The Big River Isnt The Only Thing That Is Two Hearted

When analyzing The Big Two Hearted River by Hemingway, it is easy to become lost in the search and explanation of metaphors throughout. But the larger idea that presents itself is this theme of nature and the effects it has on man. In war it is known that it is a "man versus man" struggle, in nature though, it is a "man versus nature struggle". Our narrator, Nick, uses nature as his recovering technique, and it is also a metaphor for his recovery from the horrors he has seen when at war. Nature is presented peacefully through fishing, clean air, morning coffee and this idea of oneness between man and earth. When camping or hunting or simply surviving in nature, it is seen as a noble "sport" where the fight is just as important as the win. In war, there is only sadness, pain, hurt, and future trauma to come.
The Iceberg Theory can be applied to the story in its entirety by which Hemingway used the technique of omission where background details are not addressed, but rather the foreground is the main subject material. Time flows forward in this story and Nick always looks ahead as not only a positive thinking technique, but also a recovery technique to not dwell on the horrors he experienced at war. When looking at the story in a detailed manner, the section where Nick walks through the burned down town, we are not presented with reason for the fire, only the black grasshoppers. This can be seen as a metaphor that those who have been through hell and back show mental and a physical changes in their performance through life and appearance. Mental and physical activities that Nick performs are so mundane that he doesn't allow himself to think of anything else.
This story was one of the most simple and bare stories we have read in the class to date, yet, it has one of the most unexplained backgrounds we have seen. Does the simple writing style convey deeper meaning than a writing style of detail and explanation? I hope we can discuss this idea in class.