The
one the most interesting parts of the Big Two-Hearted River is when
Nick is talking about Hopkins and his story. I find this to be
interesting not only because he has so much to say about Hopkins and
how he makes coffee, but also because of how much we can get out of
this little section on Hopkins.
Nick
starts out talking about how he is honoring Hopkins through this
coffee making. This gives me the immediate impression that Hopkins
was a pretty great person and positively affected all of the people
in their friend group. The fact that Nick and Hopkins had an argument
over coffee also suggests that they were very good friends because
they were having an argument about such a insignificant aspect of
life. The next major statement we get about Hopkins is that he
deserves the recognition from Nick. This gives me the impression that
Hopkins died or something similar that he didn't deserve because he
was such a great guy. Nick is again honor Hopkins with these
statements reinforcing what he implied before.
Nick
starts talking about how Hopkins was a very serious man. This came as
a bit of a surprise to me as arguing about coffee would make one seem
unconcerned with major things going on. Hopkins being serious still
adds another layer to what we already know about him. He can be
serious and as such he is depicted as an even better person.
After
that Nick talks about Hopkins life. He says he was a rich man from
playing polo and that he gave the people in their friend group
something. The way Nick talks about Hopkins is very reminiscent and
has a sort of sad feeling. This provides the reader with even more
context about Hopkins as we understand the he was an invaluable part
of the group and even when he gave the items to Nick and Bill to
remember him by it seems like it was just enough to keep the memory
alive.
The
story ends with Hopkins disappearing. This concludes the picture that
Nick is trying to create which presents Hopkins as a great person in
terms of being both a friend and a nice person, how Hopkins can be
serious but also laid back, and also leave a bit of mystery with the
end of the story. Overall, just from what Nick recalls about Hopkins
we can arrive at a pretty complete picture of what he was like.
This is a really good example of the close-reading skills it takes to fully comprehend everything Hemingway is telling us indirectly, between the lines of his short, declarative sentences. I liked the conclusions you drew based on the level of insignificance that coffee has in the big picture of life. It's very true and astute to observe that two people who would argue about the proper way to make coffee are close friends, comfortable enough with each other to argue about something that doesn't really matter.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you analysed a small section of the story. You made me see that part in a different way. I especially liked the point you made about Nick honoring Hopkins. It was a great reminder that Hemingway's stories are deeply packed with detail that you have to take the time and attention to unpack otherwise you may not get the whole picture. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI also felt that a lot could be told of Hopkins from the description Nick gave. We really get this impression that Hopkins was a really big influence on Nick’s life. Great job at bringing this character of Hopkins in our minds into a more solid and defined entity. I think this just goes to show that Hemingway can be very subtle but still get many things across through how the characters act and what they think.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that even though Nick goes on this trip to distract himself from his thoughts, he "allows" himself to think about Hopkins. Although we aren't given great insight into the context of their friendship, I feel that Nick letting himself think about Hopkins means that their friendship must have carried some special significance.
ReplyDeleteI said something to this effect in class, but it's interesting to me how Nick's stated purpose in this solitary wilderness trip is to avoid thinking, to put his attention solely on immediate tasks and not to get reflective--in other words, to try to excerpt himself from the narrative logic of life, to not see himself as part of any plots unfolding. And Hemingway's narrative mostly follows this plan, detailing (in too much detail, for some readers!) each of Nick's movements and actions and their purpose, keeping the reader's attention tuned to the present moment. The Hopkins thing is an interesting deviation from this, as if he finds himself reengaging this argument about coffee, and then can't help but turn it into a story--not only the story you detail here, where we get a pretty well-developed sketch of Hopkins's character and their friendship, but also the "story" involving the coffee, as he thinks about how the coffee's bitterness would make a good "ending" for the story. The writer can't help but think in terms of writing, it seems.
ReplyDelete