Big Two-Hearted River by Ernest Hemingway, Essay Example

A factor “Big Two-Hearted River” by Ernest Hemingway that is immediately noticed is the title. Upon reviewing the title, one might find oneself wondering why Hemingway might have come to the decision to label the story as such. After careful analysis, however, it is not too difficult to come to the understanding of why Hemingway might have decided to call his novel as such. In order to understand the meaning behind this title, it is vital for individuals to understand what was going on in the time period in which the author wrote and published the novel. Therefore, the work of Ernest Hemingway in “Big Two-Hearted River” is full of historical references and connotations because of the manner in which World War I had just come a conclusion a few years before the novel was published.

At present day, it is probable that individuals would not assume that Hemingway’s novel was making numerous references to the war that had just unfolded before the eyes of many  individuals. However, as in most cases when reading book, in order to fully come to grasp what the author was trying to convey within a certain passage, it is vital to understand what the author was undergoing at the time that the novel was created. Because of the fact that Hemingway had to experience World War I while being an ambulance driver, it goes without saying that the came face-to-face with both the effects and aftermath of the war.

Having understood this, it is easily seen how “Big Two-Hearted River” is simply a reflection of the time period in which it was written. If this is not a big enough implication to indicate that Hemingway’s novel was making references to World War I, there are numerous points in the poem where Hemingway uses subtle hints to refer to the war that took place many years ago. Perhaps one of the hidden manners by which Hemingway is able to hide the fact that the is talking about World War I is when he talks about how Nick (the protagonist) felt an old feeling as soon as the trout in the river moved.

It is unquestionable that the “old feeling” that the protagonist suddenly feels is referencing to a point in time when things were not good for him. In many research accounts, it has been stated that perhaps at this point in the novel, Hemingway was attempting to portray how he (through the character of Nick) now had Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder because of the all of the horrible events that unfolded before his eyes during the war. Another pivotal point in the story where the reader is given another clue as to what Nick is feeling is the manner in which he was trying his best to make himself happy, perhaps by fishing.

The work of Ernest Hemingway in “Big Two-Hearted River” is full of historical references and connotations because of the manner in which World War I had just come a conclusion a few years before the novel was published. It is difficult to say if Hemingway was trying to portray the war as it took place years before his novel was published. What is known to be a more considerable fact, however, is that Hemingway is inevitably referring to all of the effects that the war had on such a vast amount of individuals. If and when this novel is looked under a historical context, it is easily seen why Hemingway chose to write his novel in such a subtle manner.