The Great River of Two Hearts is a short story by Ernest Hemingway that includes two parts focusing on the effects of war on its characters. Nick Adams, the story's protagonist, tries to escape the harsh environment of war by wrapping himself in nature. Nick returns home after being disillusioned and emotionally wounded by World War I, but leaves for northern Michigan on a camping tour. He purposely sets out on the journey alone to restore his peace and find balance for his traumatized soul. The living seems to deliberately open up what it pursues through the recuperative and restorative forces of nature. Nick witnessed firsthand the terrors of war, which seriously injured him and contributed to his nervous breakdown (Hemingway 2014 p.2). In an effort to put aside some of the fears of such experiences and reintegrate himself into a strong emotional life, he believes that he should detach himself from those around him until such time as he regains his sense of humanity and sanity. The actions Nick takes show readers the value of isolation in moments of self-reflection, which helps in normal life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Nick's quest to restore his inner peace and emotions reveals the theme of recovery. His recovery begins when he travels alone to an uninhabited area along the fictional Two-Hearted River in northern Michigan, where he can view Lake Superior up close from the top of a hill. The town of Seney was destroyed and only the rails and burns remained. The burned city is used to symbolize Nick's life. He is leaving behind the devastated and burned parts of his life, hoping to seek rebirth on the fertile banks of the river (Hemingway 2014 p. 5). He also stops at the bridge to watch the trout in the stream. As he watches the trout move, he feels a pleasure he hasn't felt for a while. After leaving the burned city, he felt happy and excited to leave all his needs behind. He can regain a sense of the simplicity of life through his camping trip which allowed him to fish, cook, eat and sleep. Nick also remembers his friend Hopkins making coffee. He drinks Hopkins-style coffee in his memory. The coffee was bitter, which made Nick laugh. In this case, Nick makes a move on some guidelines that an individual would do to stay happy, such as remembering happy moments and recalling them. Furthermore, coffee is a drink consumed by many people to start the day off right without being seen in an angry mood. Nick was never used to drinking coffee often as he could not remember the way to prepare it, but as soon as he remembers how Hopkins prepared it, he does not hesitate to prepare it (Hemingway 2014 p. 14). Like Hopkins who was engulfed by the world of materialism and money which made him forget necessary values like friendship, Nick who once believed in the glory of war and was almost killed by his machines, but survived, also returns home to nature and restores his mental and physical health. The ceremonial way in which Nick drinks camp coffee, as Hopkins did, connects him with former friends and relatives, which triggers some fond memories. Nick's preparations for the fishing trip and actually entering the river to fish for trout meant he had some bait. . He is surrounded by grasshoppers, who look sluggish in the early morning due to heavy dew. For his preparation he collects enough grasshoppers in an empty bottle that he would need for the whole day. These grasshoppers are used symbolically.
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