Nick Character Analysis in Big Two-Hearted River

“A Big Two-Hearted River” follows a man named Nick Adams as he attempts to move past his wounds from the war. Nick is looking to get away from the emotional and mental wounds that fighting in the war has left him with. Nick escapes nature to try to clear the thoughts and PTSD of war that seem to constantly seep into his life. His fishing trip is his attempt to heal from the wounds that he has sustained from the war. The themes of nature and change tie into Nick’s attempt to distance himself from the war trauma that he possesses. Nick is a classic example of the Hemingway Hero; he exemplifies the principal traits that make the hero up. 

Nick is a soldier that has returned from war recently and has returned back to the Michigan woods where he and his father used to hunt and fish. Nick is coping and trying to heal from the physical, mental, and emotional wounds that he sustained during his time fighting on the Italian front. Nick has a love for nature and enjoys the predictability that nature offers in a time that feels unpredictable. Nick takes on a caring attitude towards the nature around him and is careful in what he does while in the woods. Nick cares deeply about the creatures around him and he showcases this in many ways. This is displayed in his treatment of the grasshoppers he uses as bait. He makes sure they have a warm and comfortable bottle as well as making sure that they have enough air to breathe. Nick is compassionate to the world around him both the creatures and the nature. He suffers from a multitude of wounds that he struggles to heal from that bother him throughout the story. 

While Nick suffers from the physical effects of the war, the mental and emotional damage plays a bigger role in his life. The PTSD and emotional suffering he faces plagues a lot of his thoughts and actions. It is clear in the story that he has not healed from these wounds and is struggling to address them as he tries to distract himself with various activities. Nick is relying on nature to be a comfort to him because of its predictability but when the nature around him takes on an unpredictable nature, he seems to lose control of himself. This is evident when the large fish in the river escapes from him and he begins to feel sick and needs to sit down. Nature is his comfort where he can escape from the pain of his wounds and start to heal. In part one he is still heavily affected by the emotional and mental pain but, by the end of part two, the healing process has already begun. By the end, he has accepted that he is healing and no longer feels rushed to feel better as he says “There were plenty of days coming where he could fish in the swamp.” Nick suffers from physical, emotional, and mental pain. The emotional and mental pain hold more power over him than the physical pain and he goes fishing and camping to try and escape the pain plaguing his thoughts. Instead, the nature and fishing help him to start the healing process for his pain. 

One of the predominant themes in “A Big Two-Hearted River” is nature’s changes. Nick tries to escape his pain from the war by going into nature to partake in simple activities that he hopes will take his mind off of the emotional and mental damage he has sustained. He finds comfort in nature’s predictability and he feels calm in a place that he has known since a young age. While most of the material things, such as mansions and saloons,  were burned down, the river is still there. Nick finds comfort as begins camping and fishing, remembering the days in which he used to fish. This predictability provides him with the escape from the effects of war by providing him with something he knows and can expect. However, the changes in nature have a powerful effect on Nick’s emotional and mental stability at first. When the big fish that Nick thought he was sure to catch gets away from him, he feels physically sick so much to the point that he feels the need to sit down. However, these changes and unpredictability in nature are what help Nick to start the healing processes in the first place. The unpredictability allows him to start his process of sorting out and starting to get used to life after fighting in a war and this allows Nick to leave the trip with a sense of optimism for what the future holds.

“A Big Two-Hearted River” follows the protagonist, Nick, into the woods where he plans to camp and fish. Nick is suffering from physical, emotional, and mental damage which he has sustained after fighting in the war. It is clear to see that Nick has more than one wound and that he plans to distract himself from them by spending time in nature. Nick relies on the predictability and reasonable aspects that nature holds yet is quite taken aback when unpredictable things occur around him. Nature and its unpredictability allow him, however, to recognize his wounds and finally start the much-needed healing process for him. While nature did not fully provide the calmness and comfort that Nick expected, it opened his eyes and allowed him to embrace the difficult emotions and mental state that he was desperately trying to avoid.