“Big Two-Hearted River” is a short story in the Modernist literary genre. Modernism as a literary movement started in the early 20th century as a way for writers to process social and economic inequality as well as the effects of the catastrophic global wars. Writers like Hemingway felt that the devastation and alienation of modern society could not be captured via traditional literary techniques and started experimenting with narration, pacing, characterization, and more.
“Big Two-Hearted River” has several Modernist qualities. For example, the narration is extremely minimalist and emotionless. Rather than having a narrator who waxes poetic about life and love, the narrator in the story is emotionally detached and distanced. This mirrors the character Nick’s own emotional detachment and inability to face the devastating effects that serving in World War I had on him and the people in his life. The story also does not have a traditional narrative arc—there is no rising action, climax, or clear resolution. There is simply an emotionally wounded man camping alone in the woods for a few days.
The story is also notable as it contains some autobiographical elements and can therefore be considered a work of “autofiction.” The Nick character appears in around two dozen Hemingway stories and shares many experiences with Hemingway himself. “Big Two-Hearted River” is actually based on a fishing trip in Michigan that Hemingway took with his high school friends after returning home from his time in World War I. While Hemingway ultimately decided not to include his friends as characters, it’s likely that he pulled from certain elements of his experience (including external landscapes and internal emotions) while writing the story.
