Nick’s Psychological Development in Ernest Hemingway’s in Our Time
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Nick’s Psychological Development
in Ernest Hemingway’s In Our Time
In Hemingway’s collection of short stories, In Our Time, we follow a character by the name of Nick Adams. We are introduced to Nick in “Indian Camp” as a young boy, and follow him to adulthood in both Parts I and II of “Big Two-Hearted River”. Through this we see Nick develop and learn about some major facts of life. Nick is a character who is changes through the effects of war on many different levels. Although Hemingway hardly mentions the war, he uses the stories to express different effects and emotions caused by the war.
In “Indian Camp” we meet Nick as he joins his father to help a pregnant Indian woman in labor. Nick’s father, a doctor, brings him to experience this as a sort of initiation of life. His father wants him to learn about life and wants to teach his son about being a doctor. While doing this, Nick’s father is unconsciously presenting Nick with life while trying to shield him from death. When the Indian man commits suicide, Nick’s father does not want him to see it. A man who commits suicide lacks courage, and that is not something that Nick’s father wants him to learn. Nick’s father did not say much to him about this incident. This strong, silent masculinity reappears throughout these stories. When this happens, Nick’s behavior also changes. Nick quickly refers to his father as “daddy” instead of “dad” as he did earlier. He is looking for his father to fix what has happened and comfort him. This tragic incident scars Nick more than even his father understands. Witnessing suicide was too disturbing to Nick at his young age, thus restraining his psychological development. Reacting to this, at the end of the story “… [Nick] felt quite sure that he would never die” (19). This makes it obvious that although Nick witnessed death first hand, that he still does not fully understand it. Hemingway is introducing the theme of masculinity in the story, and how Nick is going to struggle with this throughout his life. Nick’s father stormed into a typically female situation (giving birth) and turned it into a male-dominated environment. This introduces Nick to prefer a masculine life rather than a feminine life.
In the story “The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife” we briefly see Nick’s family life. All three of the Adams are living in separate worlds. Nick’s mother is lying in the room, blinds drawn, surrounded by Christian Science books. Nick’s father cleans his gun intently instead of having a meaningful conversation with his wife. Nicks father does not want to answer his wife’s questions, and when he does, he lies to her. He assumes that she will not understand his reasoning for the argument he just had outside. In addition, his wifes religious demands for him to not lose his temper show that she does not want him to be a stereotypical aggressive and protective male. Also, Christian Science religion does not believe in medicine, which means that she has no respect for her husband’s work. Nicks father decides to go hunting, where he can express his masculinity. When Nick decides to go with him, Nick is also showing an interest in male to male interaction over male to female interaction with his mother. We see Nick at the end of the story, still calling his father “daddy” and wanting to follow him around. If the family would interact more, then it is probable that Nick would be able to develop more psychologically. He is still being treated like a little child, so he is still acting like one.
We next see Nick and his reactions to relationships. In “The End of Something” Nick breaks up with his girlfriend Marjorie. He expresses to her that he is bored with his life and that they cannot stay together. This shows that due to Nick’s past, he is not ready for relationships with women. He does not want to live his life in the traditional manner that Marjorie expects him to. Due to his lack of development, he cannot communicate and commit at this point in his life. It is also significant that the fish they are trying to catch will not bite onto the line. This signifies Nick trying to tell Marjorie that now is not a time for commitment. He does not want to get married, settle down, and give up his masculine life.
The next interaction Nick has is with his friend Bill in “The Three Day Blow”. The two spend the entire time drinking while Nick questions his decision to break up with Marjorie. “The Three-Day Blow” can also represent a time in Nick’s life when only the most important things in his life are necessary. For Nick and Bill, the important thing to remain is their masculinity, including their love of sports. For him to become a tough, manly man, Nick needs to “blow” his emotions about