Thank you for this insightful explanation. I have enjoyed the Big Two Hearted story but realized much of it went beyond my ability to process: you gave me firm ground to re-approach this beautiful story with more understanding and greater appreciation.
Thank you for the kind words. There are some comments left by others that add a great deal more depth than I included. They are definitely worth looking through.
Really appreciated your analysis of this story Brian, particularly the idea of the river signifying real life and Nick's unreadiness for it after returning from war.
Thank you Jo. I appreciate you watching and commenting. I hope I got my analysis right. I always worry when I do an analysis that I got it completely wrong. :)
Superb video. It struck me during your discussion that Hemingway unwittingly took Nick to a 21st century mindfulness retreat in this story. The silence, the focus on details, the lack of judgment and acceptance of facts, followed by the shock of reentry into the world. It is, I think, a profound description of PTSD recovery. - Surely writing this story must’ve been therapeutic for Hemingway himself. Thank you for such a thoughtful video. I will read these stories again.
I think there is definitely a case to be made for Nick/Hemingway using the camping trip (and for Hemingway writing about it) as a form of PTSD recovery. Because Hemingway was such braggart and inflated the severity of his injury later in life its easy to forget that he experienced the trauma of WWI, was wounded, and saw men die around him. Thank you so much for watching and your insightful comment.
Thanks for posting this. I read the story recently and wasn’t a fan, but your video gives me a completely different way of looking at it. Keen to go back and re-read
Excellent video! I agree with you that BTHS is a story about trying to get healed, but to me it is also a healing story. Its setting, its rhythm, its imagery are like balm on sore spots. One of my favourite stories by EH, and one of the main reasons I became interested in trout fishing.
Nice synopsis !! To me "Big Tow Hearted River" is Hemingway describing the ebbs and flows (river) of depression/PTSD. Nick walks in the burned area and stops to rest but seeing the black hoppers reminds him of the darkness that surrounds him (whether from war PTSD or genetic depression) and he presses on. Once he comes to the fire line and takes his next rest he dozes off. I have depression and this is the way you live your life (I have PTSD). You move from black dark areas/periods to bright clear areas/periods. The hardest part of living with depression is, that when you are walking where it is dark and burned, you long for the "sweet fern, growing ankle high, walk through, and clumps of jack pines" but when it is bright, and you are walking, in "sweet fern, growing ankle high, walk through, and clumps of jack pines" you know the darkness is lurking around the next corner to "swamp you" (Crane). The river is very significant. The river represents life. At anytime Nick could have turned toward the river but when you are depressed and walking in darkness life is hard and you separate yourself from the ebbs and flows of life. A river ebbs and flows and sometimes flows rapidly with unsteady footing. Stepping into life/river with weight/depression can be perilous. Keeping your balance (footing) in the currents of a river and life can be extremely difficult, but navigating the water with weight/depression hanging on you increases the chances that you will lose your footing. Everyone with PTSD and/or depression knows that there exists certain environmental triggers that can exacerbate the struggles of depression. Notice that Nick set-up camp and rested but yet he had not entered the river. That represents a parallel of living with depression. You enjoy the periods of rest away from the darkness, but you know that once you re-enter the river/life your chances of succumbing to the current are increased with added weight of anxiety/depression/PTSD. Nick first thought when the current caused unsteadiness was "He's all right, Nick thought. He was only tired", but eventually, where did the river take Nick? To the swamp (bog). "Nick did not want to go in there now. He felt a reaction against deep wading with the water deepening up under his armpit". That is the way depression affects someone , you feel armpit deep and sinking quickly and you know that it is impossible to catch the"Big Trout"/escape) in that swamp. There so many more parallels to depression/anxiety/PTSD in this short story by Hemingway. To me, he was pouring out his deepest emotions through Nick. Crane, S. americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the-open-boat.pdf. n.d.
Great comment and analysis. That is what I was trying to get at (at least in terms of Nick dealing with PTSD), but I think that you described it much better than I did. I've always found the story to be very moving and and reassuring. Thank you so much for watching the video and for your amazing comment.
This is THE video that would get me to read Hemingway, at the very least this story. Actually, it was so convincing that you've started resembling Ernesto physically. I'm not kidding! I really appreciate your detailed analysis.
Great video! Nick is such an interesting character. I feel like you - Nick being an extension of Hemingway himself. Nick is incredible for how human he is, contradictions and all, but also incredible for the ideals he represents, particularly post-war.
Thank you. Nick Adams is, as you point out, the most real of all Hemingway's characters. Probably because Hemingway knew him so well. The Nick Adams stories are the Hemingway I'm most likely too go back and reread.
Thanks for the review. I think Hemingway goes too iceberg here. A new reader to Hemingway's would have no idea Nick had been in a war. Also I think it's unrealistic to think Nick would have zero memories of the war during this fishing trip.
Thank you for your comment. I'm not sure you have to know, specifically, that Nick had been in war. Honestly, its not one hundred percent clear that that is the trauma in his past. I think Hemingway makes it clear that there was some trauma in Nick's past that he is working his way through. You might be right that it is unrealistic for Nick to have zero memories of the war, but to me I think the lack of specific war memories heightens the idea that Nick is specifically trying to distract himself from those memories.
Would you recommend picking up some of his short stories before his novels, or do you think it matters? I know I've heard Stripped Cover Lit mention they think his short stories are better, but I've heard a lot more about his novels.
I think Hemingway's real gift was for writing short stories, so I almost always recommend starting with them. Novel/' novella wise I think _A Farewell To Arms_ is the best story, _The Sun Also Rises_ is the most interesting, and the _Old Man and the Sea_ is the most accessible. _For Whom the Bell Tolls_ is, I think, the Hemingway novel to read second or third. You kind of need to be in the Hemingway mode. _A Moveable Feast_ is a memoirish book that gives you an idea of Hemingway's style and the personal (biased) account of how he started his writing career.
@@BookishTexan The Old Man and the Sea is the only I've read so far, but I want to give him a fair shot beyond that because I loved it so much. A Farewell to Arms I have on my shelf so I may try to get to that after a few short stories if I can find them. Thank you for the advice on the others!
Thank you for this insightful explanation. I have enjoyed the Big Two Hearted story but realized much of it went beyond my ability to process: you gave me firm ground to re-approach this beautiful story with more understanding and greater appreciation.
Thank you for the kind words. There are some comments left by others that add a great deal more depth than I included. They are definitely worth looking through.
Really appreciated your analysis of this story Brian, particularly the idea of the river signifying real life and Nick's unreadiness for it after returning from war.
Thank you Jo. I appreciate you watching and commenting. I hope I got my analysis right. I always worry when I do an analysis that I got it completely wrong. :)
I think analysis is entirely personal and there really is no right or wrong, especially if the author isn't around to contradict us ;)
@@josmith5992 That's true :) Thank you Jo.
Superb video. It struck me during your discussion that Hemingway unwittingly took Nick to a 21st century mindfulness retreat in this story. The silence, the focus on details, the lack of judgment and acceptance of facts, followed by the shock of reentry into the world. It is, I think, a profound description of PTSD recovery. - Surely writing this story must’ve been therapeutic for Hemingway himself. Thank you for such a thoughtful video. I will read these stories again.
I think there is definitely a case to be made for Nick/Hemingway using the camping trip (and for Hemingway writing about it) as a form of PTSD recovery. Because Hemingway was such braggart and inflated the severity of his injury later in life its easy to forget that he experienced the trauma of WWI, was wounded, and saw men die around him. Thank you so much for watching and your insightful comment.
Thanks for posting this. I read the story recently and wasn’t a fan, but your video gives me a completely different way of looking at it. Keen to go back and re-read
Thank you for the kind words. I hope if you do reread it you will enjoy it.
Excellent video! I agree with you that BTHS is a story about trying to get healed, but to me it is also a healing story. Its setting, its rhythm, its imagery are like balm on sore spots. One of my favourite stories by EH, and one of the main reasons I became interested in trout fishing.
Thank you. I agree that it a story about healing and giving oneself time and space for it.
Nice synopsis !!
To me "Big Tow Hearted River" is Hemingway describing the ebbs and flows (river) of depression/PTSD. Nick walks in the burned area and stops to rest but seeing the black hoppers reminds him of the darkness that surrounds him (whether from war PTSD or genetic depression) and he presses on. Once he comes to the fire line and takes his next rest he dozes off. I have depression and this is the way you live your life (I have PTSD). You move from black dark areas/periods to bright clear areas/periods.
The hardest part of living with depression is, that when you are walking where it is dark and burned, you long for the "sweet fern, growing ankle high, walk through, and clumps of jack pines" but when it is bright, and you are walking, in "sweet fern, growing ankle high, walk through, and clumps of jack pines" you know the darkness is lurking around the next corner to "swamp you" (Crane).
The river is very significant. The river represents life. At anytime Nick could have turned toward the river but when you are depressed and walking in darkness life is hard and you separate yourself from the ebbs and flows of life. A river ebbs and flows and sometimes flows rapidly with unsteady footing. Stepping into life/river with weight/depression can be perilous. Keeping your balance (footing) in the currents of a river and life can be extremely difficult, but navigating the water with weight/depression hanging on you increases the chances that you will lose your footing. Everyone with PTSD and/or depression knows that there exists certain environmental triggers that can exacerbate the struggles of depression.
Notice that Nick set-up camp and rested but yet he had not entered the river. That represents a parallel of living with depression. You enjoy the periods of rest away from the darkness, but you know that once you re-enter the river/life your chances of succumbing to the current are increased with added weight of anxiety/depression/PTSD. Nick first thought when the current caused unsteadiness was "He's all right, Nick thought. He was only tired", but eventually, where did the river take Nick? To the swamp (bog). "Nick did not want to go in there now. He felt a reaction against deep wading with the water deepening up under his armpit". That is the way depression affects someone , you feel armpit deep and sinking quickly and you know that it is impossible to catch the"Big Trout"/escape) in that swamp.
There so many more parallels to depression/anxiety/PTSD in this short story by Hemingway. To me, he was pouring out his deepest emotions through Nick.
Crane, S. americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the-open-boat.pdf. n.d.
Great comment and analysis. That is what I was trying to get at (at least in terms of Nick dealing with PTSD), but I think that you described it much better than I did. I've always found the story to be very moving and and reassuring.
Thank you so much for watching the video and for your amazing comment.
@@BookishTexan Thank you. This short story really resonates with me.
Well said 👏
This is THE video that would get me to read Hemingway, at the very least this story. Actually, it was so convincing that you've started resembling Ernesto physically. I'm not kidding! I really appreciate your detailed analysis.
Thank you so much. I hope its only a physical resemblance. I always though my grandfather looked a bit like Hemingway.
Great video! Nick is such an interesting character. I feel like you - Nick being an extension of Hemingway himself. Nick is incredible for how human he is, contradictions and all, but also incredible for the ideals he represents, particularly post-war.
Thank you. Nick Adams is, as you point out, the most real of all Hemingway's characters. Probably because Hemingway knew him so well. The Nick Adams stories are the Hemingway I'm most likely too go back and reread.
Qué buen análisis. Gracias.
Thank you.
Thanks for the review. I think Hemingway goes too iceberg here. A new reader to Hemingway's would have no idea Nick had been in a war. Also I think it's unrealistic to think Nick would have zero memories of the war during this fishing trip.
Thank you for your comment. I'm not sure you have to know, specifically, that Nick had been in war. Honestly, its not one hundred percent clear that that is the trauma in his past. I think Hemingway makes it clear that there was some trauma in Nick's past that he is working his way through. You might be right that it is unrealistic for Nick to have zero memories of the war, but to me I think the lack of specific war memories heightens the idea that Nick is specifically trying to distract himself from those memories.
Would you recommend picking up some of his short stories before his novels, or do you think it matters? I know I've heard Stripped Cover Lit mention they think his short stories are better, but I've heard a lot more about his novels.
I think Hemingway's real gift was for writing short stories, so I almost always recommend starting with them. Novel/' novella wise I think _A Farewell To Arms_ is the best story, _The Sun Also Rises_ is the most interesting, and the _Old Man and the Sea_ is the most accessible. _For Whom the Bell Tolls_ is, I think, the Hemingway novel to read second or third. You kind of need to be in the Hemingway mode. _A Moveable Feast_ is a memoirish book that gives you an idea of Hemingway's style and the personal (biased) account of how he started his writing career.
@@BookishTexan The Old Man and the Sea is the only I've read so far, but I want to give him a fair shot beyond that because I loved it so much. A Farewell to Arms I have on my shelf so I may try to get to that after a few short stories if I can find them. Thank you for the advice on the others!