Summary

WWI reshaped the way people viewed their world, and these new world views made people want to reject old forms (again, as Ezra Pound put it, “Make it New”). Though Modernism existed before the war, sheer disbelief that humans could behave so unexpectedly towards other humans sent Modernism to the forefront of literary technique.

The United States joined the war in 1917, and within a year’s time, 365,000 American’s died with many more wounded. Of the wounded was Ernest Hemingway.  After not being able to enlist due to poor eyesight, he joined the Red Cross; in Italy, Hemingway was hurt delivering gifts to those on the front lines. He was hospitalized for the removal of 227 pieces of shrapnel, and his experience there was turned into what is now “A Farewell To Arms.”

Hemingway returned to the US for a short time before returning to Europe to live in Paris. There he reported for the Toronto Star, sending his work via telegrams which were paid for by-the-word. Hemingway’s experience as a reporter shaped his writing style; all of his stories are simple, short, and terse.  He does not waste words.

Hemingway’s writing style is referred to as the Iceberg Principle, known as such because 9/10ths of an iceberg is underwater. Meanings behind his literature are not readily apparent and can only be discovered by looking deeper. For instance, on the surface of "Big Two Hearted River" Nick appears to just be fishing, when in reality this story concerns the difficulty of coming back from the War and coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or shell shock. One example of how Nick copes with PTSD involves watching the trout hold themselves steady on the bottom of the gravel bed.  Interestingly, Nick is the main character for each of today's readings.

Word Count: 299

Passages

"He crawled inside under the mosquito bar with various things from the pack to put at the head of the bed under the slant of the canvas.  Inside the tent the light came through the brown canvas.  It smelled pleasantly of canvas.  Already there was something mysterious and homelike.  Nick was happy as he crawled inside the tent. He had not been unhappy all day. This was different though. Now things were done." p. 167

This passage from "Big Two-Hearted River: Part 1" exemplifies Hemingway's terse, simple style (reminiscent of imagism) through its focus on mundane details and plain vocabulary.  In addition, the repetition of "canvas" and the creation of a "homelike" atmosphere place the reader in Nick's head, showing us how he must control his thoughts to avoid returning to the frightening memories of war.

"I myself did not want to sleep because I had been living for a long time with the knowledge that if I ever shut my eyes in the dark and let myself go, my soul would go out of my body. I had been blown up at night and felt it go out of me and go off and then come back." p. 276 

This passage from "Now I Lay Me" shows the effects the war had (PTSD, shell shock) on Nick.  It is interesting in conjunction with the other stories, in which he carries heavy cans in order to exhaust himself.  

"Now, as he watched the black hopper that was nibbling at the wool of his sock with its fourway lip, he realized that they had all turned black from living in the burned-over land. He realized that the fire must have come from the year before, but the grasshoppers were all black now. He wondered how long they would stay that way" p. 165

This passage shows how affected Nick was by the war. The grasshoppers have changed to fit their environment, a scorched and changed land, much like a soldier has to change to cope with war. Even though the fire has gone, the grasshoppers are still changed. By wondering how long the grasshoppers will stay that way, Nick is perhaps wondering how long it is he will be changed by the war. 

Key Terms

Trench Warfare: a form of armed combat in which soldiers fight from trenches that face each other; often, neither side can win

Shell Shock: a mental disorder caused by the stress of active warfare; coined during World War I  

Iceberg Principle:  only a small portion of the literary work is easily or instantaneously understood; "the tip of the iceberg"

Isolationism: a foreign policy that keeps countries out of others' affairs to prevent future conflict; the United States practiced this method during the majority of World War I

Modernism: rejecting of old forms, and a desire to "Make it New"