Hemingway's Iceberg Theory in "Big Two-Hearted River" Anonymous College

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) made an insightful comment on fiction writing when he proposed his “iceberg theory” in his work Death in the Afternoon (Borkiewicz 45-6). This theory proposes that if a writer is deeply familiar with an experience, that their writing will convey a tacit, upspoken understanding of that experience. This unspoken understanding is imbued in the writer’s work by way of imagery, mood, and character development, rather than explicit descriptions. In fact, Hemingway said, a piece of fiction writing resonates as more authentic when explicit descriptions are omitted, allowing familiarity to be implied through tone, language, and emotion. “Big Two-Hearted River” by Hemingway evidences this theory precisely because its main character, Nick, endured the same kinds of war experiences that Hemingway had gone through in World War I (Melling 46). Characteristic of veterans during this era, Nick is stoic, as he proceeds with his fishing trip almost in spite of his pain and losses. As a vignette, “Big Two-Hearted River” conveys the essence of veteran stoicism, where the deep depths of Nick’s pain are brought to bear upon reader through only the lightest grazing of detail, demonstrating the full validity of Hemingway’s...