big 2 hearted followup

This weeks class work was engaging to say the least. Interesting how a few short stories can elicit such stimulated conversation. Then again, if these stories failed at such, then they wouldn't be included in a survey right?

I found myself reviewing what I wrote in my blog prior to class in an effort to see what we learned from Scott as well as each other would influence a followup. Finding lots and little, (meaning that I like what i wrote, and that there was a seemingly overwhelming amount of additional information gleaned from class) i wandered over to my small group blogs to see if their thoughts could add some clarity.

kassie's blog mirrored many of my own thoughts; a good place to gain some perspective. She has some good questions specific enough to attempt to answer.

i was interested in her questions about the significance of the grasshoppers. I too was struck by Hemingway's use of a simple creature. Is it so simple? Having read some Hemingway, especially when I was living in Sun Vally one year down the way from his old house, as well as spending the following spring in the Bahama islands drinking at one of his old houses now turned into a bar, led me to some of his stories; he is not as simple as he leads on.

I am going to cut and paste part of Kassie's blog, inserting some comments about her observations

My other pondering question is the grasshoppers.  What do the grasshoppers represent?   do they represent other people? or us the reader? hopping through life, no genderal direction or goal other than to survive another day? In the beginning he is stretching his legs and having a smoke when he sees a grasshopper but it’s black.  He picks it up and inspects the grasshopper and it has absolutely no color.  Later he walks on and when he sets up camp he goes and gets grasshoppers so he can use them as bait.  Was he just inspecting them for bait or do they have some symbolic reason for the description and how much detail Hemingway goes into when he is fishing?   only the ones that were black or adapted to black amongst the ashes of the fire live on. Birds have obviously eaten the light green and white ones. Survival narrative? Nick goes to get the grasshoppers and they are cold and the dew is still on the grass so he is grabbing them and putting them into a bottle.  Bottle seems to represent a prison for the grasshoppers. One which each attempts to escape from as Nick plucks them from it to bait his hook. Most find the business end of that hook and are used to obtain something larger and more nourishing. One does indeed escape, but is sucked into the depths, eaten by a fish. Does this speak to the futility of avoiding one's fate? A useful fate? Is Hemingway saying that it is better to have a use even if it is a doomed one? Nick finds a log and there is a grasshopper lodge where there are hundreds.     we all seem to hide amongst our peers. Much good that it does us when the hand of God, (or his representative) reaches down and plucks you from your existence to begin a new function.

 

I would add one grasshopper idea for comment.

 

When Nick shoves the fishing hook up the grasshopper's body. he describes the grasshopper reaching around it's hands in a sort of prayer. is the hook religion? is religion then a tool and trap of some other force with which to utilize us?

 

Decker