. He sees nature as permanent and unchanging, and this gives him hope. He realizes that even though Seney might be “burned over and changed,” the destruction must end at some point, since nature perpetually grows and regenerates itself. The heavy pack Nick carries as he hikes is a symbol of the emotional weight he seems to be lugging around. He struggles uphill, in the heat, with the heavy pack—but he is happy because when he is exerting himself physically, he is too preoccupied to think. It seems like his memories from the war cause him great pain and that he is happy when he can avoid them. 

Nick can now see the end of the burned land, beyond which nature flourishes again. Michigan’s Lake Superior is mentioned for the first time in the story in this passage. It’s clear that Nick is familiar with this region, suggesting that he has memories of spending time here that he wants to relive, unlike his painful memories of World War I. He enjoys being by the familiar, comforting presence of the river where he does not even need a map.

The black grasshoppers demonstrate the long-lasting aftereffects of a catastrophic event. They have been completely transformed by the fire that burned down Seney, and still manifest these changes even though an entire year has passed since the fire. These creatures are living proof that healing after a traumatic event is a slow and difficult process. Just like these creatures, Nick, too, has been transformed by his experiences in the war. He recognizes this, which is why he speaks to the insect—one of the two times he speaks out loud in the story—and treats it with such care. 

While the fire has caused a lot of damage, nature flourishes again beyond the fire line. Nick finds this hopeful and comforting. He enjoys his sense of power and control over the landscape when it is familiar and yields to him easily, like when he plucks the ferns to smell them.

Again, nature comes across as a source of comfort for Nick. Until this point in the story, he has been hot and exhausted from hiking through the burned land, and the pine trees finally give him some reprieve and the opportunity to rest. 

When Nick finally reaches the point at the river where he decides to set up his camp, he is greeted by nature at its most benevolent. Rather than the scorched town of Seney, which connotes only loss and death, Nick instead reaches to a meadow which is abundant with greenery and life. The trout that are leaping out of the river to catch insects look like rain to Nick, and given that rain typically symbolizes cleansing and rejuvenation, suggesting that Nick feels revitalized by the life around him after being surrounded by destruction both in the war and upon arriving in Seney.  

Clearly, Nick has packed very thoroughly for this trip—including an ax and three blankets to sleep on—and is very particular about how he wants his camp to be. He meticulously carves out a space for himself in the wilderness, cutting roots that are in his way and uprooting plants that might make his bed lumpy, suggesting that he wants to create a semblance of a home for himself in the wilderness. As he goes about taming the area around him with various implements he pulls out of his heavy pack, the pack (which also represents his emotional load) gets lighter. This suggests that Nick’s heart, too, gets lighter as he imposes control over the wilderness. Nick finds great satisfaction in establishing a sense of order, which is understandable given the chaos he’s surely witnessed. 

Nick feels a satisfying sense of accomplishment after he sets up his camp. He thinks of it as a place where “[n]othing could touch him,” indicating that he does otherwise feel threatened or somehow unsafe—most likely due to his psychological wounds. But by setting up his camp so meticulously, he feels he has defeated this threat since he is in perfect control of his environment. The quick repetitions of the word “good” in such close succession highlight that Nick is content and safe in the home he has made in nature, away from the stressors he is avoiding.

Nick seems to enjoy the pleasure of delayed gratification. He is completely famished, but he knows this will make his meal that much more enjoyable when he finally gets to it. In this passage, he speaks out loud for the second time in the story, asserting to the world that he can choose what to carry and eat what he pleases. Given that this is only one of two times Nick feels the need to verbalize his thoughts, his assertion here is clearly important to him—perhaps he did not have the choice to eat the quantity or type of food he wanted while he was at war. 

Nick feels immense pleasure when he finally eats his food, exclaiming “Geezuz Chrise” aloud, suggesting a moment of almost religious ecstasy. The solution to Nick’s physical suffering seems easy when compared to his mental anguish—there doesn’t seem to be an easy fix for this.

Nick had probably been similarly hungry when he was at the war but had been unable to sit down to a satisfying meal. Now, he enjoys his freedom to decide when and what to eat. Once again, the reader’s attention is drawn to Nick’s decision to postpone eating and setting up camp—he decides not to and enjoys that freedom to choose. Also, Nick uses his hunger and exhaustion to stop his mind from recalling thoughts and memories that upset him. 

Hopkins is the only other character (other than Nick) who gets more than a passing mention in this story, suggesting that he is important to Nick. Nick had “once argued” with Hopkins about everything, but he seems to no longer do this. The reader does not yet know why the arguments (or the friendship) ended. 

Once again, the reader’s attention is drawn to the fact that Nick and Hopkins used to be friends “a long time ago,” yet it’s not clear when or why their friendship ended. Since Nick is consciously making his coffee using Hopkins’s method, as if in his honor, it is clear that Nick still regards Hopkins positively.

Hopkins seems to have been a lucky young man, blessed with money, a beautiful girlfriend, and friends who cared about him. However, he “went away” when a telegram came for him, implying that he was likely drafted to fight in World War I. Though Nick and his friends had plans to go fishing together the next year, they “never saw Hopkins again,” which suggests that he died in the war. Hopkins’s story illustrates that money and good fortune didn’t protect anyone from the horrors of war. 

The coffee that Nick makes using Hopkins’s method is bitter, just like Hopkins’s story which ends in death. Nick is starting to think about the war, and he doesn’t want to, but he knows he is tired enough to “choke” his mind. This strikingly violent word, “choke,” draws attention to itself and highlights the sheer effort Nick puts into avoiding and repressing things that upset him.

Later in the story, the swamp will emerge as a challenge to Nick’s peace of mind. But for now, Nick is too exhausted to be troubled by it and it is “perfectly quiet.” However, a mosquito has snuck into Nick’s tent, which violates his quest for perfect order. It is only by killing it that Nick is able to “settle down” to a good night’s sleep, again showcasing his extreme disturbance when his environment is not to his liking.