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by Noelle Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E · Assignment · Writing · #1427500
Find symbolism in a pssage from Hemmingway.
Nick looked at the burned-over stretch of hillside, where he had expected to find the scattered houses of the town and then walked down the railroad track to the bridge over the river. The river was there. It swirled against the log piles of the bridge. Nick looked down into the clear, brown water, colored from the pebbly bottom, and watched the trout keeping themselves steady in the current with wavering fins. As he watched them they changed their positions by quick angles, only to hold steady in the fast water again. Nick watched them a long time.
-- Hemmingway



"You'll notice Hemmingway's cheerful disregard for grammar, but I also want you to consider the symbolism here. Consider the sentence "The river was there." I will tell you that themes of this story are, in my opinion, the permanence of nature and the impermanence of humans. See what symbols and details you can find in this paragraph to support that theme. Tell me what you think and support your opinion. Use as many words as you would like to support your opinion. There are no wrong answers, I just want your opinion and why." (A1 Writing Academy, Writer's Toolbox- lesson 6, 2008)

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In the above passage, Hemmingway shows the theme, the permanence of nature and the impermanence of humans, through symbolism and careful word choices.

The opening line of the paragraph tells the reader that human life once thrived on this hillside, but has been lost by some source of fire. Hemmingway's choice of words, "Burned-over stretch of hillside", seems to suggest that the hillside still exists beneath its burnt surface. The reader knows that green grass will soon grow again on top of the hill. He used the word "scattered" to describe the houses of the town, which suggests to me a sort of disorganization about human living.

I have a sense that the railroad tracks symbolize the journey of human life. The fact that Nick can walk along the tracks shows that he is still on his journey of life; however, when he reaches the place where the bridge has fallen, he realizes the end of the journey for the town's people has come to pass.

"The bridge" symbolizes human life and "the river" symbolizes nature. The simple statement, "the river was there" tells the reader that only the river remains, but the bridge does not, thus, the people are gone, but nature thrives. The line, "It swirled against the log piles of the bridge" shows that the water is still moving, surpassing the fallen pieces of a broken man-made structure. "The log piles" symbolize the death of human life and the swirling river symbolizes living nature. This shows me that nature will endure in situations where humans cannot survive.

Hemmingway describes the water as "clear, brown", which to me, symbolizes life (clear) and death (brown), and shows the reader that nature has continuous rebirth. "The pebbly bottom" describes the hardness of the river's foundation, showing nature's strength.

If the people of the town are all gone except for Nick, then to me, "The trout" symbolize Nick, who somehow maintains an ability to survive, "keeping [himself] steady" in the harsh conditions he has encountered. My guess is that Hemmingway chose the words "wavering fins" to describe the trout's characteristics for a reason. "Wavering" means irresolute. Perhaps, he is trying to suggest Nick is indecisive. Hemmingway continues on to say the trout "changed their positions by quick angles", suggesting Nick's indecisiveness, changing back and forth, has kept him alive in the fast moving world around him.
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